Turn2us - to access benefits & grants.

It is true that if you ask for a reassessment of your care component, it may be increased or reduced.

It would be worth you, your husband and your son doing benefits checks using our Benefits Checker to make sure you are getting all the benefits you are entitled to.

As your situation seems very complicated, we would recommend that you get expert advice from a benefits expert about your situation. Because you live in a rural area, we do not know whether you could find one very close to where you live, but it is worth using our Find an Adviser tool to see if you can a local one. If not, there may be services available to you at the hospital where you go for your appointments. So it would be worth asking the hospital staff when you next go there. If they do not know, the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) (link opens in a new window) or the hospital's social work department should be able to advise you further.

If your care component is increased to middle or high rate then it is possible that your husband or son could qualify for Carer’s Allowance, if they look after you for at least 35 hours a week. You would however need advice on this, as your husband may not qualify because he is working full time.

We do not know if you are in touch with your local social services. If not, we would suggest you contact them to ask for an assessment and your husband and son could also ask for an assessment of their needs as your carers.  Help may be available to both of you as a result of these assessments.

If you are already in touch with your local social services and you feel your needs have changed – the fact that you say that you have asked for a review of your care component suggests they have – then we would suggest you contact them to ask for a reassessment of your needs.

See our sections on Community Care for people who are sick or have a disability and Other help for Carers

We would also suggest you do a grants search using our Grants Search database to see if you can find any charitable funds who might be able to help you with financial costs such as fuel costs to and from hospital or other needs you have in relation to your disability, based on the backgrounds of you, your husband and son, and your needs and circumstances.

For more general information, advice on your situation and opportunities to communicate with others in a similar situation to you, the following organisations might be helpful.

National Ankylosing Spondylitis Association (link opens in a new window)

Arthritis Care (link opens in a new window)

Once DLA is awarded, it can be paid at the rates awarded beyond the age of 65 and the claim renewed.  However, you can't qualify for a different rate of mobility or the lowest rate care component for the first time once you reach the age of 65 years.

Your mother should be contacted before April. However, the Department for Work and Pensions have a lot of work to get through in relation to this, there may be some delay.  They are advising people not to call them about this. 

Royal National Institute for Blind People (RNIB) has useful information about this changes to Disability Living Allowance for people with visual impairments on their website (link opens in a new window) .

Their helpline might also be able to advise you further - 0303 123 9999.

This is a complex question that you need to get expert benefits advice on.  You can use our Find an Adviser tool to find a local adviser.

It may depend on whether the person receiving continuing care is living at home or in a care home, rather than whether they are receiving paid for care.

Yes, all current claimants of Incapacity Benefit will be reassessed sometime between now and 2017. 

See our information sheet on Incapacity Reassessments

There is also Disability Living Allowance reform in progress which will not be introduced until 2013. The proposal is to replace it with a new Personal Independence Payment (PIP), so reassessments will be needed. Draft regulations for the PIP assessment criteria have been released by the Department for Work and Pensions to inform discussion as the Welfare Reform Bill progresses through Parliament but nothing is confirmed at this stage.

You may find it helpful to also look at the answers to our recent Ask an Expert session on disability benefits

Turn2us is unable to provide information or advice on an individual's personal circumstances or benefits claims. We suggest you use our Find an Adviser tool to find a local benefits adviser from a Citizens Advice bureau or carers centre who can advise you and your daughter further.

If you want to have your DLA reviewed, you need to contact the Benefits enquiry line and say that your health has changed and you need your DLA reviewed. See our How to Claim benefits information sheet for contact details.They will send you a form.  We suggest you ask the local benefits adviser (see above) about how to fill in the form.

See also our information sheets on Disability Living Allowance and Carer's Allowance.

You and your daughter may also find it helpful to look at the answers to our Ask an Expert session on benefits and support for carers.

Disability Living Allowance is not based on what health conditions you have, but what care and mobility needs you have.

See our information sheet on DLA - http://www.turn2us.org.uk/information__resources/benefits/disability_living_allowance.aspx

We cannot advise you whether you would be eligible. You need to discuss whether you are eligible or not with a benefits adviser. They could also advise you what other benefits if any you might be entitled to.

You can use our Find an Adviser tool to find a local one - http://advicefinder.turn2us.org.uk/

Turn2us is unable to provide information or advice on an individual's personal circumstances or benefits claims. We suggest you use our Find an Adviser tool to find a local benefits adviser from a Citizens Advice bureau or carers centre who can advise you further.

If you want to have your DLA reviewed, you need to contact the Benefits enquiry line and say that your health has changed and you need your DLA reviewed. See our How to Claim benefits information sheet for contact details.They will send you a form. We suggest you ask the local benefits adviser (see above) about how to fill in the form.

See also our information sheets on Disability Living Allowance.

Royal National Institute for Blind People (RNIB) (link opens in a new window) or Diabetes UK (link opens in a new window) may also be able to advise you.

There is no benefit that you would get simply because you had hearing loss.

Disability Living Allowance is not based on what health conditions you have, but what care and mobility needs you have.

See our information sheet on DLA

We cannot advise you whether you would be eligible. You need to discuss whether you are eligible or not with a benefits adviser. They could also advise you what other benefits if any you might be entitled to.

You can use our Find an Adviser tool to find a local one - http://advicefinder.turn2us.org.uk/

You may also find it helpful to look at the Action on Hearing Loss website - http://www.actiononhearingloss.org.uk

This will depend on how the heart transplant has affected your health and your need for constant care and help around the house.

DLA is not based on what health conditions you have but what care and mobility needs you have.  See our information sheet on DLA.

We cannot advise you on whether you would be eligible. You need to discuss whether you are eligible or not with a benefits adviser. You can use our Find an Adviser tool to find a local one.

It is very important to let the benefits office know if there are any changes in your circumstances or health. See our information sheet Benefits and changes in circumstances.

DLA is not based on what health conditions you have but what care and mobility needs you have.  See our information sheet on DLA.

We cannot advise you on whether you would be eligible. You need to discuss whether you are eligible or not with a benefits adviser. You can use our Find an Adviser tool to find a local one.

We would also suggest that you discuss how you are feeling about your job with the health professionals that are involved in your care.  They may be able to advise you further or signpost you to services in your local area that can help you.

You may also find it helpful to get information and advice from a mental health charity such as Mind (link opens in a new window) which has helplines (link pens in a new window). You may also find it helpful to contact the National Osteoporosis Society (link opens in a new window).

To qualify for the higher rate of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) mobility or care, you must have increased mobility and/or care needs for at least three months before the claim and expect to have them for at least six months after. If you do expect to have greater needs for at least a nine month period, you can ask the Disability Benefit Unit (DBU) to look again at your DLA claim to see if you can get a higher rate of benefit. Be careful though as they could look at your circumstances and decide to take away the benefit you already have. This would happen if they think the award was wrong or they think you no longer need guidance and supervision.

Lower rate mobility is paid because you need guidance and supervision from another person when walking outdoors. To get the higher rate of mobility component, you must be unable or virtually unable to walk. When looking at whether you are virtually unable to walk, the DBU will need to find out how far you can walk, the manner in which you walk, e.g. with a limp or shuffling gait, the speed you walk at and the time you are able to walk without experiencing severe discomfort.

The care component of DLA can be paid if you need attention in connection with you bodily functions, for example, help with washing, dressing, attending to personal hygiene, using the toilet, eating meals, moving around indoors, getting into and out of chairs and using stairs etc. The care component can also be paid if you cannot prepare and cook a main meal for yourself if you have the ingredients at home.

You can ask for your DLA claim to be looked at again by phoning or writing to the DBU (link opens in a new window). They will send you a new form to fill in and give details of your care and walking difficulties. If you would like help to fill in the form or get advice about your benefits entitlement, you can use our Find an Adviser to find a local adviser. 

If your boyfriend has given up work to care for you, he might be entitled to Carer's Allowance and other carers benefits.  See our information section for people who are Caring for Someone.

Turn2us cannot provide individual advice on anyone's entitlement to benefits.  Please see the answer above for information about claiming a higher rate of DLA and about benefits available to people who are caring for someone who is ill, injured or has a disability.

Attendance Allowance is a benefit paid to some people who have an illness, injury or disability and who are 65+. See our Attendance Allowance information sheet for more information.  It is not a carer's benefit.

For more information on parking concessions, see our information sheet on the Blue Badge Parking Permit.  You are not automatically entitled to it if you have a disability.

You may find it helpful to talk to a local benefits adviser about your situation and what help might be available to you.  You can use our Find an Adviser tool to find a local one.

DLA is not based on what health conditions you have but what care and mobility needs you have.  See our information sheet on DLA for details of eligibility criteria.

We cannot advise you on whether you would be eligible. You need to discuss this with a benefits adviser. You can use our Find an Adviser tool to find a local one.

You may also find it helpful to get information and advice from a mental health charity such as Mind (link opens in a new window) which has helplines (link opens in a new window).

DLA is not based on what health conditions you have but what care and mobility needs you have.  See our information sheet on DLA for details of eligibility criteria.

We cannot advise you on whether you would be eligible. You need to discuss this with a benefits adviser. You can use our Find an Adviser tool to find a local one.

You may also find it helpful to contact Diabetes UK (link opens in a new window), the national charity that supports people with diabetes.

Turn2us cannot advise you on the benefits that you and your husband are entitled to. 

Our Benefits Calculator will indicate your possible entitlement to some means tested benefits, but we strongly recommend you get individual advice from an expert benefits adviser. You can use our Find an Adviser tool to find a local one.

See also our benefits information sections for people who are Ill, Injured or have a Disability and for people who are Carers.

You may also be able to get advice and information from Diabetes UK (link opens in a new window), a national charity that helps people affected by diabetes and the Carers Trust (link opens in a new window), a national charity that helps carers.

Because you are now 66, you are unlikely to be reassessed for PIP as the Department for Work and Pensions information on PIP (link opens in a new window) states that 'eligible working age people aged 16 to 64' will be reassessed.

This information also says: 'There are no current plans to replace DLA with Personal Independence Payment for children aged under 16 and people over the age of 65 who are already receiving DLA.' 

Our information sheet on Personal Independence Payment tells you the details that we do know about this benefit.

If you are worried about how the changes to the benefits system will affect your benefits claim, we would suggest that you discuss this with a local benefits adviser. You can use our Find an Adviser tool to find a local one.