How long can disability benefits be awarded for?

elsien

This question is purely to satisfy my curiosity, and is not intended to start an argument or have a go as I've had depression myself so I know what it's like.

I have a relative who supposedly has PTSD/depression after a brief stint in the army. I'm a tad sceptical as he went awol after less than a year (said it was boring being in stores), never having actually made it anywhere near a combat zone, and he's been a skiving so-and so for most of his life. He has no physical disability/ health issue at all.
His mum (who he lives with rent free) says he's told her that he's been awarded his disability benefits for the next 10 years. Even giving him the benefit of the doubt that he's genuinely ill, surely in his early twenties, no-one can possibly say that he's going to be ill enough to qualify for these benefits for the next ten years without assessment?

dane-katie

I got mine awarded for 5 years, HRC and LRM but i have bipolar disorder which i have had since i was 16 and i am now 25 (only just got DLA this year too) and i am going to have bipolar to the day i die, so im guessing thats why i am getting it for so long.

elsien

So as my relative had no mental health problems before going into the army, and none for 18 months after coming out until required to start job hunting ( me being cynical, sorry) it would be quite unusual to get a 10 year award?
He's been "ill" for maybe a couple of years, but has never needed to be in hospital or be sectioned at all, and his mental health worker has apparently decided that he doesn't need to see anyone for at least 3 months.

jennie-jack

its really hard to know how a illness effects a person or what they have said in a claim. im not saying you cant scam them but from going through applying it was an awful and long process to get any disability benifits and it is quite possible for a long term claim.

could it be a medical pension payment type thing from the army?

i have a physical disability but im 28 and has an indefinate award. so it is possible so young.

savemoney

Daughter only for 2 years even though she will have her condition for life and unfortunately will get worse with age

SingleSue

Youngest son, after several different awards for 2 years, 18 months etc, he finally got his award at age 10 to take him through to age 16.

Lifelong conditions.....

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

elsien wrote: »

So as my relative had no mental health problems before going into the army, and none for 18 months after coming out until required to start job hunting ( me being cynical, sorry) it would be quite unusual to get a 10 year award?
He's been "ill" for maybe a couple of years, but has never needed to be in hospital or be sectioned at all, and his mental health worker has apparently decided that he doesn't need to see anyone for at least 3 months.

Presumably he was fairly young - many mental health conditions only come out under stress/just out of teens

People often only get diagnoses when they cannot hide it/cope without help any more, such as when he went AWOL - perhaps he was assessed then? I was under the impression that desertion carried a custodial sentence unless there was such a circumstance as mental illness.

You don't have to be sectioned to be ill - there are very specific provisions within the law for when a section is legally and medically appropriate.

Mental Health Services don't tend to insist that they see everyone every five minutes - sometimes they will see someone every three months, sometimes monthly, sometimes six monthly, sometimes yearly and, if they have good insight, they are told to get back in touch if they can tell they're getting more ill. Having a mental health worker suggests that he has ongoing issues, as an allocation is not an automatic thing.

You may not believe him. It doesn't mean that he isn't suffering from a severe mental illness, some of which can often have such behaviours as making rash decisions, getting bored and going AWOL.

Unless you are privy to all the medical information the pysch. and disability people are, you can't say there is nothing wrong with him. Moreover, many serious mental health conditions are lifelong and lifelimiting.

He could also still be trying to overcompensate for having a condition which some of the papers would use to categorise him as a maniac or nut - making out he's a lazy scrounger may be preferable to how he really feels about his condition, which may not be depression/PTSD but something carrying more of a social stigma.

Until such point as someone announces they have found a cure for schizophrenia, bipolar affective disorder, disassociative personality disorder and a host of other disorders (when they would receive the Nobel Prize), there will be people with an illness which may vary in severity but will be with them for the rest of their lives.

Sorry I can't confirm your suspicions about him. But the work that would be involved in convincing the Army, countless psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses, social workers, job centre staff, Atos Medical, the GP and everyone else, makes it a bit of a stretch.

Invasion

A specific award of 10 years seems unlikely, the nearest you'd get to that would be indefinite, as mental health issues vary SO hugely from person to person. For example, I know some people who have had mental breakdowns, been sectioned, and back to being able to live normally maybe just a year or two after. Whereas my dad, who had a mental breakdown 13 years ago, wasn't sectioned (mum managed to look after him) still can't live normally now not to the point where he'd be entitled to benefits, but he could never go back to the kind of job he had before and needs huge amounts of reassurance and mental "looking after".

With regards to the MHT, the one in in our area is hugely over stretched, despite my dad sharing that he was suicidal- and he's made attempts before- they still only scheduled an appt. for 3 months later, we knew this wasn't good, and a month or so later he disappeared for the day and came back in a very bad place, having spent the day intending to kill himself... We now have a crisis team in place. Can you see what I mean? Going from appts 3 months apart to having a crisis team, someone we can call if we think something's going to happen, him seeing someone every week, and another person every other week, shows how badly wrong they got it...

People can come out of the army and end up with mental health issues after not being on the front line, sometimes out of guilt that it WASN'T them out there, or for so many other reasons.

Mental health issues vary so much it's really impossible to judge.

SingleSue

So true invasion - I had a breakdown in early 2005 (I also had PND 3 times before, milder depression several times etc), only came off medication early 2009 and although better than I was, I don't think I will ever be the same as I was before. I still occasionally get the 'dark' thoughts but have found my own ways of coping with them when they do come as I really don't want to go back to the doctors and be stuck on pills again (I'm a stubborn begger).

It didn't come to being sectioned (got pretty darn close though, it was threatened if I didn't take the tablets) and there was no crisis team involved..in fact, save for the appointments with my GP, begger all else happened for the next 4 years!

I know I am not the same person I was, I am more reclusive than I used to be, more wobbly and I know the tendency will be with me for the rest of my life.

nogginthenog

I have got my DLA for indefinitly after a medical examination, and i got my IB for 5 years with a apology letter from the Decision Maker that they are not allowed to give give me any longer.

cit_k

jennie-jack wrote: »

i have a physical disability but im 28 and has an indefinate award. so it is possible so young.

Indefinate is not permanent, it literally just means an undermined amount of time, and will be up to legislation+decision makers+medical services when you are next assessed.

Assessment could be on paper, with you being unaware, ie medical services / doctor / decision maker corresponding between themselves, or it could be they do that and call you in for a medical.

I have had an indefinate award before, because my depression was very severe at the time, however I was still called in for another medical after time, I questioned this as I thought indefinate meant exempt, but they explained it does not, its simply no set time for the next assessment.