disability allowance and child disability allowance
Child Disability Allowance is a fortnightly payment made to the main carer of a child or young person with a serious disability. It is paid in recognition of the extra care and attention needed for that child.
who can get disability allowance
For the young person to get a Disability Allowance, they need to:
- have a disability that is likely to last at least 6 months
- have regular, ongoing costs because of their disability that are not fully covered by another agency.
There are certain types of costs that can be included for Disability Allowance. They must be additional and ongoing costs that the young person have because of their disability. Each of these costs also has certain criteria it needs to meet to be included.
Their health practitioner (eg, their doctor) will also need to confirm the young person needs them because of their disability. They'll need to provide proof of their costs so they must keep all their receipts.
Costs that can be included are:
- Alternative treatment
- Ambulance fees and subscriptions
- Authorised consumables
- Clothing
- Counselling
- Gardening, lawns and outside window cleaning
- Gym and swimming pool fees
- Medical alarms
- MedicAlert costs
- Medical fees
- Nicotine replacement products
- Prescription fees (if they're not free)
- Power, gas and heating
- Rental equipment
- Residential care services
- Rest home costs for a private paying patient
- Special foods
- Telephone
- Travel to counselling
- Travel because of your disability
- Vitamins, supplements, herbal remedies and minerals.
If the young person is applying for counselling or medical alarm costs, there are extra forms to complete:
- Counselling - the young person, their doctor and counsellor also need to complete a Disability Certificate - Counselling form
- Medical alarms - their doctor also needs to complete a Disability Allowance - Medical Alarm Assessment form
Their doctor should have these forms at their office.
who can get child disability allowance
For the young person to get Child Disability Allowance, they need to be the principal caregiver of a dependent child with a disability. This child must:
- generally be ordinarily resident in New Zealand
- be a dependent child
- have a physical, sensory, psychiatric or intellectual disability
- have been assessed as needing constant care and attention for 12 months or more because of a serious disability.
what you need to do
Step one – Support taiohi to fill in the application form and get the supporting evidence
Disability Allowance Application | youth service providers
Child Disability Allowance | youth service providers
Step two – Complete the ART task
Task category: Reviews
Task type: Disability Allowance OR Child Disability Allowance
Next steps
YSSU will contact you or push the task back to you if they need more information.
YSSU will send you a notification via ART to let you know the outcome of the application.