Access to Work - would I be eligible for taxi costs?

sandy_smith_2

Good morning - long time lurker here but haven't posted much.

I've been out of work for around 18 months because I broke my back & damaged my spinal cord last year thus spent around 10 months in hospital and another 6 recuperating at home. I'm now at the stage where I want to get back to some sort of work because not doing anything is just making me depressed.

The problem is though I'm almost fully paralysed below the waist and use a wheelchair+crutches to move around. My house is not yet wheelchair adapted so I cannot go out using my chair (there is no ramp). When I want to go out (for hospital appointments etc) I normally crutch it out to the ambulance and the same at the other end. I can travel about 20-40 metres very very slowly using crutches.

Now that a job has come up (nothing fancy, just call centre work) I'd like to go forward and accept this position but I'm worried how I'll get to and from work. I receive higher rate DLA mobility and lower rate care. + ESA.

The plan is to order a motability car but I've been told this can take up to 16 weeks to arrive so in the meantime would I be eligible for taxi costs at all? It would be 13 miles to this place of work.

And how does the application process work and how quick is it all as potentially I could start at this workplace within a week or two?

Thanks for reading and for any help received.

Savvy_Sue

You might get help from Access to Work, but it can take some time to arrange ...

Also am I right in thinking that the employer gets asked to contribute, or is that just if there are adaptations needed within the workplace? (Not expecting the OP to know, just hoping this moves the answers along ...)

GlasweJen

I get access to work help for taxi costs.

When I first applied I needed my doctor to write a letter saying that I was unable to travel to work independently.

My work was 19 miles away from my home and accessible through public transport so GP wrote that public transport was a bad idea as I black out with no warning, can get confused etc. He also had to declare that I couldn't drive to work, I have never been allowed to hold a drivers licence and access to work wanted the GPs letter plus the DVLA letter outlining that I am ineligable to hold a driving licence as a result of a long term medical condition.

My claim was incorrectly calculated as if I was a driver and I was expected to contribute a 40p per mile (or was is 45p?) until my review where it was changed to the cost of a zone card (public transport cost).

The whole process took over 6 weeks, my notice period for my last work was 4 weeks so the last 2 weeks of that I was deemed a priority.

Now that I have the support I have a pre-booked taxi collect me, take me to work and invoice me once a month. Access to work take ages to process the payments and I'm constantly in arrears, thankfully my taxi company are ok with this within reason. A lot of taxi companies in my area won't take access to work contracts because they are rubbish at paying out.

Hope that helps.

sandy_smith_2

Thanks guys - that was really useful. I figured the process would take several weeks to set up which I suppose isn't unreasonable. I shall still phone them to see what's what but I think it's probably easier for me to go down the motab car route but try and get them to speed things up a bit.

GlasweJen

Even if the taxi support doesn't work out, access to work can put in place some amazing support that you wouldn't even think of.

I have a special chair to transfer to to make working at a desk more easy, it even moves up and down to allow me to measure people (I'm an optician).