Ensure You Claim Disability Benefits

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There is a lot of stigma about claiming benefits. But the fact is that most people who claim them are not going around the country talking in smartphones and watching expensive flat-screen TVs.

Most benefits are pretty low (you can’t do much on £100 a week Universal Credit) and there are billions unclaimed, from those who deserve them most (carers for disabled children and elderly relatives etc).

Around 25% of the population worldwide have a disability that not only makes life a bit more tricky, but more expensive as often you need adapted devices and comfortable wheelchairs.

Benefits for disability change frequently in England, but the main ones are:

  • For extra care and mobility needs
  • A separate one for children under 16
  • An allowance for those unable to work

Obviously to claim you need to provide medical evidence (and ask for back-dates if you were unaware, as you won’t be told automatically).

But it’s worth it. Not only can claiming eligible disability benefits make life easier for you financially, but it also lets you buy equipment for you and your carers, and also means you usually are then qualified for lots of other things that are free (plus you don’t have to be VAT on medical equipment).

Visit the government website to find out what you can claim, how to claim and find a form to do it (or numbers to call).

Other Benefits for Disabled People

  • The government offers Disabled Facilities Grants (these don’t affect benefits) to widen doors, install ramps and grab rails, build downstairs bathrooms and easy-to-use heating/lighting controls.
  • Family Fund offers grants for children with disabilities (adaptations, sensory toys, clothing, days out and holidays).
  • NHS has info on how to apply for walking sticks and NHS wheelchairs. You can apply for a personal wheelchair budget to upgrade to a more comfortable one (and easier to use for carers).
  • Which? has a good post on how to choose the best wheelchair, depending on height, weight and needs.
  • Remap has volunteer ‘garage tinkerers’ who come up with free inventions for unique needs. A garden chair for an amputee, an oven door opener for weak hands, a one-handed sandwich cutter for a stroke survivor, and an emergency brake for an epileptic.

Ben Ryan created a fantastic bionic limb for his young son, who had to have a limb amputated at birth,  due to a blood clot. He quit his job to set up Ambionics in North Wales.

Yet despite winning an inventor’s prize, the government won’t fund him. Yet his genius could change the lives of so any children – and yet MPs spend money on bombs.

Free Help with Home Telephones

Free Mobility Equipment

  • People who use wheelchairs may be entitled to free equipment like raised toilet seats, bath rails and slip mats, easy-grip kitchen equipment, bed rails and reclining chairs.
  • Also order a £5 radar key (to access disabled toilets) and a blue badge (for easier parking).

Discounted Public Transport

  • Londoners with a disability can get discounted (limited) travel across the city via Taxicard. Apply to your borough (GPs can also endorse applications).
  • The Disabled Person’s Railcard is available for many people on benefits (and epilepsy). It costs £20 for 1 year and entitles a third savings on all fares.

Read rules for train travel with pets. Animals must be kept on leads or in carriers, and aside from guide dogs (who still may find them stressful), pets are not allowed on seats/escalators (must be carried). 

Possible Compensation from the Armed Forces

You can claim for compensation if you were made disabled (or have mental health issues) while serving in the Armed Forces (including Reserve Forces).

Paid as a lump sum or regular payments, you can also claim if you were victim of a violent crime while serving abroad, under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme.

Donate Surplus Disability Equipment

Skiggle is an online community to donate surplus disability equipment, or exchange for things needed. There are safety caveats, and you must not make profit from NHS items. But if you have sealed unused items, someone else could benefit.

The message support system responds to urgent requests for missing, broken or forgotten essentials (chargers, feeding equipment, tracheostomy tubes), so the nearest member can assist.

The founder began the site, after a holiday with their eldest (disabled) son. They packed medical products (and bucket and spade). Then realised they had forgotten to pack an essential feeding item. After 3 hours of trying to call the out-of-hours doctor, they had to drive home, to avoid their son being checked into hospital.

Current products in the market place include:

  • Catheters
  • Reusable bottles
  • Ventilator filters and adaptors
  • Clinical dressings
  • Mobility aids

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