What expenses are disability benefits mean to cover?

Mistyang

I work at the local hospital and at present it is free parking for disabled badge holders, others abusing the disabled spots receive a parking fine notice from the Parking attendant.

As members of staff if we want to park in the hospital grounds we have £14 a month deducted from our wages...no perks of the jobs for us NHS staff!!!!!

bestpud

Tell me about it!

My OH works at the hospital I'm talking about - for a private company though, so none of the sick pay etc NHS staff get for doing the same job in other hospitals.

They have to pay if they want to park too, as do the NHS staff that work there of course. £60 somet a year for a non-guaranteed space and they aren't allowed to park in the public spaces at all. They have very few staff spaces and a good number of them belong to the powers that be!

He rides a bike to work but can't even take the car on the odd day (say when he has to go to the dentist or the like after work) and pay a fortune for the pay and display - he could be disciplined for that 'offence'.

Bestpud

[Deleted User]

bonnie wrote: »

Yes it is, i use my daughters for this reason and also to cover extra help in maths and english, which is £116 a month for a tutor.We have to go to hospitals in london and chelmsford regular and have to pay the congestion charge and parking which can be £20 a time, she has at least one appointment a week and has to stay overnight next month and has an operation in july which could be a weeks parking plus the food whilst we are in there etc.

I have a Blue Disability Badge, and if you go on the Congestion charge site and fill in the form you can get exemption from the London Congestion Charge. The exemption lasts for three years and then you have to renew it .When I got mine it cost me nothing but the cost of a stamp and a photo copy of my Blue Badge .I can also put my DD's car on my exemption if for any reason I cannot drive up to London for a hospital appointment and she has to drive me in her car
I have a Motobility car paid for with my Higher Rate Motobility, and also get exemption from the Dartford Toll tunnel.

klondyke

JackieO wrote: »

I have a Blue Disability Badge, and if you go on the Congestion charge site and fill in the form you can get exemption from the London Congestion Charge. The exemption lasts for three years and then you have to renew it .When I got mine it cost me nothing but the cost of a stamp and a photo copy of my Blue Badge .I can also put my DD's car on my exemption if for any reason I cannot drive up to London for a hospital appointment and she has to drive me in her car
I have a Motobility car paid for with my Higher Rate Motobility, and also get exemption from the Dartford Toll tunnel.

Currently it costs £10 to register for exemption from London congestion charge if you have a blue badge - well worth it!

sophers

As a disabled blue badge holder i would like to say that i do not agree with blue badge holders having to pay to park, also i get very annoyed (being 29 yrs old) at the amount of nasty gestures and looks i get for parking in disabled bays, some people take it upon themselves to assume that just because i am young and have 2 young children that i am not disabled, well i wish people werent so quick to judge, i didnt ask for my illness, which is MS (Multiple sclerosis), and i certainly wish i didnt have it, but as i have been unfortunate enough to suffer from this disabling disease i must say i agree that disabled people should NOT have to pay for parking!

sorry if this sounds like im having a go, im not, i just get very hurt when people shout at me saying "why are you parked there, your not disabled" well im sorry to say i am. im not proud of it but im not ashamed of it either, its something i have to face everyday.

if there is anyone on here who has ever been judgemental and assumed that because someone seems to be walking fine, please spare a minute to think that maybe on the inside that person actually feels really poorly and scared of being shouted at. I am literally "sick" and "tired" of being put into a category that disabled people must be old people.

I needed to say my piece, im sorry if i offended anyone and i empathise with all the disabled out there!

I will pray for us all.

thankyou :A

sophers xxx

Idiophreak

I have to say, I really don't see why the disabled shouldn't be expected to pay like everyone else...If they're parking/going into london to see a doctor, etc, then I don't think they should have to pay - but then I don't think anyone else should, either. Little perks like this just encourage people to abuse the system as far as I can see.

sophers

Idiophreak wrote: »

I have to say, I really don't see why the disabled shouldn't be expected to pay like everyone else...If they're parking/going into london to see a doctor, etc, then I don't think they should have to pay - but then I don't think anyone else should, either. Little perks like this just encourage people to abuse the system as far as I can see.

I dont see being disabled as being a "little perk"

sophers

sophers wrote: »

I dont see being disabled as being a "little perk"

but in all fairness i can see that a lot of people abuse the use of a blue badge, ie when they havent got a disabled person in the car or they claim fraudulently,and in hindsight i can see that this doesnt help matters.

sorry if i jumped down your throat idiophreak, perks are certainly not part of being disabled, but perks are certainly there for people who wrongly claim things they are not entitled to, and yes i do agree that no one should have to pay for hospital parking!

sophers x

sarahlouise210

I currently have to go to hospital 3 times per week - I do receive DLA but not at the higher rate so I am unable to get a blue badge (I am not allowed to drive anyway but do have to be taken and accompanied) - it is costing £15 per week to park - there is nowhere near the hospital to park as it is all double yellow lines-parked on by disabled badge holders! We have tried taking the bus but the journey takes 1 hour 40 minutes by bus as it goes all around the houses. I do not think that disabled people should get free parking - I think everyone going to a hospital appointment should get free parking! To stop abuse parking permits to cover that day could be posted with appointment letters.

Cumbrian_Male

My wife is on IVB and DLA but hasn't got a blue badge.

I don't think hospitals should charge for parking full stop but that is another thread.

Right now to add my 2p

I feel that parking charges should only be reclaimable for those on IS as it is a means tested benefit. Those with the lowest subsistence income. DLA is not means tested, if you qualify you get it and can claim and work even.

Given your own logic DLA is to cover these extra expenses, IE you use your DLA to pay the charge so you are NOT disadvantaged, those on IS have the legal minimum to live on so therefore can claim the extra expense back.

If you don't visit hospital you still get the DLA, do you give it back if you don't use it?

Why should anyone with a disability or blue badge automatically get free parking? I don't agree that they should. Yes have reserved parking that is nearer the entrance etc. but pay for using the facilities like everyone else, or use the ambulance transport scheme.

Those are my thoughts anyway, don't know if they are right or wrong.