Disability test: daily living and mobility components
In addition to satisfying the basic conditions of entitlement, you qualify for a component of ADP if your ability to undertake either ‘daily living activities’ or ‘mobility activities’ is limited by your mental or physical condition (for the standard rate) or is severely limited by your mental or physical condition (for the enhanced rate).1Regs 5 and 6 DAWAP(S) Regs Your ability is assessed by a points-based test which considers how your mental and/or physical condition affects your ability to undertake specific activities. The relevant ‘daily living activities’are:
•preparing food;
•taking nutrition;
•managing therapy or monitoring a health condition;
•washing and bathing;
•managing toilet needs or incontinence;
•dressing and undressing;
•communicating verbally;
•reading and understanding signs, symbols and words;
•engaging socially with other people face to face;
•making budgeting decisions.
The relevant ‘mobility activities’ are:
Under each of the activities, there is a list of statements (called ‘descriptors’) which describe different difficulties or types of help needed with the activity. Each descriptor has a points score, and you are awarded one descriptor for each activity. Your entitlement to a component is assessed by:2Regs 8 and 9 DAWAP(S) Regs •adding together the descriptors that you satisfy for each activity relevant to that component; and
•comparing your total score with a ‘threshold’ for entitlement to the standard or enhanced rates of the component. The threshold is eight points for the standard rate and 12 points for the enhanced rate.
You are only awarded points for a particular descriptor (rather than a higher scoring one) if you can undertake the activity:3Reg 7 DAWAP(S) Regs •safely - ie, in a way that is unlikely to cause harm to you or anyone else;
•to an acceptable standard - ie, to a reasonable standard for the activity, taking into account the impact on you of carrying out the activity to that standard;
•repeatedly - ie, as often as is reasonably required;
•within a reasonable time period - ie, not more than twice the maximum time normally take by someone with no health problems or disability to complete the activity.