Hi all…need a bit of advice I currently have indefinite DLA ( middle rate care and lower rate mobility), which was was awarded to me in 2010 with no interview just a online form filled in. Since diagnosis I have always been numb down my left side and have had to use crutches on and off. Approx 4 years ago I applied for a blue badge as I was having difficulty getting to and from the car with dizzy spell, freezing of legs etc (we all know what it’s like!), but I was turned down Becuase i didn’t have the higher rate mobility part of DLA, which was daft really as at the time of the blue badge assessment I could barely walk at all due to a bad relapse!.. I never took things any further and life went on. 4 years later I use my crutches a lot. I don’t really go into town on my own at all any more as I get very dizzy and disorientated very quickly, my numb left side starts to drag and my normally functioning right side developes a bad limp, also I have to try and trek back to a car park by myself, with shopping, on crutches…it’s not good. I set off to walk my beloved dog Bailey, again with someone, however can only manage about 100m and the above walking problems set in and if I’m with my daughter the drive home is a bit scary to say the least as I don’t have an automatic car and my left side if stuck on the clutch. I then go home to bed.
I also have problems with my vision, which over the passed 5years has got steadily worse, nothing to be found by Drs but the more tired and fatigued I get, the less I can see.
My question is …Do you think I would be eligible for the enhanced mobility rate? Also the area I live in is not one which is due to be reassessed yet, so is it wise to be reassessed under the new strickter PIP rules and risk losing what I’ve got or wait until I’m going to be reassessed anyway as everyone is going to be reassessed, indefinite or not?
Thankyou for your help…
I am not sure what to suggest if your issues are worse you can apply either way you will be reassessed in the future.
What i dont understand is why you were turned down for blue badge. You do NOT have to have the higher rate mobility for it. I know several people with BB and they dont even have DLA.
You should be assessed in your own right. I would reapply. I am sure your doctor would support an application for you.
If you asked for reassessment you might be given a PIP application even though migration is not yet taking place in your area. The timetable seems somewhat flexible at the moment so it is difficult to be certain. The criteria for higher rate mobility on pip revolves around being unable to walk more than 20m. If you can walk 100m before problems set in you would have trouble qualifying. Of course other factors such as fatigue and repeatability have a baring so it’s not cut and dried - you could perhaps make a case that the lower figure applies but if you just say 100m you will have no chance.
Every local council has their own rules for BB criteria. Higher rate DLA is an easy one because they don’t need to do an assessment themselves, it’s already been done by the DWP but it is not the only way to qualify. I would suggest that you contact them again (or better yet look at their website) you will probably find that they have an assessment process in place for people who do not get higher rate mobility.
I am sorry but I must echo anon’s concerns. Are you safe to drive with your vision and left side problems? I know it is horrible to face this because I’ve been there myself but if driving is scary then…
Jane
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I am in receipt of DLA highest rate mobility and middle rate for help with personal care also indefinitely, and I am much worse now than when it was granted. I rang the DWP to ask what happens, little realising that this would trigger a claim for PIP.
Ive got the form to complete now but with the benefit of hindsight think I should have waited until the DWP contacted me. I’m afraid I may have shot myself in the foot and fear the worst. I have an appointment with an advisor for help with the form - fingers crossed.
I have to echo the driving concerns too. I know it’s a big thing to give up driving, it’s another nail in the coffin of independence. I had/have left side weakness and drove an automatic car for about three years, driving less and less until I gave up. I could only manage a round trip of about eight miles as the weakness spread to my right leg, I feared not being able to brake quickly enough, and gave up. I decided when I was first diagnosed that I would jump before I was pushed and that it would not take an accident to make me give up my licence.
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Hi ha, I’m sure if your on lower rate mobility pip, you can apply for blue badge, if your mobility has worsened then maybe reapplying to state deteriation and then get reassessed x
heidi x
I’m receive DLA - middle rate care and low rate mobility, and my mobility is significantly worse that it was last time i reapplied. In my area, at the moment, new applicants automatically apply for PIP and I’m pretty sure reassessment (regardless of who requests it) is for PIP also.
Personally I am choosing not to start the PIP application nightmare any earlier than I have to.
On another note I have a blue badge even though I am on low rate mobility. This is my second badge and although it is still issued by the local council the application forms are now assessed on a national level. If I remember the form correctly, I think you could just tick the box if you got high rate mobility but if not you are required to fill in a number of questions (diagnosis, medical professionals, walking aids, distances etc…) and you may be asked to attend a medical. I got a badge based on just the application form but it did take ages (about 6 weeks). Well worth applying for…