Disability Living Allowance (DLA) is a benefit comprised of two components: care and mobility. The care component is paid at three different rates and the mobility component paid at two different rates. On this page you find out how these components apply to blind and partially sighted people.
The care component of DLA
If you have sight loss, every time you need help from another person, this can count as "help with personal care" or it can count as a need for "attention" (see "Care needs" below).
What is "help with personal care"?
This may include bathing and washing, choosing clothes, dressing, cutting up food, taking medication, getting around indoors and outdoors, reading personal mail, recognising people and finding items, or help with speaking and listening.
Personal care can also include help you need with social activities, leisure pursuits, or while working or studying. The help you need with seeing to do all these personal and other activities is relevant for the care component.
Lower rate care component
You can qualify for this if you need help in either of two ways.
Firstly, there is what's known as "the cooking test". You may qualify if you need help to prepare a cooked main meal and are over 16 - even if you do not normally cook for yourself. For example, you may have difficulty checking if food has gone off, chopping and peeling vegetables, using hot pans or reading labels.
Secondly, you could qualify component if you need some help with personal care for at least one hour a day, whether in one or several periods.
Personal care does not normally include help with domestic duties such as someone else doing shopping or housework for you.
Middle and higher rate care components
The middle rate is for people who have personal care needs or supervision needs during the day or during the night. The higher rate is for people who need care or supervision, during both the day and night.
Care needs
To qualify for the middle rate of DLA care component you must need attention frequently throughout the day or meet the night time criteria (see below).
For the daytime it will generally mean showing that you need some help during the morning, some during the afternoon and some in the evening.
The help you need can only count as "attention" if it is closely connected to your "bodily functions" which include seeing. Therefore, if a sighted person helps you by acting as your eyes, they are providing you with attention.
Supervision needs
It is also possible to get the middle rate if you need to have someone to watch over you to avoid danger. You must need "supervision continually", but this does not have to be non-stop.
Night time rules
Once you have gone to bed, you must need:
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prolonged or repeated attention for at least 20 minutes
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or you need someone to be awake to watch over you for a prolonged period or at frequent intervals.
For example, maybe you have to get up a few times every night to use the toilet and need someone to help you to get there safely.
The mobility component of DLA
Lower rate mobility component
The lower rate is for people who need some help with getting around outdoors. If you are able to walk but need someone with you to make sure you are safe in unfamiliar places, or to help you find your way around in unfamiliar places, you are likely to qualify.
Higher rate mobility component
Following the successful Disability Living Allowance campaign, the rules for who can claim the higher rate changed in April 2011, so that people under 65 "with the most severe visual impairment" could also qualify. Read more about the changes to higher rate mobility.
Further information
If you would like more information about what rates of DLA you may be able to claim or what other benefits you may be entitled to, our advisers can help. Call our Helpline on 0303 123 9999 or email helpline@rnib.org.uk.
Please note that we can only give advice about benefits for people with sight loss and their carers or dependants.
You can also download our factsheet on Disability Living Allowance:
This information gives general guidance only and is not an authoritative statement of the law.