What to do if your child’s DLA award should be reviewed
3 mins read
Monday 6 April 2026
The DLA (Disability Living Allowance) Unit is currently undertaking a review of DLA decisions involving claims for children with congenital heart disease made between 1 February 2017 and 13 October 2020.
Read below to find out whether this might impact you, and what to do if so.
Why is the DLA Unit carrying out this review exercise?
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) introduced medical guidance in February 2017 to help DLA staff make decisions on cases where a child had congenital heart disease. Following a review, new guidance replaced it in October 2020.
The DLA unit will now review decisions it made between February 2017 – October 2020. It will apply the newer 2020 guidance to these cases, rather than the old 2017 guidance.
As a result, some children are likely to be entitled to arrears of underpaid DLA.
Which cases is the DLA Unit reviewing?
The DLA Unit is only reviewing cases where both:
- A child had congenital heart disease listed as a condition.
- It made the decision about the child’s DLA claim between 1 February 2017 and 13 October 2020. This includes where a decision was made not to award any DLA at all.
It will not be reviewing any decisions it made before February 2017, nor any decisions made after 13 October 2020.
The DLA Unit has also made clear that it will not be reviewing cases where a child was on the maximum rate of DLA payable throughout this period. That means the high rate of both components (or highest rate care if aged under three years).
It also won’t be reviewing any decisions that were made by an appeal tribunal.
What do I need to do if I think my child’s case should be reviewed?
The DWP has tried to identify affected families from their own records. But it has been unable to identify or contact everyone who was potentially impacted by the old guidance.
The DWP is now asking to hear from the appointees of children (or young adults themselves if aged 16 or over and have mental capacity) who:
- Were on DLA between 1 February 2017 and 13 October 2020.
- Think their DLA award might have been affected by the old guidance.
If you think this applies to your child, contact the DLA Congenital Heart Disease Helpline on 0800 904 7413 (Mon-Fri 10am-3pm). Explain that your child’s claim could have been affected by the “DLA CHD administrative exercise” and ask for a review.
Alternatively, you can write to Freepost DWP DLA Child. Quote the “DLA CHD administrative exercise” and provide your child’s reference number or National Insurance number on each page you send them. You will also need to provide:
- Your child’s name and date of birth.
- Your name and address.
- A contact telephone number.
- Copies of any information you have about the decision you want the DLA Unit to review.
What will happen next?
If the DWP finds the wrong decision was made at the time, they will revise it and pay any money owed.
The DWP also says that no claimants will have their DLA awards reduced as a result of having the new guidance applied to their case.