help with claiming DLA Congital nystagmus

kelly_2009

Hi

My Partner is registered partially blind, he has a condition called Congenital Nystagmus & Hyper-myopia.. Due to this he needs a lot help doing daily task e.g. he cannot go out without a guide.

We are expecting a baby and were told that he might be able to claim DLA due to him having a disability but when we rang up to get the forms for him we were told that he would not be able to claim for it as he can walk and dress himself. He is able to do these things but dose need help with certain things like using zips and buttons. He can walk but if he is left to go out on his own he can get lost very easy and it is not easy for him to let people know where he is as he cannot make out landmarks easy and is unable t cross a road without help as he cannot judge the speed of vehicles or tell if it is a car or bus coming towards him.

He is also not working at the minute due to his company wanting him work out of the area he knows and not beliving that he has this conditon .He has been registered partially blind since he was 1 yr old. We hav been tols that we are unable to claim any benfits as I am able to pay the rent but as I go on materninty leave in 2 weeks this will not be the cases then. I know we can re apply once baby is born but we might have a place to live by then. My company only pays goverment materninty pay.


My question is then is this correct that even thou he is disabled he will not be able to claim DLA because of his condition??
Any Adive welcome

Thank you for taking the time to read my post

veggyboy

HI Kelly, I can't give you a definate answer, but think you should apply anyway as DLA is about the help you need, not whats wrong with you. Its a very long form but you only loose time by filling it in. Hope this helps

Hippygirl

Hi
I suggest you ring DLA today and ask for the forms, as the claim will be backdated to the day you request them.
It may be that your partner is eligible for the lower rates of both care and mobility component. To qualify for lower rate care he will need help with personal care for a minimum of an hour a day or help to prepare a main meal.
To qualify for low rate mobility he will need to require assistance with getting around in unfamiliar places (think about arriving alone in the middle of a strange city and how he would cope)
Look at the RNIB website and http://www.nystagmusnet.org/ for helpful advice and information.

Do you have contact with the visual impairment or sensory services team at your local authority? Thye will be able to offer advice - also on possible aids and adaptations to help in the home or at work.
Good Luck!

Ames

I'm disgusted, but not surprised, that the DLA line told you that. From what you've said he's got a good chance of getting the lower rates. Don't let them put you off! But if you can, get help from a professional with filling in the forms, you've got a much higher chance of success.

kelly_2009

Thank you for your advise have contacted them to send the forms out and arranged for someone to help fill them out but once again was advised that he would not be eligable, told them that we still wanted to apply and see . We have now got to wait till the end of August to get someone to help us with filling out the form due to the waiting list for help.

We are also waiting the outcome of his tribual cases at work to findout if access to work will provide him with any aids that has been recommend by the RNIB
At home he has a few aids just waiting for his full report to come back off the RNIB to see what they think will help him.

mumoftwo

The forms are long and tedious but worth it even if you get the lower rate. Start thinking and writing down all the things your Oh needs help with, even the slightest things, like things you just do and don't think about, like using public transport for example, seeing timetables, or reading the bus number approaching, getting around busy town centres where people bump into you all the time and supermarkets, reading labels etc on medicine packets, washing instructions, clothing lables etc etc, the more details you can provide the better,

You really have to think hard and go through everything, it is easy to miss stuff because you are used to your way of living and adapting but the clue is: what can your Oh not do, or need help with that a fully sighted person can do automatically. Good luck, if you need more help, just ask

kazzah

My question is then is this correct that even thou he is disabled he will not be able to claim DLA because of his condition??
Any Adive welcome

This is a common mistake people make- you do NOT get an award of DLA for having a disability
you get an award of DLA when your disability affects your ability to care for yourself.
So you MUST need help from another person in relation to personal care in order to qualify.
If your partner needed help to wash, dress, cook and eat a meal as well as help with all aspects of his personal care, shaving, grooming etc then he would qualify - if he only needs help to do up zips he is unlikely to meet the criteria for an award.
he might meet the criteria for low rate mobility if he needs someone with him when he goes out- but for PERSONAL CARE he must need help from another person at frequent intervals throughout the day and or night for more than one hour per day

Paparika

i was advised that whilst i was waiting for the forms to write a diary to help me remember everything. don't forget its not what you can do its what you can't do, everyday is your bad day

Ames

For lower rate care you can get it just if you can't prepare and cook a main meal. So presumably he'd have trouble with reading a recipe, reading instructions on food, seeing the info on the cooker, maybe even being able to peel and cut safely would be a problem.

munchings-n-crunchings

The RNIB have some useful information regarding claiming DLA for those with sight problems.

Hope this link is useful.

http://www.rnib.org.uk/xpedio/groups/public/documents/PublicWebsite/public_DLA.hcsp

Regards

Munchie

Hippygirl

Ames wrote: »

For lower rate care you can get it just if you can't prepare and cook a main meal. So presumably he'd have trouble with reading a recipe, reading instructions on food, seeing the info on the cooker, maybe even being able to peel and cut safely would be a problem.

Also think about whether he can read use by dates, see mould or damage on food, see when it is cooked (or more to the point, when it is unsafe because it has not been cooked long enough). You're thinking here about a main meal - i.e. preparing a meal from scratch without any assistance - what exactly might he need help with.