Disabled Facilities Grants
If you are under 18 years, call the Social Care Occupational Therapist at the Paediatric Therapy Team on 01793 464246.
Who can apply for the grant
Grants can assist in making the home of a person with a disability more suitable to live in and help them manage more independently in their home.
Anyone who is registered or eligible to be registered as a disabled person can apply, but the grant is subject to a means test.
You can get a grant to help with adaptations if you are an owner-occupier, a tenant (including a Housing Association in certain cases), or a landlord applying on behalf of a tenant. If you have a disabled person living in your home you can also apply for a grant on their behalf.
The first thing that needs to happen is for an Occupational Therapist (OT) to assess your needs. No grant may be applied for or given without the support of this assessment.
There is also an online enquiry form below.
Being assessed for the grant
An occupational therapist will carry out a needs based assessment and will ask you for further information, including financial details, by phone. Each case will be prioritised according to need.
Applying for a grant to cover the cost
Where the occupational therapist assesses a need for adaptation work or other alterations in your home, you may be able to apply to the council for a grant to meet all or part of this cost.
These grants are means tested to ensure that financial aid goes to those found to have most need. The means test will take into account the income and savings of the disabled person together with their spouse or partner.
Those in receipt of certain means tested benefits are "passported" to a full grant and will not have to make a contribution towards the cost of work.
These "passporting" benefits are:
- Universal Credit
- Income Support
- Income-based Employment and Support Allowance (not contribution-based ESA)
- Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance (not contribution-based JSA)
- Guarantee Pension Credit (not Savings Pension Credit alone)
- Working Tax Credit and/or Child Tax Credit (where your annual income for the purposes of the tax credits assessment was below £15,050)
- Housing Benefit
Those who have incomes above this level will need to be means tested by a Grant Officer to determine their contribution towards the cost of works.
How to apply for the grant
Your occupational therapist will be able to assist you by referring you to the Grants Team if they think you may be eligible from the information you provide to them.
What happens next
You will be visited by a Grant Officer who will carry out a formal means test and undertake a survey of your home to see how the OT's recommendations may be met. He or she will be able to advise whether you are likely to qualify for grant assistance towards the cost of any work, and on the process and likely timescales.
The Grant Officer will then process the formal application.
It is important to understand that the grant simply finances all or part of the works that may be needed. You, as the applicant, will need to find contractors, work with them to get quotations, and then to have the works completed to the required standard.
However, we can offer advice and often assist in finding reputable contractors and in explaining what works are required.
Restrictions
Disabled Facilities Grants are not available for works which have not been recommended by the occupational therapist as meeting your needs, or for work which has already been started. Do not start works unless and until you have received a formal grant approval document.