Disability related expenditure assessment claim examples
View the BSL version of this content.
A disability related expense (DRE) is any extra cost that you may need to pay, compared to a non-disabled person. When you need to spend money on things to help you to manage your disability, these expenses are ignored in your financial assessment.
It can be related to:
- your day-to-day equipment, such as aids, services, or items you must use because of your disability
- things you use at different times of the year, like extra heating in winter
- something you buy to help your needs that your non-disabled friend, family member, or neighbour does not.
For ideas of your disability related expenses, take a look at:
- your care and support plan to see if you pay for anything related to your disability that is not included there
- your bills and receipts to see what you spend in a week, month or year
- whether the expense is already covered by a free NHS service
- the disability benefits you get.
To find out how much you can afford to pay for your care and support, we allow £17 per week for disability related expenses. We call this a standard disability related expenditure assessment. Or DREA for short.
Expense examples
We work in line with the Care Act 2014. We look at all DRE claims on an individual basis rather than take a blanket approach. This means we can't have a definitive list of DREs. Each person is different, with unique care needs and expenses. Here are some examples of what other people have claimed for:
| Example of a claim | Reason for claiming | Amount | Example of evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Community alarm provided by Wellbeing | I need the alarm to inform my family when I fall and I am unable to get up. | £20 a month | Bank statement |
| Electricity | As I am housebound, I use more electricity for my heating as well as lights and TV. I think I use more than the average person because I'm disabled. | £150 | Bill statement every 3 months |
| Cleaner | I have bad mobility and struggle moving around my home. I need a cleaner to keep my home tidy. | £15 | Weekly invoices |
| Gardener | I have mobility issues. I like to socialise with my family and friends in the garden in the summer. I cannot tend the garden myself so I have a gardener come once a year to tidy things up and make it nice. | £300 | Yearly invoices |
| Blue badge application | As I receive mobility benefits, I am eligible for a blue badge so my carers can access disabled parking spaces. | £10 for 3 years | Blue badge |
If you're not too sure if you can make a claim, contact a member of the DRE team:
- email: dre@kent.gov.uk
- call: 03000 41 59 30.
Or talk to your social worker as part of your care needs assessment or care review.