Child Disability Payment decision making guide

Does walking cause exertion leading to danger to life or deterioration in health?

An individual is entitled to the higher rate of the mobility component if the exertion required to walk would lead to either (COP regs, reg.13(2)(a)(iii)):

  • danger to the individual's life
  • a serious deterioration in the individual's health, from which there would be no recovery, or from which recovery would take a significant period of time

Walking must significantly worsen the individual's condition for the impact to amount to causing a serious deterioration in an individual's health.

Increased pain, discomfort, fatigue or breathlessness will not meet the definition.

Any stress or deterioration in the individual's mental health is not a relevant consideration.

Needing significant medical intervention indicates a serious deterioration in the individual's health. Examples are surgery or a prolonged course of treatment not usually required by the individual.

Case managers should decide if the period of time is significant. They can take the nature of the recovery into account. For example, constant bed rest for 3 months is likely to have a greater impact on the individual than a longer period when they need crutches to walk.

Recovery periods of weeks or months are relevant as opposed to hours or days.

The period of recovery can be shorter than would otherwise be needed to meet the test if the individual needs significant medical intervention to recover.

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