Disabled Grants for Stairlifts Wheelchair lifts
Wednesday, February 8th, 2012A “Disabled Facilities Grant” is a local council grant to help towards the cost of changing your home to let you continue to live there. A grant is paid when the council considers that changes are important to meet your needs, and that the work is reasonable and practical. A note of warning Grants can take almost 12 months or more to be approved
Who can claim for a Disabled Facilities Grant?
You can claim if you, or somebody living in your property/home, are disabled and you, or the person on whose behalf you are applying, are either the owner or renter (including licensees) of the property. You can certify that you, or the individual on whose behalf you are applying, mean to occupy the property as your/their only or main residence throughout the grant period – currently 5 years. A landlord may apply on behalf of a disabled tenant
Disabled Facilities Grants are available countrywide! England, Wales and Northern Ireland only. Scottish residents should contact the social services dept of their local council for info on any grants that may be available
What can the grant funding be utilised for?
A grant can be used for adaptions to give you better freedom of movement into and around your home and/or to provide essential facilities within it. If you are disabled, acceptable types of work include:
Widening doors and installing ramps, Providing or improving access to rooms and facilities – for example, by installing Stair lifts or providing a downstairs rest room. Changing heating or lighting controls to make them easier to use.
Improving access to and movement around the home to enable you to care for someone else who lives in the property,eg a child. An occupational therapist will look at your circumstances and can advocate the sort of modifications needed.
How much are you able to claim?
The amount paid is generally based mostly on a financial assessment – a ‘means test ‘ – of your average weekly income in relation to your outgoings. There’s no means testing for families of disabled children under 19 years old
Means testing will consider savings above a certain limit. Certain benefits including Disability Living Allowance and Earnings Support are generally ignored. If you’ve got a partner, your combined income will be assessed jointly. Capital is included in the means test. The 1st 6,000 of savings is overlooked.
A selection of premiums and allowances is utilized for all necessary spending, for example, lease/mortgage and personal spending. Actual outgoings aren’t taken into consideration. Dependent on the outcome of this assessment the amount of financial assistance offered can fluctuate from 0 to 100 % of the cost.
Maximum grant amount
The maximum amount of grant that a council is required to pay is 25,000 in Northern Ireland, 30,000 in England and 36,000 in Wales per application less any considered contribution from you. If the price of the eligible works is more, the council can use optional powers to increase the quantity. A Disabled Facilities Grant will not affect any benefits you are presently receiving.
For information on Disabled Grants and Outside Stairlifts Please visit our Website for Stairlifts Advice