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If your child has a severe and debilitating form of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder which is proving difficult to treat it can be classed as a disability. Having a diagnosis of OCD does not make the child disabled in itself but how OCD bears upon their lives might qualify the child to receive Disability Living Allowance.
For example if the child needs substantial help with toileting due to issues of germs or needs assistance with eating due to fears of contamination, they may qualify for Disability Living Allowance and a parent or carer might qualify for carers allowance. The way OCD impacts on the child needs to be seriously debilitating to qualify for DLA and medical evidence will be required. It’s worth noting that half of all applications for DLA are turned down, there’s nothing automatic about qualifying for receipt of this benefit. The eligibility for DLA is complicated so no one can say if your child’s condition is severe enough to qualify without applying.
The following information has been extracted for you from www.direct.gov.uk which is a government website that details all manner of public services on one website including disability benefits. This section deals with the eligilibility criteria for claiming for a child.
“If you’re claiming for an ill or disabled child (Disability Living Allowance and Carer’s Allowance)
Your child must need a lot more help or supervision than other children of the same age.
You can claim for care needs before a child is aged three months, but benefit will not be paid before the child reaches the age of three months unless they are paid under ‘special rules’ (see below).
You can claim for mobility needs from:
To get the care component of Disability Living Allowance, your disability must be severe enough for you to:
- need help with things such as washing, dressing, eating, getting to and using the toilet, or communicating your needs, or
- need supervision to avoid you putting yourself or others in substantial danger, or
- need someone with you when you are on dialysis, or
- be unable to prepare a cooked main meal for yourself (if you had the ingredients), if you are aged 16 or over
There are three rates of care component depending on how your disability affects you:
- the lowest rate, if you need help or supervision for some of the day or you are unable to prepare a cooked main meal
- the middle rate, if you need help or supervision frequently throughout the day, or during the night, or someone with you while on dialysis
- the highest rate, if you need help or supervision frequently throughout the day and during the night “
This site allows you to access many kinds of support including finding other parents who are in the same position as you in caring for a disabled child. This link takes you to the disability pages of the government website. It will also tell you how to apply and forms can be downloaded on line.
It is important to emphasise that having OCD does not automatically qualify a child for Disability Living Allowance, it is dependent on how the OCD impacts on the child’s life and would generally need to be a severe form of the condition.
If your child does qualify there are additional benefits which can really make your life and more importantly theirs easier. If your child does qualify for Disability Living Allowance, you might qualify for additional benefits in other areas, increased Family Tax Credit or Working Tax Credit for example. Details should be sent to you with your award letter.
Blue Badge/Motability Scheme
As OCD is not a physical disability it is unlikely that the higher rate mobility component would be awarded for this condition which is the requirement to access the Blue Badge Scheme and the Motability Scheme. These are not ordinarily available to sufferers of OCD.
The government’s website on claiming Disability Living Allowance is very detailed and most questions can be answered here: Directgov.uk
Applying for Disability Living Allowance.
The forms are extremely long, repetitive and sometimes a little daunting. Certain councils or carers’ centres offer applicants assistance with filling in the form. It’s worth finding out what assistance is available in your area to complete these forms.
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