Paying for help at home

Use this guide to help you calculate the cost of your care and find information on the Minimum Income Guarantee.

Disability related expenditure information

This is information about Disability Related Expenditure (DRE) and how to ask for a bigger allowance to cover what you spend because you have a disability or long-term health condition.

The Care Act statutory guidance says that the council must leave you with enough money “to pay for necessary disability-related expenditure to meet any needs which are not being met by the local authority”.

Disability Related Expenditure are the costs that arise from having a disability or longterm health condition. You may need to spend money on things that help you manage your disability.

To qualify for the Disability Related Expenditure allowance you must be getting one of the following benefits:

  • Severe Disability Premium
  • Attendance Allowance
  • Disability Living Allowance (Care Component)
  • Personal Independence Payment (Daily living Component).

Everyone who getting one of these benefits, and support from Adult Social Care, will be allocated £10 per week DRE. This is automatic; you do not have to apply or ask for it. This is not a cash payment but an allowance taken into account in the financial assessment.

You can claim more than £10 a week to help cover these costs.

If you have pay more than £10 a week on disability related outgoings you will need to provide evidence of this. The council will check that this is needed by looking at your care and support plan. The council can then increase your allowance.

This is done once a year when you have your review but can be done at other times if you ask.

You will need to provide evidence of your Disability Related Expenses, such as receipts or invoices. You only need to send us these once a year. You must tell the council if there is a change of circumstance, for instance if you stop paying the expenses you told the council about.

What can I claim for?

The types of expenses you can claim for include:

  • If you have a condition that means you have to eat/drink special foods, such as coeliac disease or you are diabetic.
  • Special clothing or footwear you need because of your disability
  • Special equipment you need because of your disability that you have to buy yourself
  • Special bedding used, such as incontinence sheets and anti-allergenic sheets
  • Additional heating costs
  • Additional cost of water from your water meter
  • Help to look after your home or garden
  • If you have to do more laundry, for example, because of incontinence or risk of infection
  • Extra transport costs not covered by your mobility allowance. If you receive the mobility component of DLA or PIP or have a Motability vehicle, the transport costs you include must explain why the amount you need to pay is more than the mobility benefit you receive.
  • Your community alarm if you pay for this yourself
  • A personal assistant
  • Prescriptions: if you pay for your prescriptions for medication and equipment/aids

If you want to check if an expense can be considered put it on the form or contact FAST for advice. You can email FAST on Financialassessment@lambeth.gov.uk.

How to make a claim

You have to show us receipts for three months.

Will also need evidence that the cost is related to your disability or long-term health condition, such as a letter from a health professional. The evidence should clearly link the additional costs to your disability or long-term health condition. We will use your care plan as the basis for seeing what your assessed needs are.

The council will only fund the extra costs that you experience because of your disability or long-term health condition. For example, the council will not consider all of your food costs but only those extra costs for special food you need because of your disability.

Not all costs will be considered eligible. For instance, if you choose to buy items/services when there is a cheaper alternative that meets the need, or if it is something provided by the NHS for free. The cost must be paid by you, not covered by a grant or donation. If we do not allow any of your expenses, we will try and explain why.

To make a claim you have to fill out a form. You can get the form sending an email to Financialassessment@lambeth.gov.uk.

You then send the completed form and the evidence to

The Financial Assessment Team 
London Borough of Lambeth
PO Box 80771
London
SW2 9QQ

Once the form is received we will look into your claim and speak to your social care team. If you consider the decision to be unreasonable then you can make a complaint.

What evidence do I need?

The evidence must show what you spend. Examples include:

  • Receipts for items you have had to buy
  • Bills sent to pay for heating or water
  • Invoice showing payment for purchase of a wheelchair
  • Receipts showing payments for special dietary requirements

Contact us

You can speak to DASL, a voluntary organisation supporting people with disabilities in Lambeth. 

Telephone: 020 7738 5656

Email enquiry.line@disabilitylambeth.org.uk

You can also contact the Council by writing to:

The Financial Assessment Team 
London Borough of Lambeth
PO Box 80771
London
SW2 9QQ

Email: Financialassessment@lambeth.gov.uk

If we find your benefits are below what you should be receiving, we will help you to claim the money you are entitled to. We will arrange for a benefit adviser to contact you to explain additional benefits you can claim and how to get help to fill in the claim form.