Motorbility allowance

VTR · 4 Sep 2012 at 19:31

On the higher rate motobility allowance, what's the maxium price car you can go for 3 years old and are there any limitations?

SB118 · 4 Sep 2012 at 19:53

First things first, have you got a lifetime or a 2 year mobility award?

VTR · 4 Sep 2012 at 20:28

It's for my step mother, unfortunately she has been diagnosed with secondary liver cancer. The doctor has told her to immediately sign onto the disability allowance special rules, which we have done for her today. Does the car allowance come out of this or is it seperate? We just trying to work out the best option, to keep our current car or go for a 2nd hand car or a new one on the motobility scheme. My father is going to have to cut his hours in work eventually to help look after her so any savings we can make will be great. The car will need to be an estate car in order to fit his drum kit in the boot (he'll keep doing the gigs as often as possible as the extra income will be needed), we currently have a Mondeo ST155 Estate.

SB118 · 4 Sep 2012 at 20:50

AFAIK, she'll get Disability Living Allowance (a payment to her to help with additional costs of living, maybe house modifiations, ramps, etc) and Mobility Allowance (to help with transport costs)

If she's already got a reliable car that suits her needs, bank the mobility cash and use it for her happiness.

If you go via Motability, they only lease brand new cars and it'll chew up the entire mobility payment for the duration of the lease.

If your dad is looking at a reduction in take home pay then using the mobility money as a "top up" would be the most sensible so as to keep the stress at home to a minimum.

Best wishes for your step mum.

VTR · 4 Sep 2012 at 20:56

SB118 said:
AFAIK, she'll get Disability Living Allowance (a payment to her to help with additional costs of living, maybe house modifiations, ramps, etc) and Mobility Allowance (to help with transport costs)

If she's already got a reliable car that suits her needs, bank the mobility cash and use it for her happiness.

If you go via Motability, they only lease brand new cars and it'll chew up the entire mobility payment for the duration of the lease.

If your dad is looking at a reduction in take home pay then using the mobility money as a "top up" would be the most sensible so as to keep the stress at home to a minimum.

Best wishes for your step mum.

Thanks for your help, and support

She has just got a cheap run around at the moment but she is selling that and we are just going to have 1 car here between us. I have also just sold my private car. At the moment we have the Mondeo which both my father and myself are insured on. It's working out whether getting a car under the scheme will be more beneficial to us as no worries of servicing etc. And I believe both myself and my father can be registered to use the car and covered on the insurance?

If you don't have any car under the scheme, can you use the money towards anything or do you have to proof that it's being used towards a car? Because if you can just keep the money I think we are going to be better off keeping what we got. Insurance is £500/year, servicing and tyres arn't mega money, the £200ish a month may be better used elsewhere.

SB118 · 4 Sep 2012 at 20:59

You can use the money for what ever you want, there are no checks made as to where it goes.

mr tommo · 4 Sep 2012 at 21:01

Sorry to hear about your step mum. It's worth nothing that there's plenty of cars with zero advance payment and then she simply won't get the £50ish per week for her dla allowance as that will go straight to the dealers.

Motabilty includes free insurance, free breakdown, free tyres and obviously the car is under warranty as it's new so there will be no additional costs to the car. You need to work out whether that will equate to a saving or not for your family over keeping the current car you have.

SB118 · 4 Sep 2012 at 21:03

mr tommo said:
... then she simply won't get the £50ish per week for her dla allowance as that will go straight to the dealers.

Motability take their payment from the Mobility Allowance, not the DLA payments. Just want to keep the details straight while he's having his first run at it.

mr tommo · 4 Sep 2012 at 21:04

Actually, apologies I'm not totally sure about the dla thing.

SB118 · 4 Sep 2012 at 21:06

Bureaucracy in being "clear as mud" shocker

VTR · 4 Sep 2012 at 21:41

SB118 said:
Motability take their payment from the Mobility Allowance, not the DLA payments. Just want to keep the details straight while he's having his first run at it.

I'm confused, when we done the DLA allowance claim, there are 2 sections within it, mobility and care

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/disabledpeople/financialsupport/dg_10011925

Care I don't think either myself or father can claim as will be both earning a wage over £100/week so not eligible for the care allowance. So that leaves the mobility, which she is going to get. Is this what goes towards the car? Not some kind of seperate allowance? If this is the case I think we are going to be better keeping the £54.05 a week and keeping our existing car. Unforunatly she doesn't have any sick pay at work so is just on statutory sick pay. So even with sick pay and mobility DLA we are going to be worse off.

There is a cancer specialist coming next week to see her who should be able to answer these querys and she has been to a local advice centre although they were not helpful, it was only on the latest visit to the doctor they informed her she could claim the DSA straight away under the special rules.

Seems to be mobility is a component of DLA, and the only one she is going to get. If that is the case, we will probably stick with the current car as that money is going to be needed elsewhere. The savings on insurance, running costs etc arn't going to be greater than £54.05/week.

SilverTongue · 4 Sep 2012 at 21:43

VTR said:
It's for my step mother, unfortunately she has been diagnosed with secondary liver cancer. The doctor has told her to immediately sign onto the disability allowance special rules, which we have done for her today. Does the car allowance come out of this or is it seperate? We just trying to work out the best option, to keep our current car or go for a 2nd hand car or a new one on the motobility scheme. My father is going to have to cut his hours in work eventually to help look after her so any savings we can make will be great. The car will need to be an estate car in order to fit his drum kit in the boot (he'll keep doing the gigs as often as possible as the extra income will be needed), we currently have a Mondeo ST155 Estate.

Just to let you know, he will only be able to drive the car whilst doing errands for your step-mother and not his own personal use

VTR · 4 Sep 2012 at 21:46

SilverTongue said:
Just to let you know, he will only be able to drive the car whilst doing errands for your step-mother and not his own personal use

Ah there goes that idea then anyway, we will just stick with the Mondeo and use the allowance elsewhere if this is the case.

VTR · 4 Sep 2012 at 21:57

SB118 said:
Motability take their payment from the Mobility Allowance, not the DLA payments. Just want to keep the details straight while he's having his first run at it.

Are you sure about this mate? From doing the claim earlier it seems as there are 2 seperate payments under DLA. Mobility, which she will get the highest rate due to her illness (£54.05/week). And carers allowance, which can only be claimed if someone is caring for her and earning under a certain wage (won't apply to us). The motobility then comes out of the Mobility section of the DLA payments, basically meaning if we go for the car she won't see any money from DLA?

SB118 · 4 Sep 2012 at 22:12

I'm currently getting the care component & mobility component of dla, my wife doesn't get carers allowance as her wages are over 100 pound / week.
Carers allowance and care component are two different things.
Gotta love that paperwork!

VTR · 4 Sep 2012 at 22:22

SB118 said:
I'm currently getting the care component & mobility component of dla, my wife doesn't get carers allowance as her wages are over 100 pound / week.
Carers allowance and care component are two different things.
Gotta love that paperwork!

Oh right, I thought the care component was a carers allowance. Will my step mother get the care component aswell as the mobility?

SB118 · 4 Sep 2012 at 22:34

Think so. She's on the "fast track" and from what I know her award defaults to maximum everything. Ring the dla offices to make sure though, I'm on "assessed" awards so mine works slightly differently.

VTR · 4 Sep 2012 at 22:37

SB118 said:
Think so. She's on the "fast track" and from what I know her award defaults to maximum everything. Ring the dla offices to make sure though, I'm on "assessed" awards so mine works slightly differently.

Brilliant, thanks for the info, we submitted the claim online today as soon as the doctor told us about the special rules "fast track"

If she is awarded both components that will be a big help.

SB118 · 4 Sep 2012 at 22:41

Don't forget with higher rate mobility allowance she'll get free tax too, and a bus pass. (woo-hoo!)

SilverTongue · 4 Sep 2012 at 22:46

SB118 said:
Don't forget with higher rate mobility allowance you'll get free tax too, and a bus pass. (woo-hoo!)

thought free tax was for both higher and lower? or is that just the blue badge?