Disabled Facilities Grants

Mandatory and discretionary Disabled Facilities Grants are means tested. This means that the grant applicant may be required to pay an amount towards the costs of adapting their home. If the disabled person is eligible for Income Support then they will not be required to pay a contribution.
In other cases the amount can vary from a few pounds to the whole cost of the adaptation.
In order to calculate how much the grant applicant has to pay towards the cost of the adaptation details will be required on the disabled person’s income, savings, assets, pension and benefits.
If the disabled person is a child the adults with parental responsibility will be means tested.

The grant is the difference between what the grant applicant is assessed as being able to afford and the eligible expense of the adaptation. There is however a ceiling of £25,000 for mandatory grants. Any grant payable over this amount is at the discretion of the individual councils.

In order to work out your contribution the council compares your weekly income with standard weekly living costs (set by the Government). Any capital, and/or assets you have are considered as investments that could generate weekly income. However your first £6,000 of savings are ignored.

Any income that you have over the government’s standard living costs (for someone in your circumstances) is considered as money available to pay off a ten-year loan. Your contribution is therefore an amount equivalent to a loan which you could afford to pay off over a ten year period.

If you are unable to raise your contribution you should contact your Social Care Services Occupational Therapist for advice.