Disability benefits

Other key policy areas / campaigns

DISABILITY BENEFITS

Many people are not aware of the benefits that they are entitled to. Anne Main MP tried to introduce a Private Members Bill in the House of Commons that addressed this issue by allowing medical practitioners to tell patients about the benefits they are entitled to. However, thought needs to be given to the fact that medical practitioners do not want to move away from their prime function of being a health professional. It is important to strike the right balance between being a health professional and a benefit advisor.

Macmillan Cancer Research has estimated that more than £100 million over a six-month period went unclaimed by people with cancer. Also three quarters of patients were given no information on financial benefits by the NHS or anyone else.

We carried out a survey that revealed that people with MND often don’t get the benefits they are entitled to. 60% of people with MND didn’t know about the benefits that they were entitled to.

• The questionnaire was completed by 400 people with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) in May 2003
• 51% of people with MND received help to fill in the claim form. Many found the form long and confusing
• 43% claimed under Special Rules, the fast-track route. This is a significant increase on the 2001 survey figure (29%)
• 22% received an assessment visit from an assessment doctor. Some reported negative experiences of the visit – “The doctor who made the visit did not even know what MND was and was quite rude at times” and another was “made to feel mentally retarded”
• 45% of people had to wait more than a month for the assessment visit
• Overall, one in eight (13%) of people with MND waited more than 3 months to receive their benefit
• Nearly one on five (19%) of people who had applied under ‘normal’ rules (rather than the fast-track ‘special rules’) waited more than three months to receive their benefit
• 8% of people with MND reported being turned down for DLA/AA. 82% of people challenged the decision and 80% were successful in their challenge.

Since the Association carried out the survey, we acknowledge that the Government has made a number of improvements to the benefits process.