am i entitled to any benefits

[bambisoloved]

hello everyone

can you tell me if i am entitled to any other benefits ?

i live on a small private pension - i retired early i am 53
i already get full housing and council tax benefit
i am unable to work due to restless leg syndrome
i have had it for as long as i can remember but it had got worse the last 5 years after trying many differant drugs i am on one drug that helps a little but i suffer from many sideffects like restlessness, insomnia, wait gain.
the insomnia is now becoming a distressing problem my concentration and short term memory is getting worse
my gp refered me to a local consultant to check i didnt have sleep apnoea and i had to wear a contraption all night to monitor breathing upright and lying down position etc - the results were that i didnt have sleep apnoea but recorded that i was upright 15 times over a 11 hr period. a 2 week sleep dairy i did showed that i get 2-3 hours sleep over a 24 hour period usually in short naps on the sofa i dont bother going to bed now
my gp has now refered me to a neurology dept and i have an appointment at the end of this month
i was wondering if you think i am entitled to any thing else
i have gone on a few information websites and done an online self assesment but they say i am not entitled to anything else
i would value your opinion

bambisoloved

[enaid]

Re: am i entitled to any benefits

Hi,
Have a read of the info on here Benefits for people who are sick or disabled
If you are entitled to anything else apart from Housing/Council Tax I would think it will be one because of your illness.

[bambisoloved]

Re: am i entitled to any benefits

dear enaid

thank you for that

i will have a good look

bambisoloved

[bambisoloved]

Re: am i entitled to any benefits

dear enaid

i have had i look and i think i could apply for esa
do you know of any organisation that can help me fill out the form
it looks complecated and because of the nature of my illness - concentration/memory problems i may need someone to help me navigate the form and all the rules to apply

i dont have any faith in the benefit agency helping me


bambisoloved

[di30]

Re: am i entitled to any benefits

Hi there

Below takes you to the link of disability organisations, hopefully there will be some links to local centre's that may help you to complete benefit forms too.

http://www.scope.org.uk/help-and-inf...-organisations


http://www.disabilityrightsuk.org/claiming.htm


http://www.disabilityrightsuk.org/advicelinks.htm

[Bill-K]

Re: am i entitled to any benefits

Just a thought - I wonder if Disability Living Allowance would be worth applying for:

Disability Living Allowance - eligibility : Directgov - Money, tax and benefits

[SpringerSpaniel]

Re: am i entitled to any benefits

There is a site, Turn to Us which has a guide to help you may be eligible for, both state benefits and help from benevolent funds and charities:


Turn2us - to access benefits and grants

[Mrs James]

Re: am i entitled to any benefits

dear enaid

i have had i look and i think i could apply for esa
do you know of any organisation that can help me fill out the form
it looks complecated and because of the nature of my illness - concentration/memory problems i may need someone to help me navigate the form and all the rules to apply

i dont have any faith in the benefit agency helping me


bambisoloved

To add to the link SpringerSpaniel provided for you, they do help in filling out forms.
Help filling in benefits forms

[SpringerSpaniel]

Re: am i entitled to any benefits

Sometimes there is an independent Disabilty Advice centre, some of them are part of DIAL, they can often give both advice and help with forms.

If you need help with things like this, it could mean that you qualify for DLA due to the impact of your health problems on day to day life.

You can get ESA for a year of you've paid enough NI contributions; otherwise it's means tested and whether you qualified would depend on how much your pension is. If you live with a partner their income and savings are also taken into account.

[bambisoloved]

Re: am i entitled to any benefits

thank you all for this info

i will go through all the links you have given me

suffering from insomnia gives you lots of time however

i am slow because although i am awake i am dog tired

i will let you know how i get on

thank you again


bambisoloved