Can i get dla benefit for my son who has congenital dislocation of patella?

my son is 4 and has congenital dislocation of patella which i have been told it is realy rare he has problems walking as his leg gives way on him, i have been told that it will probably get worse as he gets older, we are now waiting to be refered to great ormond street. i was wondering if i should apply for dla benefit because of his age they would say that he doesn't need any more care than any other 4 year old.

yes do apply - you will get dla. It is more difficult for under 5's to show they need more care than another child the same age but if you sit down and think about it, purely from what you have told us here, your son does need more care than is usual at that age.

There is an excellent downloadable help guide to assist you on www.bhas.org.uk. This guide sets out very clearly what requirements you should be meeting and so on. Also, you could contact your local carer's association who will help you to fill the forms in if you wish. They helped me quite a lot the first time I did it for my children and they also helped me to realise my children were really entitled to dla as I had a similar attitude to you.

Once you get the dla you can also claim carer's allowance for yourself - it is a small sum of money but worthwhile. Please bear in mind that filling in the forms can be quite draining emotionally as you have to look at your son on his worst days and contemplate the things he cannot do or struggles to do rather than the things he can do (which is how we parents choose to see our children!!). It can be suprisingly emotional.

Good luck to you and your son. I know how confusing these years can be.

yes you should apply even if you only get the lower rate it still helps with those costs that add up.

Suggest you call your local benefits office.

Yes you can apply for this and you must advise you are the carer for your son and also advise why you need to cliam. You may be able to get other benefits like mobility allowance and other help with cost to improve your property

Get a letter from your Doctor as back up, for the DSS or whoever deals with these things.There should be no problem then.

definitely give it a try. they can only say no. if there are thousands of people out there claiming it without any viable disability and your son have a ailment that will only get worse with age and is going to need on going treatment then damn right you should at least apply for it. good luck and i hope your son is OK.

You should certainly apply for it and if you can get someone to help you out with filling in the application all the better. I was given help by the local Surestart welfare benefits officer who helped me word the form (I'm not a stupid person but you don't realise how detailed you have to be) as you tend to take for granted all the things you do for your child and don't realise how much extra you do compared to a mother with a 'normal' child.
I was turned down twice and had to go to a tribunal and appear in front of a panel so don't give up if you get refused the first time. My son has a severe allergy to milk (anaphylactic) and I didn't think to bother with DLA either but now I'm glad I did. I was also awarded carers allowance so that might be something else you should look into. Best of luck!

There are different rules for children as to those for adults. The web site below should point you in the right direction.