What is Disability Related Expenditure?
Disability Related Expenditures (DRE) are costs that come from having a disability or long-term health condition.
If you need to spend money on items and services to help you to manage your disability or long-term health condition, you may be able to have these costs included in your financial assessment.
Eligibility to claim Disability Related Expenditure
If you have any additional costs due to your disability or long-term health condition, these should be supported within your needs assessment as being necessary for you.
To be eligible for DRE:
- You must be entitled to one of the following disability care benefits:
- Disability Living Allowance (DLA).
- Personal Independence Payment (PIP).
- Attendance Allowance.
- The additional costs be reasonable and can be verified.
- You must be able to provide evidence with receipts for any amounts claimed.
- The DRE cost will be limited to a maximum of the disability care benefit you're entitled to.
How to claim Disability Related Expenditure
You can make a claim at the same time as your financial assessment.
You can also request a financial assessment at any time should your needs or expenses change.
Contact us using the details on this page to request a financial assessment.
What you can claim on Disability Related Expenditure
DRE is specific to your disability or long-term health condition so it'll be unique to you.
When considering what to claim on DRE, you can think about:
- Your day-to-day life, equipment, aids, services or special food costs.
- Items or services you might use at different times of the year.
- Reviewing your bills and receipts.
- Checking your support plan to see if you pay for anything not included there.
Examples of Disability Related Expenditure
Examples of DRE include:
- Community alarm: you pay for a community alarm. For example, Careline.
- Incontinence products: you need to purchase incontinence products. For example, pads, bed mats, mattress protectors or pants.
- Additional laundry: you need to wash clothing and bedding more frequently due to your condition. We allow a standard amount of £4.74 a week.
- Clothing and footwear: you need specialist clothing or footwear, or you need to replace your clothing more often. You may need your clothing altered, such as replacing buttons with velcro. We allow a standard amount of £3 a week for 'wear and tear', except in specific circumstances.
- Bedding: you need to use special bedding such as anti-allergenic sheets. We allow a standard amount of £3 a week for 'wear and tear', except in specific circumstances.
- Gas and electricity: you need to use more heating or use more electricity because you spend a lot of time at home. This is over and above the normal use.
- Domestic help, cleaning and garden maintenance: you pay someone to do household tasks which you can't do yourself, and there's no one in your household who can do these for you.
- Transport costs: you're unable to use public transport and use taxis instead. Transport costs are not always allowed. For example, if you have a benefit like the Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independence Payment (Mobility Component), this benefit should be used for transport costs. Parking costs would normally be covered by the Blue Badge scheme.
- Dietary needs: you have a condition such as coeliac disease which means you have to eat or drink special foods which are more expensive than a normal diet.
- Purchase, maintenance and repair of your disability equipment: disability equipment can include:
- Wheelchairs, hoists or stair lifts.
- Home adaptations like grab rails and ramps if you bought or hired them yourself, or if you had to personally top up a Disabled Facilities Grant.
- IT equipment such as adapted computers, communication aids or specialist software.
- Special gadgets you need in the kitchen or around the house that aren't provided by Occupational Therapy. These can include food preparation machines, bedside tables, bath boards, sliding sheets or special cutlery.