Eczema and claiming benefits.

ElasticKorma

Do the DWP regard eczema as a sufficient reason to claim ELA?

Jowo_2

Do you mean ESA or DLA? Are you too sick to work or have significant care needs?

Employment and Support Allowance is a benefit for people who cannot work because of illness or disability - does eczema make you incapable of employment?

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/DisabledPeople/FinancialSupport/esa/index.htm

DLA is designed for those with care (or mobility) needs - does your condition require you to be supervised?

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/DisabledPeople/FinancialSupport/DisabilityLivingAllowance/index.htm

no-oneknowsme

Op , if you are meaning DLA then I can tell you that between the ages of 5 and 17 my Daughter received DLA at midddle rate personal care for eczema.

Now , in all honesty when i say eczema I mean ECZEMA !

Fortunately , although she had been plagued with real bad eczema most of her life , a few months ago her condition dramatically improved (strangely enough just a few weeks after going on the contraceptive pill) and we were able to cancel her claim to DLA.

I wouldnt however say that eczema even at its worst stages would be reason enough to be unable to work .

Yes , its a bad condition to have but it never affected my DD and her ability to go to school/work.

There may well be certain jobs which you cannot do as they will aggrivate your condition but on the other hand there are plenty of suitable occupations.

cit_k

They dont care about the condition itself (in most cases), what they care about is how it affects a person.

For DLA, they look at care and mobililty needs.
For ESA they look to see if the condition means you have a range of problems that would stop you from working.

Indie_Kid

An adult is unlikely to get DLA for eczema alone. They would be expected to be able to apply creams, etc. themselves.

eskimo26

ElasticKorma wrote: »

Do the DWP regard eczema as a sufficient reason to claim ELA?

How debilitating?

If its hurting your mobility then maybe. I know that at its worst eczema can be horrendous. I have eczema that is systematically becoming infected and in turn infecting the rest of my body when i shower, but even that is manageable so i didn't bother with it on my ESA50.

But if the creams and medicines aren't working (yes it happens) and your using them but still left with cracked skin that's very painful when you move then yes.

How bad is it?
Can you write, type etc.

Can you move without your skin tearing or experiencing extreme pain?

What does your specialist say?

I've had my fingers so cracked and swollen before that they wouldn't move but I persevered with the meds. and it cleared up.

You need to ask a benefits adviser. It would have to be an extreme case in my experience.

Indie_Kid

To claim DLA, you need to have care and /or mobility for 3 months and expect them to last for another 6. In my experience, bad eczema generally doesn't last that long.

no-oneknowsme

sh1305 wrote: »

In my experience, bad eczema generally doesn't last that long.

My DD's eczema was horrific for 12 years !

She suffered awful , constant pain and discomfort for 99% of this time.

She attended dermatology consultants on an 8 week basis . She had every lotion , potion , cream and dressing you can possibly imagine. She had also been unable to sleep without the aid of a sleeping tablet every night for the past 5 years or so , up until 6 months ago.

At night , from she was 3 years old she had to use the "wet wrap" technique of sleeping in wet bandages to cool the skin.

In her later years though she was prescribed dermasilk dressings which were a god send.

DD was awarded DLA when she was a child (maybe hitting 3 years old?) and received the award as a child until she was 16 . We then reapplied for her as an adult when she turned 17 and she was awarded middle rate care . After beginning the contraceptive pill at 17 and a half her condition miraculously (sp?) cleared and we were over the moon !

Of course we informed the DLA dept to tell them of the change in circumstances and no longer receive the Dla.

But....my DD is otherwise healthy , no other conditions etc and so i can say beyond a shadow of a doubt that DLA can and does get awarded for eczema alone.

I guess it all depends on the individual though . People have varying degree's of eczema.