We were very disappointed with our grant being refused. We were told to extend the vehicle by the 2 years allowed and then try again.
Something for everyone to be aware of is that they will not award a grant for just an adaptation. We wanted to use the £750 new vehicle payment for the car advance payment which would have covered it in full but the adaptation we needed (person lift) was £795. After speaking to 3 different people on the grants phone line and none of them mentioning it, 4 weeks later the case manager phoned and told us they don’t provide grants for adaptations on their own. They have to fund the car and the adaptation together. They asked if the current car was still suitable to which I explained the difficulty my partner has with her pain and not being able to adjust the passenger seat. I would have to find somewhere to pull over, get out and adjust it for her. This could be repeated numerous times on a journey. The car we wanted this time had an electric passenger seat which was her one and only requirement with renewing this time so we were happy to find one that was covered by the new vehicle payment. Unfortunately this was dismissed as not a reason to be unsuitable, it is perfectly acceptable to have to do this apparently.
We emailed the complaints email address and a few days later had a reply to say the case manager was wrong in their decision and they were overturning the decision and now funding the car and adaptation in full. This also means she doesn’t have to use her new vehicle payment and will instead receive it in her bank account.