DLA Medical Conditions commonly referenced in decision making

The letterhead and address of a DLA award letter

While there's no set list of specific medical diagnoses required for a child to qualify for DLA, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) does maintain a list of 57 medical conditions commonly referenced in decision-making. These include a broad range such as arthritis, epilepsy, learning difficulties, respiratory disorders, neurological diseases, and many more. In the coming days I will also be compiling similar lists for PIP and Attendance Allowance.

It's important to note that eligibility isn't based solely on having one of these conditions—it's about how significantly the condition impacts the child's ability to walk or the level of care they need.

What Are Those 57 Conditions, and Why Do They Matter?

Here’s a snapshot of some of the commonly referenced conditions:

• Physical and neurological: Epilepsy, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, motor neurone disease, chronic pain syndromes

• Sensory: Visual and hearing disorders, deaf-blindness

• Developmental and mental health: Learning difficulties, psychosis, behavioural disorders, personality disorders, hyperkinetic syndrome

• Chronic and systemic: Cystic fibrosis, diabetes, renal disorders, blood disorders, autoimmune conditions

• Other: Arthritis, heart disease, dementia, terminal illness, infectious diseases (including TB, COVID-19), pain syndromes, and many more.

Again, having one of these listed conditions doesn't guarantee eligibility—what matters is whether the condition leads to increased care needs or mobility difficulties.

Official List of Qualifying Medical Conditions

According to DWP guidance, there is a set list of 57 main medical conditions that can qualify for DLA. The conditions span a wide range of physical, mental, developmental, and other health issues:

1.  Arthritis

2. Spondylosis

3. Back pain – unspecified

4. Diseases of muscles, bones, or joints

5.  Trauma to limbs

6.  Visual disorders/diseases

7.  Hearing disorders

8.  Heart disease

9.  Respiratory disorders/diseases

10.  Asthma

11.  Cystic fibrosis

12.  Cerebrovascular disease

13.  Peripheral vascular disease

14.  Epilepsy

15.  Neurological diseases

16.  Multiple sclerosis

17.  Parkinson's disease

18.  Motor neurone disease

19.  Chronic pain syndromes

20. Diabetes mellitus

21.  Metabolic disease

22. Traumatic paraplegia/tetraplegia

23. Major trauma (other than paraplegia/tetraplegia)

24. Learning difficulties

25. Psychosis

26. Psychoneurosis

27. Personality disorder

28. Dementia

29. Behavioural disorder

30. Alcohol and drug abuse

31.  Hyperkinetic syndrome

32. Renal disorders

33. Inflammatory bowel disease

34. Bowel and stomach disease

35. Blood disorders (e.g., haemophilia)

36. Multi-system disorders

37. Multiple allergy syndrome

38. Skin disease

39. Malignant disease (cancer)

40. Severely mentally impaired

41.  Double amputee

42. Deaf/blind

43. Haemodialysis

44. Frailty

45. Total parenteral nutrition

46. AIDS

47. Infectious diseases: viral – COVID-19

48. Infectious diseases: viral – other/unspecified

49. Infectious diseases: bacterial – tuberculosis

50. Infectious diseases: bacterial – other/unspecified

51.  Infectious diseases: protozoal – malaria

52. Infectious diseases: protozoal – other/unspecified

53. Infectious diseases – other/unspecified

54. Cognitive disorder – other/unspecified

55. Terminally ill

56. Unknown

57. (Depending on the source) items like amputation, autoimmune disorders, severe intellectual disabilities, chronic respiratory disorders, or severe developmental disorders may also be included

Being listed doesn’t guarantee eligibility. A qualifying condition is required and the claimant must also meet specific functional criteria regarding difficulties with daily living or mobility—such as needing help with dressing, supervision, or being unable to prepare a cooked meal.

In Summary

While there’s no exclusive list of conditions that automatically qualify a child for DLA, the DWP has identified 57 conditions commonly referenced. Ultimately, eligibility rests on how a child's disability or condition affects their need for care or mobility, not the diagnosis itself.

If you would like help understanding how to present your child's care needs when applying, I’m happy to assist. Please email me: maria@benefitiaforms.co.uk or visit my website benefitiaforms.co.uk