My uncle has been diagnosed with MS & i am looking to find out what benefits he !
Question: He has been off work as a coach driver for the past 6 months & the dvla are not allowing him back on the road, his Doctor has also told him he is going to on long term sick. My uncle has never been off work until this illness started & does not know what he is entitled to.
If anyone could give us a little help with some information that would be great thanks
Answers: He has been off work as a coach driver for the past 6 months & the dvla are not allowing him back on the road, his Doctor has also told him he is going to on long term sick. My uncle has never been off work until this illness started & does not know what he is entitled to.
If anyone could give us a little help with some information that would be great thanks
He will more than likely be entitled to Disability living Allowance (care and mobility) at the highest rates ( MS meets the threshold of disability). Also Income support and Housing benefit ( if applicable ).
Give the Princes trust a call to set up an appointment, they will help to fill out the forms. Good luck.
http://www.princes-trust.org.uk/
Here's the head office number: 020 7543 1234
Note for groovymaude: I did not say the princes trust had anything to do with MS. Read my post!
They will help filling the forms out. They were a great help to me.
Get on to your Local Social Services,,,,,,
It depends on how MS is affecting his ability to do any work.
Contact the Dept for Work and Pensions . They will provide information on State Invalidity Benefits. Have a look at their website for infomation also.
Contact the Citizens Advice Bureau. They will be able to assist.
My sister has MS.
She has been to the local county services. (Welfare & Housing Authority.)
She was given food stamps and help with a section 8 voucher.
She might also be eligible for social security.
So have you uncle contact these places. He'll probably more them likely be eligible for S.S. because he's not able to work.
The county can defenitlely tell him what he's eligible for.
Good luck.
(assuming that you live in the UK)
You've said that he has been off work for 6 months now so I suspect he is no longer receiving Statutory Sick Pay (SSP). Instead he should be claiming Incapacity Benefit. The claim form is usually provided by the employer when nearing the end of the 6 months payment of SSP but can be obtained from the JobCentre.
Depending on the severity of the symptoms your uncle may be entitled to claim Disability Living Allowance - either for care, mobility or both care and mobility. Your uncle might like to ask his doctor if the doctor would support such a claim. If so then once you have received the forms contact the local Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) to get help in completing the forms - they are notoriously difficult to complete!
Depending on the income and circumstances of the household there may be other benefits that he can claim such as Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit. Again, a visit to the CAB would be a good way for him to find out about what benefits he can claim.
I have no idea what the Princes Trust would/could do - never heard of them being associated with ms! Ms does not necessarily meet the DLA level for care or mobility, that will depend on his abilities at the time.
Incapacity benefit + age addition (where applicable) after 28 weeks ssp
Possibly income support and housing benefit if your uncle doesn't own his own property, there is a severe disability premium, if your uncle qualifies.
Blue badge (local council or social services, depends on your own local authority)
If your uncle is on medication (on prescription) not DMD's. he should ask at his surgery for an exemption claim form for prescription charges, if he is unable to go out alone (one of the criteria) he could be entitled to free prescriptions (they will only be available if he receives Income Support not IB or DLA)
If he is purchasing any mobility aids or items specifically for use by the disabled (ie. things to help with everyday living, shower seats for example) he can claim exemption from the VAT, any mobility shop or website will have a simple claim form to complete (you can do it online for anything bought on the web)
There are other benefits but it does depend on circumstances,he should contact OT dept, doctor should be able to give him the local info, they can help with everyday living items, crutches, sticks wheelchairs etc. Your own area may have other services (they vary enormously!) It is very dificult without kowing circumstances and I have to stress NOT EVERYONE ends up or starts off needing a wheelchair!!!
Try www.benefitsandwork.co.uk, this is a really informative and thorough site, with extremely good guides on how to make the best claim, they can be a minefield!
I have ms, hope your uncle is coping with his dx, he may find, www.mssociety.org, another helfpul site with message boards, where he can chat to others and share experiences, lots of up to date reliable information on everything ms, there - in fact sometimes too much!! Lol!