Industrial Injury Disablement Benefit (IIDB) Medical - how long for a decision?

Clairebear36_2

Hello everyone,

I hope I am posting this in the right place as I am a newbie.

I had an accident at work before Christmas when I slipped on water and damaged my knee. Initially it appeared it be muscle and ligament damage but it now looks like the cartilage is tore and I will most likely need surgery. I have had an MRI scan but am still waiting the results. I have an appointment to see an orthopaedic surgeon at the end of this month.

I have been off work since the accident and at the time was advised by someone from my union that I should apply for IIDB as soon as possible so that I would get everything I was entitled to. I was a bit hesitant about this at first due to receiving sick pay and because I knew that in the grand scheme of things my accident wasn't as serious compared to what some other people endure. Also, I wasn't sure if my injury would be a short term problem or lead to longer term issues. After some thought, I decided to apply. I reckoned that if I wasn't entitled to it then that would be decided at the medical and by DWP staff. The main reason that I decided to go ahead was in case my injury led to more serious problems in the future and I would perhaps need to be reassessed at a further time.

Anyway, I was assessed as suffering from an industrial accident and attended a medical today. The doctor was very nice and made me feel at ease. He seemed to be genuinely interested in my injury and concurred with all the assessments that I have had by my own GP, physio and orthopaedic physio to date. He intimated at the end of the assessment that DWP assessors may contact the orthopaedic surgeon once I have seen him at the end of the month to find out the outcome and then make a decision.

I just wondered what experiences other people have had and how long it usually takes for a decision. I also wanted to know, if you are entitled to the benefit, do they put a time frame on how long you receive it and how often do you attend follow-up Medicals?

pamb01

Hi. Also a newbie.

I've also been wondering the same as I had my medical last week. I was awarded it in 2013 but can't remember howling it took, but was told to expect to wait up to 8 weeks. I was granted iidb for 1 year before reassessment, again because my condition could have got better by then after an operation. Alas it hasn't. Apparently iidb is notoriously hard to get, so good luck. Also, if your knee is giving you that much pain then maybe look at applying for pip?

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