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DWP Review: Could You Be Owed DLA Back Payments?
9 Apr
Summary
- DWP reviewing DLA claims for children with congenital heart disease.
- Claims made between February 2017 and October 2020 are subject to review.
- Eligible families could receive underpaid Disability Living Allowance arrears.
Families who claimed Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for a child with congenital heart disease between February 2017 and October 2020 are being urged by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to check their eligibility for potential back payments. This review stems from changes to medical guidance used in DLA decision-making for this specific condition.
The DWP will re-examine past decisions using updated 2020 guidance, rather than the original 2017 guidance, for claims made during the specified period. Children whose awards were underpaid as a result of the older guidance may now be entitled to receive arrears. However, cases decided by an appeal tribunal or where a child was on the maximum DLA rate throughout the period will not be reviewed.
Congenital heart disease affects approximately one in 100 babies born in the UK annually. Due to data protection rules, the DWP cannot identify all potentially affected individuals and therefore encourages those who believe they might qualify to contact them directly to request a review. An increase in an award will result in back payments, and no award will be decreased due to this review.
