Disability Living Allowance

Transcription

1 Disability Living Allowance

2 Disability Living Allowance (DLA) This factsheet is part of our Benefits range. It is written for adults who are deaf and aged 16 to 64 years. We use the term people who are deaf to refer to people who are deaf, deafened and hard of hearing. Read this factsheet to find out: What is Disability Living Allowance (DLA)? Who can qualify? What are the components of DLA? How much is DLA? What do people who are deaf need to know about the care component? What do people who are deaf need to know about the mobility component? Can I get DLA if I am in hospital? Can I get DLA if I am in residential care? Does DLA affect other benefits? Can I challenge a decision? How do I fill in the claim form? Where can I get further information? Most of the information in this factsheet will apply to you wherever you live in the UK. However, if you live in Northern Ireland, we advise you to call the Benefit Enquiry Line (BEL) for Northern Ireland for further advice. For all contact details, see page 15. If you would like this factsheet on audio tape, in Braille or in large print, please contact our helpline (see front page). State pension age for women to rise The state pension age is the age at which you can claim your state retirement pension. Men can claim their retirement pension at 65. From 6 April 2010 until 2020, the government will gradually raise the state pension age for women from 60 to 65. If you are a woman born: Before 6 April 1950, your state pension age will remain at 60. Between 6 April 1950 and 5 April 1955, your state pension age will vary from 60 years and one month to 64 years and 11 months the later your date of birth, the higher your state pension age will be. From 6 April 1955 onwards, your state pension age will be 65. Other benefits and entitlements that were previously available to women and men at 60 (such as the Winter Fuel Allowance, Pension Credit and free prescriptions) will change so that they are available to both men and women at a woman s state pension age. Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Action on Hearing Loss Information, April

3 What is Disability Living Allowance (DLA)? DLA is a benefit for children and adults up to the age of 64. You can claim DLA whether you are in work, out of work, or studying. DLA is one benefit, but it has two parts. You may be able to claim the DLA care component if you need support to communicate or if you need help with personal care or supervision. You may be able to claim the DLA mobility component it if you have problems out of doors as a result of hearing loss or physical disabilities. See page 4 for more about the different components. DLA is not means-tested so it does not matter how much income or savings you have. It is noncontributory, which means that you do not need to have made national insurance contributions to be entitled to it. It is also a non-taxable income. If you are 65 or over, you should claim a benefit called Attendance Allowance instead. See our factsheet Attendance Allowance. Who can qualify? To qualify for DLA: You must normally live in UK (England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland) and have been present here for 26 of the 52 weeks leading up to your claim. There must be no restrictions on your right to live in this country. You must pass what are known as disability tests. Benefits are assessed and paid by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). The DWP uses the term Great Britain to mean England, Scotland and Wales. If you live in Northern Ireland, contact the Social Security Agency for Northern Ireland for advice (see page 15). What are the components of DLA? There are two parts to DLA: the care component and the mobility component. You may only be entitled to one component, or you may be entitled to both. Care component To qualify for the care component you must: Be aged under 65 (there is no minimum age). Not be living in hospital or in some types of residential accommodation. Satisfy one of the disability tests as follows. The DLA care component has three different rates lower, middle and higher. To qualify for benefit, you must have met one of the disability tests below for at least three months and expect to meet the test for at least the next six months. Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Action on Hearing Loss Information, April

4 Lower rate care component You must be physically or mentally disabled so that either: You need attention from another person in connection with your bodily functions, such as hearing and speech for a significant portion of the day. This can be once, twice, or several times throughout the day, but the total amount of help must add up to at least an hour a day, or You cannot prepare a cooked main meal for yourself if you have the ingredients, or you cannot understand or read cooking instructions. Middle and higher rate care component To qualify for middle rate care component you must meet one of the day conditions or one of the night conditions that we describe below. To qualify for the higher rate you must meet one of the day conditions and one of the night conditions, or you must be terminally ill. Day conditions You must be physically or mentally disabled to the extent that you need from another person: Frequent attention throughout the day in connection with your bodily functions, or Continual supervision throughout the day to prevent substantial danger to you or other people. Night conditions You must be physically or mentally disabled to the extent that You need attention from another person with your bodily functions for a period of 20 minutes or longer at night, or two to three times a night, or To avoid substantial danger to yourself or other people, you need another person to be awake for a period of 20 minutes or longer, or two to three times a night, so they can watch over you. Mobility component To qualify for the mobility component you must: Be aged three or over for the higher mobility component, or Be aged five or over for the lower mobility component, and Be aged under 65. Not be living in hospital. Satisfy a mobility condition as explained below. There are two rates of payment for the mobility component lower and higher. To qualify for DLA, you must have met one of the disability tests below for at least three months and expect to meet the test for at least the next six months. Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Action on Hearing Loss Information, April

5 Lower rate mobility component To qualify, you must need someone with you most of the time for guidance or supervision, when you are walking in places you don t know. Higher rate mobility component To qualify: You must be unable to walk, or You must be virtually unable to walk, or The effort needed to walk would be a danger to your life, or would be likely to make your health get much worse, or You must be both blind and deaf, or You must have been born without feet, or have had both feet amputated, or You must be severely mentally impaired and have severe behavioural problems and qualify for DLA higher rate care component. How much is DLA? DLA is paid at the following weekly rates. These rates apply from April Care component Weekly rate Highest rate Middle rate Lowest rate Mobility component Weekly rate Higher rate Lower rate What do people who are deaf need to know about the care component? Most people who are deaf who get DLA care component qualify because they need attention in connection with their bodily functions. Both hearing and speech are treated as bodily functions. If you need help to communicate with other people this counts as attention. However, help with communication only counts as attention if it has to be provided by another person in your presence. If you can communicate with the use of special equipment, such as hearing aids or a textphone, this will not count as attention. Various kinds of communication support can be seen as attention : British Sign Language (BSL)/ English interpreter. Lipspeaker. Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Action on Hearing Loss Information, April

6 Communication support worker. Speech-to-text reporter. Informal help from friends or family. For example, if your first language is sign language and you have difficulty understanding written or spoken English, you may need someone to explain or interpret information for you. This type of help can count as attention for DLA. At present, the law says that two-way communication in sign language does not count as attention unless the person signing to you is so slow that communication needs extra effort for example, if they are learning to sign. If someone needs to make unusual efforts to get your attention to start communicating with you, this may also count as attention, although there have been conflicting legal decisions on what counts as unusual efforts. The actual rate of the care component does not depend on the level of your hearing loss but on the amount of help you need with communication. This will vary from person to person and depends on your ability to communicate with hearing people and how often you need to communicate with hearing people during the day. You will qualify for the lower rate care component if you need attention for a significant portion of the day. This is around an hour in total. You will qualify for the middle rate care component if you often need help with communication throughout the day. It is important that you describe how your communication needs are spread across the whole day on your claim form. A diary may help to show how often you need this help. Keep a diary For a couple of weeks, write down the times each day when you need help with communication or help with other bodily functions, such as dressing, washing, or cutting up food. Concentrate on your everyday routine, rather than things you don t do often. You can either use the diary to help you fill in the form or attach the diary to your application to support your claim regarding your needs. What do people who are deaf need to know about the mobility component? Lower rate mobility component In June 2000, a tribunal of social security commissioners decided that people who are deaf who use sign language and are unable to understand or follow written or spoken directions, or read a map, could qualify for the lower rate mobility component. This decision has made it easier for some people who are deaf to qualify for the lower rate mobility component. The commissioners decided that a person who is prelingually deaf that is, someone who was born deaf or became deaf before they learned a spoken language whose first language is BSL may Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Action on Hearing Loss Information, April

7 qualify because they may need someone with them on unfamiliar routes to ensure that they do not get lost. The law says that you must need a guide most of the time. This does not mean that your guide must be actively helping you all the time. The commissioners ruled that although the guide may only intervene occasionally for example, to indicate whether or when the claimant should take a turning he will nonetheless be guiding (or possibly supervising) all of the time since otherwise the claimant will not know whether or when to change direction. If you do not travel outdoors because you have feelings of fear or anxiety, this in itself will no longer help you qualify for the lower rate mobility component. However, if you have fear or anxiety because you cannot communicate with strangers, or you have trouble following maps or written directions, then you should still be able to qualify. Higher rate mobility component If you are blind and deaf you may be able to qualify for the higher rate mobility component. You have to both 100% disabled by blindness, and 80% disabled by deafness. You will be treated as 100% disabled from blindness if your loss of sight makes you unable to perform work for which eyesight is essential. If you are registered blind or severely sight impaired, or your sight loss is such that you could be registered, you will be treated as 100% disabled. Your level of disability from hearing loss will be assessed by a hearing test. The DWP will ask if you have a recent audiogram. If you do not have one they will usually arrange a hearing test. You will be treated as 80% disabled from deafness if your deafness is at least 87 decibels in both ears at 1, 2, and 3 khz while you are wearing hearing aids, if you normally use them. The decibel scale is used to indicate the sensitivity of your ears to different frequencies (pitch) and levels of loudness. Can I get DLA if I am in hospital? It depends. If you are already claiming DLA and you spend more than four weeks in hospital you will lose the care and, in most cases, the mobility component of your DLA. If you have an agreement under the Motability scheme a scheme to help you buy or hire a car then you can continue to receive the mobility component while in hospital. If you are not already getting DLA, you can make a claim while you are in hospital, but you won t be paid DLA until you are at home. Can I get DLA if I am in residential care? Again, it depends. You will normally lose the care component if you spend more than four weeks in residential care that is partly or wholly funded by your social services department or local education authority. This affects people in residential care as well as young people in special residential schools and colleges. The mobility component is not affected. Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Action on Hearing Loss Information, April

8 However, if you are living in a residential care home and you pay the fees yourself, you may be able to keep your DLA care component. The rules about benefits in residential care are very complicated. You should get expert advice from one of the organisations listed from page 15 onwards. Does DLA affect other benefits? Yes and no. When the DWP decides whether you can get means-tested benefits, they do not treat DLA as income. So if you receive DLA your other benefits will not be reduced. A DLA award can also help you qualify for other benefits: If you get any rate of DLA care or mobility component, you can also get the disability premium an extra allowance with Income Support, income-based Jobseeker s Allowance, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit. If you get middle or higher rate care component and you live alone, you might be entitled to the severe disability premium. In some cases, even if you live with other people, this rule might still apply to you. Severe disability premium is an extra allowance with Income Support, income-based Jobseeker s Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Pension Credit, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit. You cannot get this premium if someone is paid Carer s Allowance as your carer. If you get the higher rate care component, you might be entitled to enhanced disability premium. This is an extra allowance with Income Support, income-based Jobseeker s Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit. These premiums may increase the rate of benefit you already receive, or they may bring you into entitlement for benefit for the first time. For example, you may not qualify for Income Support because your other income is too high. However, if you are awarded DLA middle rate care component, you will also become entitled to the severe disability premium, and so you may become entitled to Income Support because DLA has been awarded to you. If you have recently been awarded DLA you should get advice about other benefits as well. You may be able to get Working Tax Credit with the disability element. Contact the Tax Credits helpline for more information (see page 16). If you are on higher rate DLA care component, find out if you can get the severe disability element of Working Tax Credit. If you get middle or higher rate care component this can enable your carer to qualify for Carer s Allowance. You may lose your severe disability premium (see above) if your carer claims Carer s Allowance, so it is a good idea to get advice before your carer makes a claim. For more information on Carer s Allowance, see the leaflet CAA5DCS Carer s Allowance (see page 15 for link, under Directgov). If you get the higher rate mobility component, this can give you access to the Motability scheme a scheme to help you buy or hire a car and exemption from road tax. Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Action on Hearing Loss Information, April

9 Can I challenge a decision? Yes. It is common for people who are deaf to have their DLA claims rejected at first but many people who are deaf successfully challenge the decision and are later awarded DLA. There is a one-month deadline to challenge the decision. You can ask for a written explanation of the decision. If you ask for a written explanation, the deadline will be extended by a further two weeks. Even if you miss the one month time limit to appeal you may be able to make a late appeal if you have 'good cause'. For more information, see our factsheet Challenging a Disability Living Allowance or Attendance Allowance decision. How do I fill in the claim form? This section gives you advice on filling in the DLA claim form. Don t be put off by how long the form is, as not all of it will apply to you. You may not have all the difficulties we mention here, or you may have some we have not mentioned. You can get a DLA claim pack from the Directgov website, a Jobcentre Plus office or BEL. If you need help filling in a form or want to speak to someone in person, contact your local Citizens Advice or the DLA helpline. The DLA helpline may be able to arrange for a visiting officer to come and see you in your own home. See page 15 onwards for contact details. You must return the claim form to the DWP within six weeks of getting the claim pack, or you may not be paid from the start of your claim. It is important to claim DLA straight away because in most cases it cannot be backdated. Remember, always keep a copy of the form that you fill out and send off. Part 1 About you Part 1 asks you for basic information, including your name, address, national insurance number and date of birth. Part 2 About your illnesses or disabilities and the treatment or help you receive In section 14, you should include details of: The level of your hearing loss. How long you have had hearing loss. Other disabilities or health problems you may have. Any medicines or treatments you have been prescribed, including dosage and frequency. If you have a letter from your GP or a repeat prescription, then send a copy of this as evidence. In sections 16 to 18 you should give details of any surgery you are waiting for and any tests you have had (for example, hearing tests). It also asks whether you have been to, or are going to, a painmanagement clinic. Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Action on Hearing Loss Information, April

10 In section 19, you should give details of any aids or adaptations you use. For example, you should include details of: Whether you use hearing aids How this helps you. Any difficulties you have with using hearing aids for example, whether they pick up background noise, enable you to follow speech or whether they affect other problems like tinnitus. Whether you use any other aids, such as a textphone or vibrating alerters. How these aids help you. Whether you have any difficulties or problems using these aids. In section 20, you should give details of any other healthcare or social care professionals you have seen in the past 12 months, such as a hospital doctor, audiologist, social worker, hearing therapist and so on. In section 21, you should give details of anyone else who helps you, such as a carer, relative or friend. You should explain what help you get from them. You can give more information about this later on in the form. In section 22, you should give details of your GP. In section 23, you are asked to say whether or not you agree that any of the people listed can be contacted for information. If you agree to this contact, it is likely to help your claim to succeed. Section 24 asks you to tick if you are claiming under the special rules. This is only for people who are not expected to live for more than six months. Parts 3 and 4 These are the most important parts of the form. They ask about how your disabilities affect your daily life and what sort of problems you have. Many of the questions are not relevant to people who are deaf, so do not be put off by the length. Part 3 Getting around outdoors Sections 25 to 33 ask you about physical problems with walking. If you have a physical disability as well as your deafness, and this additional disability makes it hard for you to walk outdoors, you should fill in this section. Be specific about how far you can walk before you start to experience pain or severe discomfort for example, 20 metres or 50 metres. If you are in pain or breathless, you should try to describe how bad this is when walking on level ground. You should also explain if you walk with a limp, drag your feet and if you walk very slowly. If you are not sure how to answer these questions, ask a friend or relative to watch you walking outdoors. If you have balance problems or vertigo as a result of your hearing loss, describe how these conditions affect your ability to walk. You should also fill in this section if you Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Action on Hearing Loss Information, April

11 meet one of the other conditions for the higher rate of the mobility component listed on page 5 of this factsheet. Section 32 asks whether you fall or stumble outdoors. This may be because of blackouts, seizures and fits or balance problems caused by Ménière s disease, vertigo or epilepsy. Explain what happens, how often this happens, and what help you need from another person when this happens. Sections 34 to 36 ask you about having someone with you when you are outdoors. You will qualify for the lower rate mobility component if you need someone to guide or supervise you when you walk on unfamiliar outdoor routes. If you are profoundly deaf, and rely on sign language, you may qualify if you need an escort to walk with you to places you do not know well. Explain why you need someone with you in these situations. For example: Do you know when traffic is approaching? Can you hear warning sounds, such as car horns or sirens? Decision makers often say that you should be able to rely on your eyesight to stay safe, so explain if this is not the case for example, when you can t see traffic. Try to give examples of dangerous situations you have been in. Do you need someone to explain loudspeaker announcements? Do you ever walk by yourself in places you do not know well? Can you understand and follow street maps or do you need someone to help you follow directions to where you are going? Can you understand and follow written directions? Can you read or understand street signs, bus numbers and timetables, or destination boards? Can strangers understand your speech when you ask for directions? If a hearing person gives you directions, do you have difficulty understanding them? Can you lipread strangers if they are explaining directions to you? Do you have balance problems, Ménière s disease, or vertigo, and are unable to walk safely without help? You can use the space in section 34 and the extra space in section 36. The form also asks how many days each week you need this help normally this would be seven days a week. Even if you don t actually go out every day, you should say whether you would need help if you did go out. Part 4 Help with your care needs Section 38 tick yes if you need any help with communication or any help because of other disabilities. Section 39 asks you about getting out of bed in the morning and into bed at night. Explain if you need someone to wake you up in the morning for example, if you take your hearing aids out at night. You may not be able to hear an alarm clock, and have tried special alarm clocks, but found they did not wake you. Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Action on Hearing Loss Information, April

12 Sections 40 to 42 ask you about things like using the toilet, washing and dressing. If you have nothing to write on these pages, just tick the box saying no. Explain if you have problems with your balance or Ménière s disease, if this affects your ability to do any of these things, such as getting in or out of the bath. Sections 43 to 44 ask you about moving about indoors. This page only applies if you have a physical disability or you have a sight problem, or if you have significant balance problems so that you need someone to help you with things like using the stairs. Section 45 asks you about help with cutting up food, eating or drinking. This page only applies if you have a physical disability or a sight problem. Section 46 asks you about help with medical treatment. Explain if you need someone to help you take regular medication, for example, to remind you to take medicines, or to make sure you take the right dosage. Describe any problems you have with medical treatment. Explain if you have any sideeffects from the medication you take, or what may happen if you do not take your medication. Section 47 asks you if you usually need help from another person to communicate with other people. This is the most important part of the form if you are deaf. It doesn t matter if you don t currently get communication support. What counts is the help you reasonably require, not the amount of help you actually get. You may need help with communication in a range of situations, such as visiting the doctor, using public transport, while at work, at the shops, or for social and leisure activities. It helps if you can give examples of when and how often you need this help, and how long you need help for. In this section, you should include details of: Your preferred method of communication. Whether your first or preferred language is BSL. If you have difficulties with lipreading. Whether you have problems understanding written English. Whether you have any difficulties with your speech. Many people who are deaf use their friends and family informally to help with communication. It is important that you describe this. For example: Do you find it difficult to hear what strangers are saying? Do you need help to communicate with strangers whom you do not understand? Do you find it difficult to hear what friends or family are saying? Do you find it difficult to understand gestures or body language used by hearing people and need to have them explained? Do you need TV programmes explained to you even when they are subtitled? Can you follow TV programmes that are not subtitled? Do you need someone to explain radio programmes to you? Do you need general conversation explained to you, especially if there are several people speaking and you cannot see who is talking? Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Action on Hearing Loss Information, April

13 If you rely on lipreading, do you find yourself in situations where you are unable to see the face of the person speaking? Do you need someone to repeat what is said and explain it to you? Do you find that, when you are lipreading, people use words and phrases that have to be explained to you? Even though you may be able to lipread well, do you have any reasons why you still cannot communicate in all situations? Do you find you can only lipread a trained lipspeaker? If you cannot lipread, do you need an interpreter or other communication support? If you have some hearing, do you still need some sounds and some speech explained to you? Do sounds such as traffic, alarms and announcements have to be brought to your notice and explained? Do you need someone to explain what children are saying to you because they cannot sign or speak clearly enough for you to lipread them? Does someone need to let you know when a child is crying or distressed? If you use a hearing aid, do you find yourself in situations when you need help to understand what is being said, for example, outdoors in crowded places when other people are speaking? See page 5 for examples of more formal communication support that you may need. When you use an interpreter, the interpreter has to have breaks (periods of rest). Say how often and for how long, because the breaks mean that communication can take much longer. It is important to say that there are no appropriate alternatives to interpreters such as using handwritten notes if full and proper communication is to take place. If you use sign language and you have difficulties understanding written English, you may need someone to explain written information such as: simple leaflets brief letters letters or leaflets with diagrams forms bills and receipts newspapers food labels public transport information advertisements s textphone calls television subtitles. Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Action on Hearing Loss Information, April

14 You can use the extra space on pages 33 and 39 of the claim form to give further information about the help you need with communication. Try to include details of help you need because of your deafness to carry out your job, studies, or other regular activities. You can also use the extra space on pages 33 and 39 to explain if you have tinnitus and how it affects you for example, if it affects your sleep and makes you tired, which makes it harder for you to concentrate on communication during the day. Section 48 asks about the help you need to take part in hobbies, interests, social or religious activities. Describe the help you need because of your deafness to carry out a reasonable level of social and religious activities, interests and hobbies. Activities could include going to pubs, visiting family or friends, watching TV or videos, keeping fit, visiting a museum or going to a place of worship. This section is not only about the help you need for what you currently do, but also about what you would do if you could get the help. There may be some things you are currently not able to do because you do not have help. If extra communication support would enable you to do those things, you should explain that. You can use the extra space on pages 33 and 39 to give more examples. Section 49 asks whether you need supervision from another person. Describe if and when you need supervision. For example, if you need supervision to stay safe outdoors due to your hearing loss or balance problems. Try to give examples of accidents or dangerous situations that you have been in. Section 50 asks about preparing a cooked main meal for yourself. This question looks at how easy you find it to plan and cook a main meal for yourself. A main meal means a proper meal cooked on a conventional cooker, not a ready-made microwave meal or convenience snack. You should explain if you have problems following recipes, understanding cooking instructions, or telling people about any special dietary needs. Sections 51 to 54 ask about the help you need at night. These sections ask about help you need during the night when in bed, to use the toilet, to take medication, or if you need someone to watch over you. If you have nothing to write on these pages, just tick the box saying no. Explain if you have problems with your balance or Ménière s disease, for example, when you get up at night to go to the toilet you may fall. Part 11 Statement from someone who knows you This page does not have to be filled in, but it will help your claim if it is. This page should be filled in by someone who really understands the difficulties you have because you are deaf and because of any other disabilities you have. For example, this may be a carer, relative, close friend, social worker or support worker. Where can I get further information? If you have an enquiry about benefits you should first contact the Benefit Enquiry Line (BEL). If you need help filling in a form, contact the BEL or your local Citizens Advice. Alternatively, contact the DLA helpline, your local Jobcentre Plus or Social Security office. They may be able to arrange for a visiting officer to come and see you in your own home. Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Action on Hearing Loss Information, April

15 If you still need further help after contacting these organisations please contact our helpline. If you or your adviser needs advice on challenging a DLA decision, contact your local Citizens Advice or law centre. You can also see our factsheet Challenging a Disability Living Allowance or Attendance Allowance decision. Benefit Enquiry Line (BEL) Free advice line run by the DWP. 2nd Floor, Red Rose House, Lancaster Road, Preston PR1 1HB Telephone Textphone [email protected] Social Security Agency for Northern Ireland Telephone Textphone Citizens Advice Your local Citizens Advice will give free advice. See your phonebook for your nearest bureau or do an online search at: (England and Wales) (Scotland) (Northern Ireland) Directgov Information about benefits and allowances. You can also find contact details for your local Jobcentre Plus office. Direct link for DLA form: Direct link for the leaflet Carer s Allowance: Disability Alliance Provide a range of information about benefits Universal House, Wentworth Street, London E1 7SA Tel/textphone Fax [email protected] Disability Living Allowance Helpline Warbreck House, Warbreck Hill, Blackpool FY2 0YE Telephone Textphone Fax [email protected] Law centres Provide free advice and representation you can find details of your local law centre from the Law Centres Federation. Law Centres Federation, 22 Tudor Street, London EC4Y 0AY Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Action on Hearing Loss Information, April

16 Telephone Fax Tax Credits helpline Tax Credit Office, Preston PR1 0SB Telephone Textphone Further information from Action on Hearing Loss Our helpline offers a wide range of information on many aspects of hearing loss. You can contact us for further copies of this factsheet and our full range of factsheets and leaflets see the cover page for contact details. Action on Hearing Loss Information, April 2010 The Royal National Institute for Deaf People. Registered Office: Featherstone Street, London EC1Y 8SL. A company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales No , Registered Charity Numbers (England and Wales) and SC (Scotland). Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Action on Hearing Loss Information, April