Guillian Barre Syndrome Benifits

joy.baguley

Not sure where to start. I have always worked full time ever since I left home at 18. I am now 61 and did work full time as a bank healthcare worker in a Hospital, with a signed contract of zero hours. I became Hospitalised on 30th June 2015 and was diagnosed with Guillian Barre Syndrome, which means it is going to be months before I can walk properly again, let alone drive or work again. As I have never claimed sick pay in my life I had to find out what to do. As a bank worker I can only claim basic government sick pay. Does anybody out there know if there is anything else I can claim for? Somebody did say I might be able to claim some sort of incapacity benefit and/or a disability badge so that people can take me in their cars to appointments etc. and they can park in disabled spaces to help me when shopping. I am in a wheelchair at the moment and allowed to walk short distances with help on crutches. Don't know where to turn for help.

northerntwo1

A lot depends on your future needs. Things like PIP and blue badges are not given for short term use, I have been unable to walk for a while and do not get a badge as it's based on long term.

Do you have a partner who works at all? If not you may get some help with housing or council tax.

merlin68

You can claim esa with a fit note. If you paid ni in the relevant tax years. For pip you have to have had condition for 3 months and expect it to last a further 9 months.
Blue badge you get from the council if you haven't got a pip award, but you have to have an assessment.
You dont say if you have a partner who works or not. As if you havent got a partner who works you can get income based esa.

joy.baguley

No I haven't got a partner. I live in a friends house. There are four of us live there and I pay a quarter of all the bills each month. The other three people are related and co-own the house in partnership.

joy.baguley

I an single and live in a friends house. I contribute to a quarter of the bills every month as there are four of us. The other three are related and co-own the house.

pmlindyloo

No, you can't claim ESA whilst you are receiving SSP.

Have you been claiming working tax credits? What was your salary for 2014/2015 and how many hrs did you work on average?

From what you say you seem to be a lodger. Do you pay rent? If you do then you can ask your landlords (your friends) for a lodger's agreement or a letter saying that you are lodging in their house and charging £*** and you would be eligible for the shared accommodation rate of local housing housing allowance. (You can look up the rate on your local council website)

Once your SSP ends then you can claim ESA if you need to.

It might be worthwhile asking adult social services/Red Cross for some aids if you are having any difficulties around the home (am thinking raised loo seat/trolley etc)

Tigsteroonie

merlin68 wrote: »

You can claim esa with a fit note. If you paid ni in the relevant tax years. For pip you have to have had condition for 3 months and expect it to last a further 9 months.
Blue badge you get from the council if you haven't got a pip award, but you have to have an assessment..

I had a good friend and colleague who was hospitalised with Guillain Barre. It took him well over a year to walk again, and I believe he still has not made a full recovery. So yes, the condition can last quite a long time and a PIP application is worthwhile.

nannytone_2

as has been said, you would need a lodgers agreement to claim for housing costs, but from what you have said you don't pay rent anyway but pay your share of the bills.
this would not be considered a housing cost.
it may be worthwhile looking at PIP, but you wouldn't be eligible until you have had your care/mobility issues for 3 months.
i would be worthwhile talking to your doctors to see if they have any idea of your current prognosis which may assist your claim

Mojisola

joy.baguley wrote: »

No I haven't got a partner. I live in a friends house. There are four of us live there and I pay a quarter of all the bills each month. The other three people are related and co-own the house in partnership.

Could you change this and become an official lodger for the same money?

Under the Rent-a-Room scheme, the owners wouldn't be liable for any tax.

soolin

Tigsteroonie wrote: »

I had a good friend and colleague who was hospitalised with Guillain Barre. It took him well over a year to walk again, and I believe he still has not made a full recovery. So yes, the condition can last quite a long time and a PIP application is worthwhile.

I had GBS in 1993, had a complete collapse ended up in ITU in a coma as my lungs stopped working and I had to go on a machine. Was given a whole load of doom and gloom by certain people , my consultant actually asked the lady from the GBS society to leave my hospital room as he disagreed with the idea that I should just give up and consider myself disabled.

Left hospital after 3 weeks on my own two, very unsteady, feet. Had help from my MIL for a few weeks after that as I had three children under 4 years old. Was back at work after 4 months and never looked back, so whilst I can't help with benefits I would just say keep positive, you will always get the people who want you to give up- but you know yourself better than they do . It is a terrifying ghastly condition but it isn't necessarily something that will incapacitate you for too long. One last thing to consider is that GPs take a text book approach to this and just expect a patient to give up - if your GP just considers you as a person who is now disabled, change them - get a GP that has experience of GBS and has actually seen it themselves.