4 replies to this topic

[Lucydog]

I take it everyone here gets higher rate mobility, although please me know if this is otherwise. Anyway at the moment I get lower care as well. My benefits adviser has said that I need to notify the benefits agency as now Im doing ISC she thinks I will qualify for middle rate. I wondered if anyone knows what the essential difference is between lower and middle rates. I would have thought I would have got middle anyway as I specifically have problems with the loo in general as I cant turn enough to do the necessaries.... if you know what I mean. I also have the usual issues with getting dressed, anything that requires bending forward in particular. Anyway I hope that everyones culmulative experiences might shed some light on how they actually come to the decisions they do and if I have a decent case or shouldnt bother.

cheers

Lucy



T10/11 incompete

[Simon]

Hi Lucy
I get high rates of both components but am c4 complete. I don't know the specifics of the assessment but do know its based on the number of hours / section of day spent needing care. You have to score a certain number of points in the day and night parts. We actually filled out the form once and I was put down from high to low rate as we didn't fill it out as though I had carers doing the tasks (my wife is about twice as quick as carers) and fill in what if's like sheaths coming off etc.
You have to give a worst case scenario.

[mttb14]

Hi both,

This is also a subject we have to sort out, John was turned down because we didn't use the right words to describe John's problems.

Our wonderful Dr Baker has written a letter for us describing John's problems for us, expressly critiscising the benefits agencies doctors for not understanding or paying attention to the real problems. They assessed him as 10% disabled and the medical doctors has assessed him as 66% not counting pain, so we now have to go through the usual fight. The only thing we have ever had without arguement is the blue disabled parking badge, last week infact, because we didn't know we could apply without DLA.

The lady we saw has a disabled husband so she looks at the situation properly and it was awarded there and then. She said describe your day without your medication, compare what you can and cannot do against how you were before the injury etc. If you can walk a short distance but you are in pain, say that every step you take causes you pain. Isn't it awful that you have to go through all of this, SCI is bad enough. We didn't realise you get points for mentioning spasticity, increased tone (we used to think that was good, until we were told otherwise) , spasms and pain, bad hand eye co-ordination, falling, tripping and less sensation in one foot than the other so less of a reflex in the left foot, etc etc.

Hope you have luck, it is definately worth applying just make sure you use words like above and SCI plus AD if you have it, we were told that is why we were turned down and now we have to re-apply.

Maria

[Simon]

Ah, Dr Baker, tubby with glasses? Used to work at Oswestry now at Welsh SIU?

[mttb14]

Hi Simon,

Dr Baker is still tubby, smokes like a chimney, swears like a trooper, but is the best doctor we have seen.

He answers emails and phones us at home, he is our super hero and he speaks to us in english. He only lives about 20 minutes from us and he seems to be the only doctor who understands John's incomplete spinal injury. If he tells us something will happen, it generally does, John is going through a massive claim at the moment and this morning one of the othersides doctors has written a report saying that John's injuries are not as a result of his accident, but because of constitutional changes in the body. Well until he had the accident he was fine and now he isn't. But he is up against Dr Baker so he can have the arguement with him.

Dr Baker is so brash and blunt, but he reckons that he has dealt with spinal cord injuries for so long whereas the other Dr's John sees are neurosurgeons or orthopaedic and they don't full understand the spinal cord, so we shall have to wait and see. (Even though it is driving us mad)

We have asked Dr Baker if we can still see him privately after the court case is over and he has said yes, so John feels better as he trusts his opinion. It is him that told us John needed to see a Urologist about AD and low and behold now John has to have self catheterisation, still waiting to see the nurse, but at least he is being seen.

How did you find him, good or bad, as it would be nice to know if we are right in our assumption.

Maria