Thanks for your help jim, just one other question. Can a person refuse to do certain things at a medical if they think it will lead to servere pain ie. if told to touch toes or lift a leg and by past experience this has lead to staying in bed the next day. When my wife visited a specialist last month for a examination the traveling the exam and scan resulted in my wife having a few days bed rest .steve

Steve, yes, if the EMP asks your wife to carry out any task that will cause her any pain or discomfort, she is well within her rights to refuse. Again this is covered in the Guide for EMP's in the members area.

Jim

That's good advice Jim!

When I had my DLA medical I didn't realise that -in fact I was just clueless. I tried to do all the things the doctor asked me to because I thought I had to. It made me so breathless and dizzy that she hurriedly told me to sit down again and took my pulse and BP! She seemed even more anxious than me!

At my IB PCA I was a lot more savvy -having found this wonderful site When the doctor asked me to get up on the couch so he could examine me I said I couldn't -which was quite true - and he just accepted that and made a note of it.

I think you can sometimes feel helpless and as if you're a child that's got to do as you're told but that's not really the case, is it?

When the medical is being carried out and a person is requested to touch their toes or lift a limb, is it reasonable to tell the m.e. that to attempt this would cause too much pain and would lead to the person spending several days inbed rest, or is it advisable to try to undertake the physical tests. My wife recently attended a hospital appointment in preston with a 80mile journey and along wait to see a specalist and this resulted in her having to have bed rest for three days.

Steve,

I've already replied to your previous query on this and advised that it's permissible to refuse to try to undertake tasks the EMP may ask claimants to do. EMP's are aware of this as it's in the Guide for EMP's .Under no circumstances should a claimant try to undertake tasks that causes them pain or other discomfort. Should an EMP make such a request, the claimant is perfectly within their rights to refuse.

I sat in on numerous DLA medicals when I was a WRO and also served as a DLA tribunal member for 10 years, so can assure you that my advice is correct.

Best wishes.

Jim

My wifes medical appointment has arrived and it says...An approved health professional may have visited you in th past, but we now arrange appointments at an examination centre as appropiate. Does this mean they have moved the goal posts and made a rule change so that you can no longer have home visits by a M.E. ? Please advise .steve