What expenses are disability benefits mean to cover?

lil_me · 9 June 2007 at 4:41PM

If you are on Income Support and visiting the UHND then if you contact the finance office within the hospital they usually refund parking charges and travel costs. Tyneside hospitals I believe will refund travel costs, unsure about the parking but milage is definately covered.

I am also a regular patient in both and know patients who manage to claim, unfortunately I am unable to as not a blue badge holder and not on the right benefits but would probably have the same disposable income as someone on benefits, I know this after being on them in the past and better off. Hence my anger at being charged at all. I didn't ask for my illness or the regular appointments and procedures that go with it, but it doesn't make me 'disabled' in the eyes of DLA etc either, so I have to pay.

26 mpg is quite a high usage of fuel, there are many cars offered with nil deposit which have much better fuel economy (I know several entitled to DLA mobility vehicles and people who work as advisors for the garages) it may be worth shopping around when it comes to changing if economy is an issue for you.

Cute_'n'_Quirky · 9 June 2007 at 4:46PM

Unfortunately lil'me life isn't as simple as that.

I have a lot of high level qualifications to my name - which means I have the ability to check things out. Which I did do where the Motability car is concerned.

Unfortunately I have a disabling condition which I have no control over, which necessitates a lot of hospital visits.

I HAVE to have a car which is automatic - I need a left ankle replacement and cannot drive a car with a gearbox any longer.
ALL automatics use more petrol!

I only got the vehicle in December 06. I DID shop around. I have bought dozens of new cars whilst I was able to work - I had a new car every two years.
There are only four models of car which are both automatic and diesel - their fuel consumption is not much better.

I have not claimed petrol for the hospital visits to the UHND myself. I asked at the Job Centre but they were not interested.

lil_me · 9 June 2007 at 4:52PM

I have an automatic and it uses no more fuel than the manual version I had previously. Offers of course at dealerships change all the time, my father has had many different cars because he usually goes with which will offer him the best deal at the time. Daewoo I think offered the better deal most recently. Hyundai Amica was an automatic he was offered with nil deposit which has good fuel economy, 50mpg I believe, just from what springs to mind. Colt is another. Try SG Petch next time you are looking as they offer several makes and models, always worth asking for more aswell as usually deals can be improved with a little haggling.

Anyway, with UHND, you take the appointment card/letter, your parking ticket and proof of benefit to the finance office which is based within the Out Patients department after your appointment (as they can usually pay extra parking if appointment is delayed etc) they do it there and then usually.

Know what you mean with it being necessary to have a lot of hospital visits, I am usually there at least weekly, aswell as the Freeman to see my liver specialist there on a very frequent basis, but like I previously mentioned not entitled to help with transport costs as it is not classed as a 'disability' to have illnesses like damaged pancreas, liver, bowel etc, it's inside rather than outside that is 'broken'.

bestpud · 9 June 2007 at 5:04PM

lil_me wrote: »

Know what you mean with it being necessary to have a lot of hospital visits, I am usually there at least weekly, aswell as the Freeman to see my liver specialist there on a very frequent basis, but like I previously mentioned not entitled to help with transport costs as it is not classed as a 'disability' to have illnesses like damaged pancreas, liver, bowel etc, it's inside rather than outside that is 'broken'.

That's exactly the point I am making. There are many reasons why people have to regularly attend hospital and not all of them will have an illness which qualifies as a disability.

People on low incomes should, and mostly can, claim charges back and rightly so. There are of course, people with blue badges or on DLA who have a high income!

I fail to see how people with disabilities are more entitled than any other regular patient to have free hospital parking. Yet, it is mostly this group who get a mention when people are protesting about charges.

It should of course be free for all, but if that is not practical, then all patients should be free, particularly regular attenders.

lil_me · 9 June 2007 at 5:13PM

Bestpud, don't get me wrong, I have spent many years campaigning for better facilities for disabled, but refuse to have blinkers on when it comes to issues like this

For example UHND has 245 public car parking spaces and 42 public disabled spaces. They offer a huge amount of disabled parking free.

When I was in hospital every week day nearly for almost 2 years I wasn't entitled to any reductions or help in costs for transport or parking at all. No I don't like to remember what this cost in total, this was for both the one in Durham and Freeman so some days the travelling was much further. Refused help because my partner works and my illness isn't classed as a disability because I can still walk etc. This was one of the reasons we got into so much debt.

Sometimes people see the issues for disabled and miss the issues that others have, could call it blinkered I suppose as was pointed out at an access for ALL meeting recently, one member was so pro disabled she was anti everyone else. She stated how large a doorway needed to be (for a wheelchair), but forgot about double pushchairs.

Cute_'n'_Quirky · 9 June 2007 at 5:22PM

lil_me wrote: »

I have an automatic and it uses no more fuel than the manual version I had previously. Offers of course at dealerships change all the time, my father has had many different cars because he usually goes with which will offer him the best deal at the time. Daewoo I think offered the better deal most recently. Hyundai Amica was an automatic he was offered with nil deposit which has good fuel economy, 50mpg I believe, just from what springs to mind. Colt is another. Try SG Petch next time you are looking as they offer several makes and models, always worth asking for more aswell as usually deals can be improved with a little haggling.

Anyway, with UHND, you take the appointment card/letter, your parking ticket and proof of benefit to the finance office which is based within the Out Patients department after your appointment (as they can usually pay extra parking if appointment is delayed etc) they do it there and then usually.

Know what you mean with it being necessary to have a lot of hospital visits, I am usually there at least weekly, aswell as the Freeman to see my liver specialist there on a very frequent basis, but like I previously mentioned not entitled to help with transport costs as it is not classed as a 'disability' to have illnesses like damaged pancreas, liver, bowel etc, it's inside rather than outside that is 'broken'.

I did all of my homework on the Motability website online. I did not, cannot ,nor would not want to traipse round every garage near me!

Steve Petch is another matter - not able to mention here since it would be libellous.

I have the best car available in the automatic range. On paper it does 45 miles to the gallon. In practice it does 27. Simple as that. There is nothing I can do about it.

bestpud · 9 June 2007 at 5:23PM

lil_me wrote: »

Bestpud, don't get me wrong, I have spent many years campaigning for better facilities for disabled, but refuse to have blinkers on when it comes to issues like this

For example UHND has 245 public car parking spaces and 42 public disabled spaces. They offer a huge amount of disabled parking free.

When I was in hospital every week day for almost 2 years I wasn't entitled to any reductions in costs for transport or parking at all.

Sometimes people see the issues for disabled and miss the issues that others have, could call it blinkered I suppose as was pointed out at an access for ALL meeting recently, one member was so pro disabled she was anti everyone else. She stated how large a doorway needed to be for a wheelchair, but forgot about double pushchairs.

Thanks for that lil_me. I'm glad you can see what I mean - I was worried I may not be explaining myself very well!

Of course, many of those with disabilities could easily have had a much higher income than you and be more able to pay for parking.

I obviously realise a disability is not something to envy but neither is any illness which requires regular hospital trips imo.

Cute_'n'_Quirky · 9 June 2007 at 5:28PM

UHND has a lot of Disabled Parking places which you MUST pay for, by the way! The parks within the patient parking section beyond the barrier is pay only!
A lot of people will not be aware that you can reclaim those charges via the office onsite.

ohreally · 10 June 2007 at 12:16AM

Cute_n_Quirky wrote: »

I have a lot of high level qualifications to my name - which means I have the ability to check things out.

The arrogance displayed in that remark is breathtaking...an observation,not an attack.

Cute_n_Quirky wrote: »

I asked at the Job Centre but they were not interested.

Perhaps ones ability to "check things out" would benefit from further development.
Expense reimbursement for hospital visits is not within the remitt of the job centre, this lies with the NHS trust you have been referred to.

Cute_n_Quirky wrote: »

There are only four models of car which are both automatic and diesel

Acording to the Motability website there are 259...http://www.motabilityonline.co.uk/site/current_prices/priceList/priceListDLAByVehicleDetails.jsp?formContextKey=&searchVehicleCategory=&searchManufacturer=&searchBodyDoors=&searchBodyType=&searchTransmissionType=Automatic&searchFuelType=Diesel++++&searchEngineSize=&searchAdvancePayment=&userAction=Search&userAction=criteriaChange
- unless you are choosing to limit your choice.

Regards.

Hapless_2 · 10 June 2007 at 9:56AM

Cute_n_Quirky wrote: »

Folks here come out with these statements about how well off we are having a Motability car, etc and haven't got a clue what they are talking about.

There are also the times when you have to travel 200-300 miles each way (that takes a huge chunk out of your mileage allowance)
to see specialists sometimes several times a year, and sometimes stay overnight where there is not any facilities at the hospital for relatives to stay, then there is the cost of a B & B or similar. The advance payment is not a deposit, you don't get it back. If you have an accident then it is doubtful you will get a courtesy car with adaptions or an MPV if you use one of those. Adaptions are also not always covered by the motability insurance policy. There is no "no claims bonus" with the insurance policy either. Also if you have a bad accident there is no guarantee they will allow you another car, even to replace the one you had. We had to go for a car with slightly less space than we needed because the difference between a Touran and a Sharan advance payment was £4,000!

What expenses are disability benefits mean to cover?

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