Incapacity Benefit and Form BF5

Amber99_2

Hi everyone,

We are new to the forum and would just like to say how nice is to read so many people helping each other out.

Not sure if anyone will have come across this BF5 form, but, well you never know.

We wrote to the DWP to let them know we were going abroad for some time for treatment, and now some 18 months later they have sent us this BF5 form to fill in. Its basically about claiming your IB benefit whilst abroad.

It asks about the doctors and the treatment you are recieving and whether they can contact the doctor or not.

Now the problem we have, is that we have only ever had private appointments with the specialists after an initial visit to the hospital. This is common practice and we have never had receipt and so, the doctors are reluctant to have their names placed on this form for their own tax reasons. These private appointments cut out waiting lists and are quite reasonably priced.

The letter states that to continue to receive IB you have to be receiving treatment and they ask if they can contact the doctor.

Has anyone else had any experience of this, or even any advice, as we are a bit stuck with what to write!

Many thanks,

Amber.

Oldernotwiser

Surely you don't need the doctors' permission to put their names on a form and presumably if someone writes to them they won't deny having treated you? What country are you talking about?