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The DWP has been urged to scrap the three-month qualifying period
Need to know: MPs call for reform of three-month DLA rule for children
- MPs are calling for the abolition of a controversial three-month waiting period for Disability Living Allowance (DLA) claims for children with disabilities and serious health conditions.
- The current system requires families to wait three months before receiving financial support, even when children are diagnosed with life-threatening conditions like cancer. DLA provides between £30.30 and £194.60 per week to help with additional care costs.
- Labour MP Michelle Welsh highlighted the case of four-year-old Mabel, who was diagnosed with kidney cancer, during a Westminster Hall debate. “Let me be clear: the financial impact of cancer does not begin after three months. It is instant,” she told MPs.
- Mabel’s mother Rachael had to complete a 40-page questionnaire asking whether her four-year-old needed help monitoring blood oxygen levels. The family faced immediate financial pressures while waiting for support during Mabel’s treatment.
- DWP minister Lilian Greenwood acknowledged the challenges families face but defended the current rules. “The qualifying period provides a sensible division between short and long-term disability,” she said.
- However, Ms Greenwood confirmed there are “no current plans to remove the three-month qualifying period” despite the mounting pressure from MPs. The DWP has recruited over 100 additional case managers to speed up claim processing.
- The benefit can provide up to £10,000 annually for families and continues to be paid when children are hospitalised. Exceptions exist for terminally ill children who can receive enhanced rates immediately.
- Ms Welsh said: “After a horrifying six months, including two major operations and a tough course of chemotherapy, the family received the news that Mabel was free of cancer.”
- READ THE FULL STORY: DWP update as it is urged to change ‘3 month’ rule over key benefit
