Disabled Blue Badge Scheme

Criteria for those with hidden disabilities

The Department for Transport announced changes to the criteria for applying for a blue badge to include those with hidden disabilities  on 30 August 2019.

Individuals eligible without assessment

You will automatically qualify for a Blue Badge with no assessment if you meet any of the following conditions:

• receive the Higher Rate of the Mobility Component of Disability Living Allowance (HRMCDLA)
• receive eight points or more under the 'Moving Around' descriptor of the mobility component of the Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
• score 10 points along with descriptor E in the 'planning and following a journey' part of the mobility component, which states 'you cannot undertake any journeys because it would cause overwhelming psychological/mental distress'.
• are registered blind (severely sight impaired)
• receive a War Pensioner’s Mobility Supplement
• have been awarded a lump sum benefit at tariff 1-8 of the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme and have been certified as having a permanent and substantial disability which causes inability to walk or very considerable difficulty in walking.

Individuals eligible following assessment

Those who do not meet any of the conditions above, but meet one or more of the following, may be able to receive a Blue Badge following assessment:

• you cannot walk at all
• you cannot walk without help from someone else or using mobility aids
• you find walking very difficult due to pain, breathlessness or the time it takes
• walking is dangerous to your health and safety
• you have a life limiting illness, which means you cannot walk or find walking very difficult and have a SR1 form
• you have a severe disability in both arms and drive regularly, but cannot operate pay-and-display parking machines
• you have a child under the age of 3 with a medical condition that means the child always needs to be accompanied by bulky medical equipment
• you have a child under the age of 3 with a medical condition that means the child must always be kept near a vehicle in case they need emergency medical treatment
• you are constantly a significant risk to yourself or others near vehicles, in traffic or car parks
• you struggle severely to plan or follow a journey
• you find it difficult or impossible to control your actions and lack awareness of the impact you could have on others
• you regularly have intense and overwhelming responses to situations causing temporary loss of behavioural control
• you frequently become extremely anxious or fearful of public/open spaces

If we find that a face-to-face assessment is required, we will contact you to arrange this.

For further information on Blue Badge eligibility please visit GOV.UK

Organisations

An organisation can apply for a badge if:

• The organisation cares for and transports disabled people who would themselves meet one or more of the conditions for a Blue Badge; and
• Has a clear need for an organisational badge rather than using the individual Blue Badges of people it cares for.

Issuing Organisation Blue Badges is entirely at our discretion. Any organisations that do qualify must follow the conditions of issue.