Care and support

What happens if I go into hospital or residential care?

What happens to DLA if I go into hospital?

If you claim DLA or AA while in a NHS hospital it will not be paid until you leave. If you already get DLA or AA and go into a NHS hospital, it stops after 28 days (or after 84 days if you are under 16). DLA does not stop if you are paying for your treatment in hospital. You also keep it if you are in a hospice (as long as it is not a NHS hospital).

Separate stays in hospital that are less than 28 days apart are added together when working out the 28 days before DLA or AA stops.

What happens to DLA or AA if I go into residential or nursing care?

If the nursing care is arranged by the NHS you are treated as though you are in a hospital (see above). Otherwise, if you go into residential or nursing care, AA and the care part of DLA stop if Adult Care Services helps pay the fees for your accommodation.

If you are paying the fees yourself out of savings or other income or have agreed you will repay Adult Care Services when, for example, you sell your house, AA and the care part of DLA do not stop.

Separate stays in residential or nursing care that are less than 28 days apart are added together when calculating when AA and the care part of DLA stops.

The mobility part of DLA is not affected by stays in residential or nursing care.

For further information select the link entitled paying for care home fees on the right side of the page.

If you lose your DLA or AA because you are in hospital or a care home, it should be re-instated as soon as you return home, as long as you tell the DCS. You should also tell the office that pays you your other benefits (such as income support, pension credit and housing benefit) if your DLA or AA has stopped and then restarted, because loss of DLA or AA could affect how much you get from those benefits as well.