Hi all Can anyone tell me if I can claim any benefits ?.. I’m self employed and finding it really hard to work at the mo as I’m a Childminder, but really can’t afford to stop working and I’ve run out of sick leave now. Any help or advice would be gratefully received.
12 things that don’t affect your right to claim Disability Living Allowance.
- You’re getting any other benefits - Disability Living Allowance will be paid on top.
- You’re working.
- Your partner works.
- You have savings.
- You have not paid any national insurance contributions.
- You don’t consider yourself to be disabled - Disability Living Allowance is for people with long term health problems which affect their everyday activities.
- You’ve been told by a doctor, nurse, care worker - or anyone other than a welfare rights worker - that you won’t get Disability Living Allowance. Eligibility for Disability Living Allowance is a legal question, not a matter of medical - or any other - opinion.
- You live alone and no-one is providing care for you.
- You already have someone, a partner for example, providing care for you.
- You don’t want anyone to provide care for you.
- You’ve been turned down before. You may decide you could put forward a stronger case if you applied again.
- You do not want to spend money on personal care: you can spend Disability Living Allowance on anything you wish.
Disability living allowance five minute physical health test for adults## Step one
Look through this list of some (but not all) of the everyday activities that are relevant to DLA:
- Walking outdoors
- Walking outdoors alone in unfamiliar places
- Preparing a cooked main meal for yourself
- Moving about indoors
- Taking medication
- Eating and drinking
- Staying safe if you’re alone
- Communicating with other people
- Getting out of bed in the morning
- Getting into bed at night
- Sleeping
- Using the toilet
- Washing, having a bath or a shower
- Looking after your appearance
- Getting dressed and undressed
- Social and leisure activities
(Shopping and housework are not generally counted as everyday activities that are relevant to DLA).
Step two
Choose one of the activities above that you have some problems with. For example:
- you might have problems using the toilet because you have irritable bowel syndrome which causes abdominal pain and urgent diarrhoea, so you sometimes don’t make it in time
- you might have problems going outdoors alone in unfamiliar places because a visual impairment makes it difficult for you to see obstructions or cross roads safely
- you may not be able to prepare a cooked main meal for yourself because arthritis in your hands means you can’t peel or chop vegetables.
Step three
With your chosen activity in mind, answer the True or False questions below. If your condition varies, so that the answer is sometimes true and sometimes false, then choose true.
- I can do it, but it hurts. True or False?
- I can do it, but only slowly. True or False?
- I can do it, but only using a special technique of my own. True or False?
- I can do it, but I need someone with me just in case things go wrong. True or False?
- It’s not safe for me to do it. True or False?
- I can’t do it at all. True or False?
Step four
If you haven’t answered True to any of the questions, try the test again with another activity from the list and so on, until you’ve found a statement that is true or decided that there aren’t any.
Step five
If the answer is True to any of the questions in relation to any of the activities listed then you may be entitled to Disability Living Allowance, because they are all reasons why you might ‘reasonably require’ help or supervision, even if you don’t get it or want it.
Whether you are actually eligible for Disability Living Allowance, and at what rate, will depend on how many activities you have problems with and which ones they are.
If the answer wasn’t true to any of the questions it doesn’t mean you are definitely not eligible for Disability Living Allowance.
Contact DIAL http://www.dialuk.info/ who will come around your house and help with the forms. Or Benefits and work http://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/ who give excellent advice costs £19.40 per year. The DLS give excellent free advice http://www.dls.org.uk/advice/factsheet/factsheets_download.html it is essential you get help.
Ring 0800 882200 for the forms; the Benefit Enquiry Line.
Good luck
George
That’s fab thank you so much x
Sorry to be a pain but I’m still not dx… I don’t have critical illness cover is it to late to apply???
Hi Noodly,
Sorry, but if you’re already under investigation for MS or any MS-like illness, it’s certainly too late to apply for cover. Well, there’s nothing to stop you applying, but no insurer is going to issue a policy that covers MS, or anything neurological. It would be like trying to insure against rain, when the thunder’s already started.
Due to the uncertainty surrounding diagnosis, it’s likely you will not be able to get critical illness cover at all.
If or when you ARE diagnosed, it may be possible to get a limited type of critical illness cover, but not one that covers MS (or whatever you’re diagnosed with) or any complication arising from it. So you might still be able to get, e.g. cancer cover - stuff that’s unrelated.
Tina
[quote=“Noodly76”] Sorry to be a pain but I’m still not dx… I don’t have critical illness cover is it to late to apply??? [/quote] I would like to know this as well. I am waiting on a MRI and wonder if I could be covered for critical illness on my house mortgage…
Hi MeShell,
That’s a slightly different question. Most critical illness policies DO cover MS, but won’t pay out except on a confirmed diagnosis. So you can’t claim just for being investigated.
It might be a good idea to dig out the paperwork ready, though, as there are often quite strict time limits to claim, in the event you are diagnosed. It would be a good idea to check now how you go about it, and what the time limits are.
Tina
I don’t think I have cover on my mortgage either I have life insurance tho… How about getting health insurance ?
Basically, you won’t be able to insure against anything you’re already showing symptoms of.
So health insurance, probably, yes. But it will automatically exclude MS or anything like it, so will only benefit you if you develop something quite different.
Tina
I don’t have any cover what so ever…health or mortgage cover…my husband does… I figured its to late now get critical illness coverage on the mortgage…with the investigation now going on…regardless if I get a dx…
Hello Noodly x
I’ve just been made redundant and am claiming Jobseekers Allowance based on my NI Contributions - it’s a grand total of £71 per week!!!
I should be grateful though as I thought I wouldn’t be entitled to anything at all as I have DLA & my hubby works.
They want me to see an Employment Support person in a few weeks - no idea how that will be better for me to be honest!
There is a benefits calculator where you put all your details in and it tells you what you may be entitled to:
xxxjenxxx
Agree with Tina above.
For the life cover and critical illness questions, I have had some answers back from insurance companies and posted them into another thread.
http://www.mssociety.org.uk/forum/new-diagnosis-and-diagnosis/insurance
If you would like any help with your existing policies let me know and I can check the small print for you.
Another thing you must watch are the definitions within critical illness plans and whatis covered. There’s a huge different is the cover offered and when you can claim. You always need to be careful if you have exisitng critical illness cover and tempted to change the cover to another provider. For example a well know bank changed a client’s cover and it had half the critical illness covered compared to the older one.
Hi
Kiddydane, if you go on to ESA you will intially be on assessment phase at £71 per week, once you undergo a personal cabability assessment ( after 13 weeks) you will be placed onto one of two components - work related component - where they believe there way be some work you can do or support component - where they dont think you can do any type of work due to your illness, with both of these you get an extra premium on top of the £71, you would then be on main phase esa.
Work related - £28.15
support component £34.05
Hi Noodly - if you are still signed off by your doctor you should also be able to make a claim for employment and support allowance. Also dont know your circumstances but depening on household income and capital, you may be entitled to housing and or council tax benefit. The direct gov website has a bit of info about this and a benefits calculator also that may be usefull
https://www.gov.uk/benefits-adviser
Sheryll
Thank you all for your help… Feeling very down about it all at the mo… Symptoms are now more often than not and just can shack out of it, had my MRI last Thursday (not a nice experience made me feel sick) and think its all just getting to me now… I just can’t explain how I feel or what I’m experiencing, I’m just manning up and trying to keep things to myself as much as I can but when you keep getting an excruciating pain in your thigh like cramp like know other it’s very hard… I have a very supportive hubby but I must be getting on his nerves now. 
Anyway vent over thanks again for all your help I will defo look into it further x
Hi Noodly x Yes it does get you down x I know I could cope with almost any illness if it’s short term and you can see an end to it - but when it’s chronic it slowly grinds you down x All you can do is allow yourself the down times then pick yourself up and get on with it x
My hubby is very supportive - but they are only human and I sometimes feel I’m getting on his nerves too x just remember they are there for you and would much prefer all this to be happening to them if they could xxxx
Keep that chin up xxxxxxjenxxxx