Blue Badge

[Petal]

hi all don't know if this is right place for this but here goes.
OH has enhanced mobility PIP but has been refused a blue badge by LA because he apparently does not have enough points!
because he can walk all be it shuffling and not in a wheelchair he does not qualify?! they have sent an assessment form which only asks about distance and speed he can walk, oh and if he is breathless and on painkillers, the LA do not take dementia/memory and balance issues into account, I think it is a discriminatory application,
I see lots of blue badge holders that get out of cars and stroll off down the street, it annoys me that OH needs me to guide him from shop to shop, chemist,ect. and if he has a wander down the street on his own while i am in a queue he can't remember where the car is!
I will be writing a covering letter explaining his problems but feel the blue badge scheme is another hurdle for unseen disabilities to fight for.
Has anyone else had any problems with this sort of thing?

[susieq]

We didn't have any problem getting a Blue Badge for Mum - but then I did 'colour' the application a bit in terms of saying she couldn't walk as far as she actually could (if pushed !), and this was sometime before she finally graduated to a wheelchair.

When applying for anything like this (Attendance Allowance is another one) always use a "worst case" scenario - if he can walk 100 metres unaided, on the form state 50 metres etc.

[Petal]

OH PIP award letter says 10 points for following planning journey and 4 for moving around and LA automatic criteria is 12 for planning OR 8-12 for moving around.
Not added together!
So we have to fill in a discretionary criteria form which wants to know the ins and outs of a ducks arse!
OH condition is one of balance and dementia, aswell as shuffling walking.
the questions ask how far he can walk, how fast and gives examples like length of adult step is approx 1 metre so a double decker bus is 11metres, so how many minutes would it take to walk this?!
the support lady from memory clinic reckons i should go in to council office and get them to fill it in with me telling them what his difficulties are!
So we shall see.

[ladybird]

With respect and total understanding for the OP's predicament regarding obtaining the Blue Badge, can I just raise this point, about seeing people just "stroll off" after leaving their cars?

Just because someone looks ok, they may not be - that might be one of their better days. I'm not sure if those with physical disability are supposed to act a certain way, ie use a wheelchair, or walk with a limp or a stick.. I have a close family member who has been abused for this very reason - because they look fine. I have also been on the receiving end of it with my own daughter, on public transport with her Freedom Pass - bus driver's comment: "Well she don't look very disabled to me", not to mention numerous members of the public over the years.

Having said that, your husbands situation also highlights how difficult it can be to "prove" how much someone is affected by their own disability. I wish you well in getting the Blue Badge, I guess persistence is the key.

[Petal]

Ladybird this is my point exactly, unless you can see a disability others do not understand the difficulties, it is the wording of our LA forms for Blue badge applications, they're only concern is walking distance and speed!
there is no provision on the form for other disabilities, nothing regarding hearing or eyesight issues or issues with memory or confusion!
I will have to request a meeting to explain OH issues for them to judge if he does fit their criteria.
I feel PIP are also at fault as the information that came with his award letter states he is entitled to blue badge because he is on enhanced award for mobility, but LA do not follow suit.
It is both confusing and annoying that all these departments do not stick to the same rules.

[bowlingbun]

I think you should make a formal complaint to the LA. I have an idea about what is happening. In the old days, Mobility Allowance = Automatic entitlement to a Blue Badge. There is someone in the badge issuing section who doesn't understand exactly what PIP is, in some way. If you information from DWP says you are entitled to a Blue Badge, copy it to the department you are dealing with, AND the head of department. Ask them why their rules differ from DWP? Hopefully now you know who your local councillor is, you can involve them too. Maybe there is a county carers group which can help? It's a classic case of jobsworth!!! However, I'm sure it can be sorted relatively easily.

[Petal]

Oh I am sure we carers could keep the new MP's very busy, especially up here in Scotland, SNP had better be up to the job coz there will be alot of very disappointed people around, I hasten to add I am not an SNP voter, and Yes I do think the LA rules do not know their arse from their elbow so to speak when it comes to PIP,

[Floyd_1504]

Hi Petal
You have an automatic entitlement to a Blue Badge because OH gets enhanced rate of PIP and scored 8 points or more on the "moving around" score, your LA has confused the issue because you need to score 12 points for "planning and following journeys" activity and that also applies in Scotland.
Speak to a supervisor.
Madfloyd

[Petal]

yes Floyd OH does get enhanced PIP. BUT OH PIP award letter says 10 points for following planning journey and 4 for moving around and LA automatic criteria is 12 for planning OR 8-12 for moving around.
Not added together!
so he does not have the points level in either criteria! so after all the assessments he has been through i just feel this is one to let go, for now at least.
as the LA does say they can request him to take an assessment test to see how far he walks and his level of pain. Just can't be arsed with all the aggro.
Are all LA eligibilty criteria the same?