Once your form has been received you will be sent an acknowledgement of receipt.
As part of this you will be given a timescale within which to expect your decision. New claims usually take around 39 working days to deal with.
The decision DLA awards are sometimes made for an indefinite period but a child‘s award is usually made for a fixed period, for example, three years. Towards the end of that time the DWP will write inviting you to reapply for DLA.
Unhappy with the decision?
If your child is refused DLA or awarded at a lower rate than expected, you can challenge this. The time limit for challenging a decision is one month from the date on the DLA decision letter. It is very important that you respond within this timescale as late challenges are only accepted in certain circumstances.
Challenging a decision
Get specialist benefits advice to help you decide whether to challenge a decision and help you prepare an appeal if necessary. Another source of useful information about DLA including definitions of specific terms such as `frequent', `continual supervision', `prolonged' and `substantial danger' as well as information about rates and criteria can be found in the ‘Contact a Family’ booklet about DLA or by calling Contact a Family on; 0808 808 3555.