Hi Chris,
I agree the benefits system is very complicated and confusing. I am no expert, but having worked in social care do have some understanding of DLA. First of all, it is a non means tested benefit, i.e. it is independent of a person's income or ability to work or not, and focuses on the person's care and mobility needs. In order to qualify a person must have had the condition for at least 3 months and have care and, or, mobility needs. There are 3 levels for care:low, middle and high, but only 2 levels for mobility, low and high.
I use a site called Benefits and Work
http://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/, it costs £15.00 a year to join, however there is a lot of free information available on the site. If you e-mail me, I will send you a guide to completing the DLA form.
Have you had an Access to Work Assessment? The assessment focuses on helping disabled people in work and under the Disability Discrimination Act your Employer is duty bound to make reasonable adjustments to your place of work to enable you to continue in employment. I was also wondering whether you've had an assessment by an Occupational Therapist (OT)? After my assessment, I received a number of useful gadgets to help in the kitchen (bottle and jar openers) and bath board for my personal care; I was also given useful tips on how to conserve energy. The best way to go about getting an assessment is to ask you GP to refer you to your local OT service, this is usually provided by Social services or Health.
Hope this helps,
love,
Barbara
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