A person's eligibility for a Blue Badge is considered in one of two ways:
- being ‘eligible without further assessment’ (previously known as ‘automatic’)
- being ‘eligible subject to further assessment’ (previously known as ‘discretionary’)
Badges are only issued where a condition or disability is permanent. Temporary conditions, for example, a broken leg, do not qualify for a badge. Also, conditions where the effect of a disability is intermittent in nature are not usually eligible for a Blue Badge.
You can apply for a Blue Badge from us if you are a Wirral resident.
New eligibility criteria for non-visible (hidden) conditions
The Department for Transport has changed the Blue Badge criteria so that people with a non-visible (hidden) condition, including some people with autism, dementia and mental health conditions will be able to apply for a Blue Badge.
The new criteria took effect from 30 August 2019. Any applications made before 30 August 2019 will be assessed against the old criteria and not the hidden disabilities criteria.
The new criteria are in addition to those that are currently in place.
Find out more about the new eligibility criteria
Applicants who already meet the Blue Badge criteria
If you already meet (and will continue to meet) the current criteria, you will continue to be eligible after 30 August 2019.
Check if you, or the person you are applying for, is eligible under the existing criteria.
Who can get a Blue Badge from 30 August 2019?
You are automatically eligible if you are over 2 years old and fall within one or more of the following descriptions:
- you receive the Higher Rate of the Mobility Component of the Disability Living Allowance (HRMCDLA)
- you receive 8 points or more under the “moving around” activity of the mobility component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
- you receive the mobility component of PIP and has obtained 10 points specifically for Descriptor E under the “planning and following journeys” activity, on the grounds that you are unable to undertake any journey because it would cause you overwhelming psychological distress
- you are registered blind (severely sight impaired)
- you receive a War Pensioner's Mobility Supplement (WPMS)
- you have been both awarded a lump sum benefit at tariffs 1-8 of the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme and certified as having an enduring and substantial disability which causes inability to walk or very considerable difficulty in walking
- you have been diagnosed as having a terminal illness (DS1500)
You may also qualify if you are more than two years old and may be described as one or more of the following:
A person who drives a vehicle regularly, has a severe disability in both arms and is unable to operate, or has considerable difficulty in operating, all or some types of parking meter
A person who after submitting the application has been certified by an expert assessor as having an enduring and substantial disability which causes them, during the course of a journey, to:
- be unable to walk
- experience very considerable difficulty whilst walking, which may include very considerable psychological distress
- be at risk of serious harm when walking; or pose, when walking, a risk of serious harm to any other person
Any of the above three types of difficulty whilst walking could potentially be caused by a physical disability, or by a ‘non-physical’ disability.
In either case, the disability experienced by the applicant must endure for at least three years.
In addition, children under the age of three may be eligible for a badge if they fall within either or both of the following descriptions:
- a child who, on account of a condition, must always be accompanied by bulky medical equipment which cannot be carried around with the child without great difficulty
- a child who, on account of a condition, must always be kept near a motor vehicle so that, if necessary, treatment for that condition can be given in the vehicle or the child can be taken quickly in the vehicle to a place where such treatment can be given
Find out more about the new Blue Badge criteria from 30 August 2019
Things to consider when applying for a Blue Badge
When answering questions on your application form you should consider:
- how your disability affects you while walking
- identify any coping strategies you may use and how effective they are
- what treatments or medication you receive to help you manage your condition
- the names and contact details of any health and social care practitioners involved in your diagnosis and ongoing treatment
Information that you may need to provide
As well as completing the application form in full in order to help us make our decision, you will need to provide us with information that will support your application. You will need to provide:
- proof any benefits awarded
- a letter of diagnosis, as up-to-date as possible
- evidence of the progression of the condition over time
- confirmation of ongoing treatments or clinic attendances, or referral for such
- evidence of prescribed medication relevant to your condition
- evidence of specialist consultations, or referral for such
- your Patient Summary or Summary Care Records
- Education Health and Care Plans (EHCP)
- Care Plans from social care teams
- social housing letters or assessment reports from a local authority
- letters from other professionals involved in your care
- Personal Independence Payment (PIP) decision letters
- evidence of other benefits received
- contact details of professionals who can support your application
Blue Badge Assessments
You may also need to attend an assessment. This assessment ensures that all applicants receive an impartial and consistent decision as to whether they meet the eligibility criteria or not.
As stated in the Department for Transport guidance badges will only be issued to those with a "permanent and substantial disability" and therefore "In no circumstances should a badge be issued to applicants with a temporary disability".
Blue Badges for organisations
If you are applying for a Blue Badge as an organisation:
- an organisational badge may be issued to an organisation for use in a motor vehicle or vehicles when the vehicle or vehicles are to be used to carry disabled people who would themselves be eligible for a badge
- an ‘organisation’ is defined as meaning an organisation concerned with the care of disabled persons to which a disabled person’s badge may be issued
You must also demonstrate that you have a clear need for an organisational badge, rather than using the individual Blue Badges of people you are transporting.
If there are relatively few people who meet the eligibility criteria for a badge in the organisation, it would be preferable for the disabled people themselves to apply for badges, rather than have one issued to an organisation.
This then allows the holder to use the badge issued to them in any vehicle in which they are travelling, as either a driver or passenger. In all circumstances, badges must be issued to the organisation and not to individual employees.