Benefits Elgibility

Hello everyone

I really hope you can help , as I don't know where to go and who to ask anymore . I currently have a list of complex medical conditions, which effect my performance at work and at home, recently my medical history has got worse in the sense of limited mobility , constant pains and aches, so I've had to go from full time to part time at work and my salary has halved .

I applied for DLA in March and they declined me , so I appealed it with a doctors letter , outlining the seriousness of my conditions and still was declined, I felt as though I had no hope, so I didn't take it any further.

As you can imagine , working 15hours a week will not bring in a lot of money , when you have bills and etc to pay , can anyone help me and let me know what am eligible for ?

Just to give you a rough idea of my medical history , I have the following
Juvenile Autoimmune Arthritis - already had my hip and knee replaced
Autoimmune Hepatitis
Lupus SLE
Leukopenia
Anaemia

The arthritis has got a lot worse in my knees and wrists and lower back , which is the reason why i've had to reduce my hours , and driving for more then 10 minutes locks my ankles , so I don't find it convenient to drive.

Any help would really help me

Thanks alot

Hi Waggy,

Did you use our guides when applying for DLA? Many people are rejected because they focus on their conditions rather then their care/mobility needs. It is too late to reapply for DLA, but there is nothing to stop you from putting in a claim for PIP

PIP claims

I don't know whether there are other benefits that you might be entitled to. You should have a look at the 'turn2us' website for advice regarding this.

turn2us

Or you could contact CAB for face-to-face advice regarding any benefits you might be able to claim

Hi

Thanks for a prompt response

To be honest the DLA form was so overwhelming and towards the end I was actually getting myself confused, even though it's not been 3 months fully since I was declined for DLA , can I still apply for PIP ?? I also wanted to ask about the disability element for tax credits, do you have to be on PIP in order to get this ?

Thanks once again

Yes, you can make a claim for PIP whenever you like.

I believe that the disability element of tax credits is available only to those on DLA/PIP, I'm sire one of the other mods will correct me if I am wrong!

I'm grateful for your help, I've rang these support lines for Arthritis in my local area and they told me I would not have a chance of getting any benefit , unless I was unable to walk at all (basically wheelchair bound) and had a severe disability , which I find a load of nonsense . I can walk up to 20-30 meters on average and have trouble doing the most basic of things

I believe I have to ring now to do a PIP claim , any tips on what they ask , or what info would help me , so they process my application to the next stage ??

Thanks in advance