Will I get this benefit if I have Narcolepsy?
As with all benefits, it’s very difficult to say. It will depend on the severity of how you experience narcolepsy along with if you are on any other benefit. Certainly if you are on the higher DLA grant you should stand a very good chance of getting something.
You might be able to reduce your council tax using the Council Tax Reduction Scheme for people with disabilities. If you qualify for this, your council tax will be dropped by one band, so if you live in a Band C home, you will pay the amount charged to a Band B property.
If your property is already in Band A (the lowest band), your bill will be reduced by a sixth.
To get this reduction, at least one person who has her/his only or main home at the property must be substantially and permanently disabled. The person who is disabled can be a child or adult and does not have to be the person responsible for paying the council tax.
The property must:
- have a room (other than a bathroom, kitchen or lavatory) that is needed by and mainly used by the disabled person, or
- have an additional kitchen or bathroom to meet the disabled person’s needs, or
- have enough space for the disabled person to use their wheelchair indoors
Do note we say OR above, not that you need all three. So for instance if you have a kitchen that has special fitments to prevent someone who suffers from narcolepsy and cataplexy from hurting themselves or endangering neighbours (such as fire alarms, padded surfaces, interlocks that will switch of cookers after a certain amount of time etc.) you might be able to claim this allowance.
The person who pays the council tax must write to the local authority and ask for this reduction. If more than one person with a disability lives in the property, it’s possible to make separate applications for each person, but only one reduction will be given.
If you’re the person responsible for council tax and you qualify for this scheme, you might also be able to receive a discount, Main Council Tax Benefit or second adult rebate.