Incapacity Benefit Review in Spain

seven-day-weekend

Thanks Max Fischer for your incredibly informative and detailed post!

We now have some more information regarding the Doctor to tell the DWP : we will put this on the IB50 when it comes.

I shall certainly keep your posts for future reference.

Thanks again for the information and for sounding optimistic about the result!

SMC_2

hjb123 wrote:

I disagree with this. I sent in my IB50 and Med 4 form, properly and well in time, got called in for a medical, turned up on time for it and failed it mainly due to the incompetent doctor that carried it out. My own GP was fully backing me, he filled in forms for me and wrote letters - yet I still failed the PCA because it isnt a good assessment for some conditions.

It puts added strain on the person claiming when they even have to go for the medical when they are quite obviously ill, then when they fail the medical it just makes the illness deteriorate with the stress of it all.

I agree with you 100% Helen. I always filled in the IB50 with lots of information, on time and had full backing of my GP. My GP was only once asked by the DWP for information, so if they are not asked how can they prove one way or the other that you don't have your GP's backing.

I am going through the appeal process for the second time now and the stress if making me iller, so the DWP are doing themselves no favours, the more ill I get the longer it will take for me to get better, so the longer I have to claim benefits.

seven-day-weekend

Max, can you tell me please, if my husband does have to have a medical, would it be possible to have one when we are in the UK at the end of September?

Max_Fischer

seven-day-weekend wrote:

Max, can you tell me please, if my husband does have to have a medical, would it be possible to have one when we are in the UK at the end of September?

They would probably prefer that as it would save a lot of money.

But it would probably depend on how quickly the IB50 form gets returned and processed.

It definitely wouldn't do any harm to give dates he would be available to attend a medical in the UK and a contact address, phone numbers etc.

However as it can sometimes take several weeks to arrange a medical so it may not be possible.

Max_Fischer

joemardo1 wrote:

Hi,

I never knew you could get incapacity benefit if you lived abroad. What are the rules on this?

joe

If you've been receiving IB in the UK for at least 26 weeks and you are going to a country within the the EEC or one the UK has a convention or a reciprocal agreement with(see the list at the bottom of this post) then yes you can usually continue to get IB whilst abroad.

If you are leaving the UK for a period of 6 months or less then the office that would normally deal with your claim in the UK would continue to do so whilst you were abroad.

If the period abroad exceeds 6 months or is permanent then your claim would be maintained by our special Overseas branch in Newcastle.

EEC regulations apply within countries which are members of the European Union (EU) and/or the European Economic Area (EEA). From 1 June 2002 the EEC regulations also apply in Switzerland, by virtue of an agreement between Switzerland and the EU.

And these are the countries that are also covered either by a convention or a reciprocal agreement:

Barbados
Bermuda
Canada
Cyprus (for periods prior to 1/5/2004)
Gibraltar
Isle of Man
Israel
Jamaica
Jersey and Guernsey (including Alderney, Herm and Jethou)
Malta (for periods prior to 1/5/2004)
Mauritius
New Zealand
Northern Ireland
Philippines
Switzerland (for periods prior to 1 June 2002)
Turkey
United States of America
Yugoslavia (including the former republics Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Slovenia (for periods prior to 1/5/2004), Macedonia, or the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, (Serbia and Montenegro))

mrsh_2

Max_Fischer wrote:

If you've been receiving IB in the UK for at least 26 weeks and you are going to a country within the the EEC or one the UK has a convention or a reciprocal agreement with(see the list at the bottom of this post) then yes you can usually continue to get IB whilst abroad.

If you are leaving the UK for a period of 6 months or less then the office that would normally deal with your claim in the UK would continue to do so whilst you were abroad.

If the period abroad exceeds 6 months or is permanent then your claim would be maintained by our special Overseas branch in Newcastle.

EEC regulations apply within countries which are members of the European Union (EU) and/or the European Economic Area (EEA). From 1 June 2002 the EEC regulations also apply in Switzerland, by virtue of an agreement between Switzerland and the EU.

And these are the countries that are also covered either by a convention or a reciprocal agreement:

Barbados
Bermuda
Canada
Cyprus (for periods prior to 1/5/2004)
Gibraltar
Isle of Man
Israel
Jamaica
Jersey and Guernsey (including Alderney, Herm and Jethou)
Malta (for periods prior to 1/5/2004)
Mauritius
New Zealand
Northern Ireland
Philippines
Switzerland (for periods prior to 1 June 2002)
Turkey
United States of America
Yugoslavia (including the former republics Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Slovenia (for periods prior to 1/5/2004), Macedonia, or the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, (Serbia and Montenegro))

Max,
Please would you tell me the name of the leaflet that details this, I have been trying to get hold of one for ages, but no-one knows its code number.
Thanks

Max_Fischer

mrsh wrote:

Max,
Please would you tell me the name of the leaflet that details this, I have been trying to get hold of one for ages, but no-one knows its code number.
Thanks

I can do better than that.

Click on the link below and it'll take you straight to the leaflet and you can print it off yourself if you want.

Leaflet GL29 "Going Abroad..."

Most leaflets and forms are now held on the Jobcentre Plus website and DWP websites

www.dwp.gov.uk

www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk

bigmuffins

Hi
a quick question for Max Fischer - I know someone who has ME - would they be able to continue recieving benefit if they went abroad to India? (Has been recommended for homeopathic/ayurvedic treatments and massages).
thanks in advance
cheers

Max_Fischer

bigmuffins wrote:

Hi
a quick question for Max Fischer - I know someone who has ME - would they be able to continue recieving benefit if they went abroad to India? (Has been recommended for homeopathic/ayurvedic treatments and massages).
thanks in advance
cheers

I can't answer your question for sure as you don't say what benefit they're getting or how long they've been receiving it for.

However, if it's Incapacity Benefit and they've been in receipt of it for more than 26 weeks then yes they would get paid if they went to India.

All they have to do is phone up their office preferably a month or two before they are leaving and ask for form BF5 to apply for it.

If you check out the link to leaflet GL29 in my previous post you'll find info about other benefits. Income Support for instance would not be payable.

bigmuffins

Thanks for that - I don't know details but will pass on info so they can find out what are eligible for.
Cheers