The independent living fund provides financial help with your care package to help you remain in the community rather than enter residential care. The fund is available throughout the UK.
To get help all of the following must apply. You must satisfy all of the following:
You can receive up to £475 a week from the fund.
You will be expected to contribute at least half of the care component of your DLA towards the cost of your care.
Money from the ILF is wholly ignored when means-tested benefits are being calculated and when your local authority assesses your charges for home care services.
How much else you have to pay will depend on your financial assessment, which is made based on income support rules. For more information on this see the ILF website or our Disability Rights Handbook.
Ask your local authority social services department for an assessment of your needs and say that you want to apply for the ILF. Social services should have copies of ILF forms but you can also download a copy from the ILF website at www.ilf.org.uk.
If the costs of your care package fit in with ILF guidelines then the social services department will support your application. If the costs of your care package does not meet the ILF guidelines you may wish to consider complaining about your local authority assessment or else complain to the ILF about their assessment.
Payments are made 4-weekly in arrears and are normally paid into your bank account.
You can also find out more detailed information about the independent living fund in Disability Alliance's Disability Rights Handbook, available to buy at www.disabilityalliance.org/drh35.htm.
There is also information on the ilf website at www.ilf.org.uk.
You can also obtain our publications by contacting Disability Alliance on 020 7247 8776 (voice and minicom) or by fax on 020 7247 8765.
www.disabilityalliance.org - 21 July 2009
