When I 1st applied for DLA 8yrs ago I was in a bad way, having relapse after relapse. I was awarded Higher rate mobility and lower rate care.
Being awarded this enabled me to be able to stay in work albeit part time. Getting the car and the extra bit of money for lower rate care has made all the difference, I could no longer hold down a full time job due to fatigue, plus I have had MS for 20 years so obviously I am going down hill.
My current job that I have just started involves me walking about a bit, I have previously been office based. Anyhow the upshot of it all is I now feel like i shouldn’t really be getting higher mobility and I would hate for anyone to think I was a fraud.
I am considering telling the DWP that I should be reassessed as I am now not having so many debilitating relapses and do seem to have my condition under control ( with the help of medication).
But it is catch 22 really, as if I get reassessed and get nothing then I won’t be able to afford to just work part time, I will then end up working full time and make myself ill.
I could have stayed in an office job but I really hated it and the mental aspect of the job was too straining,plus I want to use my legs while I can.
Personally I would go with the status quo. As we know this is an ever changing illness so it may well be you have another change in the future. You will be re-assessed for PIP in the future so if Iwas you I would wait until that happened and if your improvement is long term then you can make decisions at that point. Gary
Hi hun. No, dont do anything re asking for a re-assessment now.
PIP will come along soon and you can put all your symptoms/abilities on the forms then.
BUT…
you say you can walk okay at the moment, but you never knowi f a relapse is just around the corner, so you are not a fraud at all…MS is known as a varying illness…
Also, you say your condition is kept under control by medication…this again proves you are not a fraud. Plus if you
didnt receive the highest rate of mobility in order to get a car, you may not be able to walk as well if you had to uses buses all the time.
Hi, personally I would keep my mouth shut, you don’t know what the future holds, please god it’s good to you and you will be re assessted when the time comes. x
Thanks for your replies. I am slightly concerned that a couple of people know I have the car, who I used to work with and they can see me in this job now…
I had a relapse at Christmas and was off my feet then but that only happens once a year. Mind you I’ve only been in this job a month so things could change.
Many thanks. We are all up **** creek when 2015 comes!
Hello I can’t really offer any direct advice as I do not know how far you can walk without pain / discomfort. We can’t rely on ‘I may have a bad time or relapse’ if the dwp ask if your condition has stabilised or been controlled. What the future may hold will not dictate your present award so we would be wrong to use it when considering whether to report a change. The internet has the criteria for awards. Compare that against how you are and maybe decide based on that. Neil
I don’t know your personal circumstances so this may not be relevant.
If you cut your working hours you may be entitled to working tax credits (you need to be working a min of 16 hours) These will help make up your income lost by reducing your hours.
If you have a working partner you could still qualify but the more their income is the less credits you would get. (Or no credits at all if they have a high income)
You can find out more at HMRC including a quick check questionnaire. This could help take off some of the pressure of potentially losing DLA.
Im with gary on this as others have said it is varying illness and guaranteed youd report it and something would happen and you’d have to go through all the stress again Xx
There’s also an ‘Access to Work’ scheme, which can provide transportation to/from your workplace I believe?
Having said that, I really would see how you go with your walking Anon. You may not have as many relapses, but the fact is that we never really know when these are going to happen (even if there is a pattern to them).
If you find yourself at the point where you can walk reliably and repeatedly, without difficulty, for some distance without any issues (shortness of breath, balance, pain or aftereffects), for more than 50% of the time, then you may want to contact them.
However, since you aren’t able to work full time, I wonder if that’s the case?
We’re all going to be assessed for PIP at some point anyway, and while I can understand your concerns of how it would look to the people that you know, they’re not the ones with MS, so please think carefully about it.
xx