What to send to apply — Scope | Disability forum
Please read our updated community house rules and community guidelines.

What to send to apply

AnkyieSpon
AnkyieSpon Community member Posts: 138 Pioneering
edited July 2018 in Transport and travel
Hi all. I have Ankylosing Spondylitis, Fibromyalgia and early stages of Osteoarthritis in hips. I have chronic fatigue due to theses illnesses. I have decided to apply for a blue badge. I have been told to send more info so I have plenty from rheumatology, millions of letters for physio appointments but who knows what the were for so what do I send? Thanks
Tina 
(Ankyie Spon)
I'm a Pain Warrior

Comments

  • Matilda
    Matilda Community member Posts: 2,593 Disability Gamechanger
    If you receive PIP or DLA mobility at either level you are automatically entitled to a blue badge.  Otherwise, ask your local authority what kind of evidence they'll accept.

    If you don't already get PIP you might be eligible. Have a look at PIP on the Disability Rights UK site.
  • Ethel
    Ethel Community member Posts: 7 Listener
    Yo may wish to request your GP and hospital records and send selective evidence. Your GP can writing a supporting letter stating your limitations with walking, and the need for the badge. Also, you may wish to ask the Blue Badge Team what exactly do they need. Good luck and I hope this helps.
  • BenefitsTrainingCo
    BenefitsTrainingCo Community member Posts: 2,621 Pioneering

    AnkyieSpon
    AnkyieSpon,

    As others have said, you can get a blue badge automatically via the high rate mobility component of DLA. If you're on PIP, you can get one in England and Northern Ireland by an award of 8 points or more in 'moving around (one of the PIP activities). The criteria are a bit different in Scotland and Wales, where you can get one either via 8 points in 'moving around', or via 12 points in the 'planning and following journeys' activity. There are also some special considerations in Scotland for people who used to get the higher rate mobility component of DLA where it was terminated during the move to PIP.

    If you're not on one of the qualifying benefits, then there's an assessed route. It might help to know that usually, what the local authority is looking for is evidence either about your inability to walk, or difficulty walking, or
    alternatively, your difficulty operating a parking meter.  There are some differences in Scotland and Wales, but I'll leave those aside for now (post back if you do live in Scotland or Wales).

    From what you say about your condition, it's most likely to be problems with walking, and fatigue or pain caused by walking, which has led to you needing a blue badge. There doesn't seem much point in sending physio appointment letters if all they do is prove you had an appointment - I would concentrate on letters from specialists to your GP which mention your difficulties in walking, and/or the effects of walking (pain, fatigue or making your condition worse).

    Good luck - hopefully you will be successful and the badge will make life a bit easier.

    Will 
    The Benefits Training Co:

  • Yadnad
    Yadnad Posts: 2,856 Disability Gamechanger
    You may well find that not having a qualifying benefit to rely on that you will have to have a mobility test with a qualified OT.
    They will want to see you walking different distances to assess if you qualify.
  • Chloe_Scope
    Chloe_Scope Posts: 10,586 Disability Gamechanger
    Hi @AnkyieSpon and a warm welcome to the community. I hope you find the answers you are looking for and please do have a look around the community :)
    Scope

  • AnkyieSpon
    AnkyieSpon Community member Posts: 138 Pioneering
    Hi, thank you. 
    Tina 
    (Ankyie Spon)
    I'm a Pain Warrior
  • AnkyieSpon
    AnkyieSpon Community member Posts: 138 Pioneering
    Sorry forgot to give an update. I received my blue badge with no problems and no assessment needed. 
    Tina 
    (Ankyie Spon)
    I'm a Pain Warrior
  • Yadnad
    Yadnad Posts: 2,856 Disability Gamechanger
    edited December 2018
    Sorry forgot to give an update. I received my blue badge with no problems and no assessment needed. 
    Hey you lucky thing!

    My wife of 75 is riddled with Arthritis and she was turned down by the council after the mobility assessment even though she gets Attendance Allowance at the highest rate predominately because of mobility issues.
    Her trouble is that she is too proud to admit it!
    As they say - you win some - you lose some.
  • AnkyieSpon
    AnkyieSpon Community member Posts: 138 Pioneering
    @Yadnad is seems very unfair that each local authority does things so differently. I'm so sorry your wife didn't get one. 
    Tina 
    (Ankyie Spon)
    I'm a Pain Warrior
  • Yadnad
    Yadnad Posts: 2,856 Disability Gamechanger
    @Yadnad is seems very unfair that each local authority does things so differently. I'm so sorry your wife didn't get one. 
    Thanks, It doesn't really matter now as we don't have a car.
    Apparently when she had her assessment in a multi story car park, the assessor was much more interested in how on earth my wife could drive (our daughter's car) such a low vehicle (Jaguar) and manage to get in and out of it.

    She did display a serious lack of mobility once out of the car but her fate was sealed because of the car she turned up in and the lack of mobility was put down to recovering after getting out of the car.

    Gave up after that - seems if you turn up in the wrong type of car you are penalised.



  • AnkyieSpon
    AnkyieSpon Community member Posts: 138 Pioneering
    @Yadnad that seems extreme. I thought with blue badge it was more to do with mobility as in how far you can walk, not how you drive and what you drive. I'm sorry you've had this terrible experience . 
    Tina 
    (Ankyie Spon)
    I'm a Pain Warrior
  • Yadnad
    Yadnad Posts: 2,856 Disability Gamechanger
    @Yadnad that seems extreme. I thought with blue badge it was more to do with mobility as in how far you can walk, not how you drive and what you drive. I'm sorry you've had this terrible experience . 
    Exactly.
    I wasn't there at the time. The assessor made more than one reference to the fact that someone who claims to have such a debilitating condition (arthritis from head to toe) would be able to get into and out of such a vehicle is unknown.
    She received a copy of the report - eventually- and it was reported that my wife's only issue with her mobility and the way she walked was down to the fact that she recovering from getting out of the car. It was assumed that normally she would be able to walk quite normally otherwise

Brightness