Disability related expenditure (DRE) refers to costs that someone incurs due to a disability or long-term health condition, which may be considered when assessing how much they can contribute to their care. DRE is different from typical daily living costs and reflects spending that others without a disability or a long term condition may not have.
Disability related expenditure costs usually fall into one of these two categories:
- Specialised items and services: individuals may use things that are made especially to help with their disability, such as wheelchairs and care support. These items may have additional costs, like repair and insurance.
- Increased use of non-specialised items and services: individuals may have to use things more because of their disability, such as transport or heating.
Please see below for East Lothian Health and Social Care Partnership guide to Disability Related Expenditure:
Disability Related Expenditure Factsheet
In addition to this, in 2025, Coalition of Carers in Scotland hosted a very useful session ‘What You Need to Know – Disability Related Expenditure’. This session was recorded and is accessible via their website. If you would like to view this, please follow this link:
What You Need to Know – Disability Related Expenditure – Coalition of Carers session recording