Independent living fund (ILF)

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.

The Funds are discretionary Trusts created and funded by the Department for Work and Pensions and Department for Social Development ( Northern Ireland). They are financed by cash limited grants-in-aid and managed by a Board of Trustees appointed by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. The Trustees have discretion about whom they help within the framework of the Trust Deeds.

How to get help

To get help all of the following must apply. You must satisfy all of the following:

• be severely disabled to the extent that extensive help with personal care or household duties is needed to maintain an independent life in the community
• be at least 16 and under 65
• be receiving disability living allowance (DLA) highest rate care component
• be receiving, or it is planned that you will receive, services or cash to a value of at least £320 ( £200 in Northern Ireland) a week from your local authority. This does not include help under supporting people services.
• have care needs whose average total cost to the social services department and the Fund is no more than £785 a week
• have less than £18,500 savings
• be living alone or with people who are unable to fully meet your care needs
• have care needs that are generally stable and expected to be met by the joint care package for the following 6 months.

Do I have to pay anything?

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.

How to apply

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 assessment.

Payment of ILF

Payments are made 4-weekly in arrears and are normally paid into your bank account.

The future of the ILF

On May 3, 2006 Anne McGuire, Minister for Disabled People, announced a review of the Independent Living Funds (ILFs). The findings of the review were published in March 2007.

The review recommends that the ILFs should remain in their present form until 2009/10, at which point a further decision should be made. The suggestion is that at that point the ILF may cease. For more information about this see our Review of the Independent Living Funds page. at www.disabilityalliance.org/ilf2.htm.

Where can I get more help and information?

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/drh33.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.

April 2008