Benefits

[Bazinga89]

Hello all.

I was just wondering what support you can get from goverment as diagnosted with cirrhosis?

I tried to contact Universal Credit but they didnt give me support as my partner works full time.

Special diet eats a lot of money that I don't have and I wonder what support is possible to get?

Thanks

[AyrshireK]

Personal Independence Payment may be a possible as it is not means tested and is for the very purpose of supporting you with the additional costs that having a disability/long term conditions brings.

Citizen's Advice might help you claim or I always use the Benefits and Work website to help me with claims and form filling.

Katie

[Bazinga89 in reply to AyrshireK]

Thank you. Is any other than PIP or just that I can claim? Idk if cirrhisis is taken as disability maybe some support from that point.mm

[AyrshireK in reply to Bazinga89]

My husband gets PIP - Enhanced Daily Living and Basic Rate Mobility. Based on his cirrhosis symptoms and the difficulties he has day to day with various 'descriptors' as they call them on the 'How you disability affects you' form - he has mild HE and struggles with fatigue, concentration, comprehension, communicating etc. etc.

If you have a look at the Benefits and Work site and join for access to their member only guides it actually shows you how to fill in the form step by step to enable you to describe your struggles for each descriptor. You must also provide medical evidence in support of your claim - maybe your consultant would write a letter of support for you. In our case I write to hubbies consultant, explain we are applying/renewing his PIP - explain what we think he scores in each descriptor and why and she then writes a letter saying due to his blah, blah, blah Mr * struggles with blah, blah, blah and needs the assistance of Mrs * in these issues.

Cirrhosis as a long term health condition absolutely does fall into the category as a disability. The PIP page on .gov says:-

"What PIP is for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) can help with extra living costs if you have both:

a long-term physical or mental health condition or disability

difficulty doing certain everyday tasks or getting around because of your condition

You can get PIP even if you’re working, have savings or are getting most other benefits."

[AyrshireK]

An appointment with CAB would be worthwhile as they can explore what other help you can get too.

With PIP it's not the diagnosis that counts but how that affects you day to day.

Katie

[Hidden]

I am not aware of any benefits that are available. My husband and I are both retired and I didn’t get any benefits when I had cirrhosis nor since I have had a transplant.

[AyrshireK in reply to Hidden]

You may have been eligible for incapacity benefit or other things. In the case of PIP if you are on it before you reach pension age then it continues after you start to receive state pension.

Citizens Advice Bureau are good for letting people know what they might be able to claim, we also got advice from our local council's Welfare Rights Team now renamed Income Maximisation team (one of their advisors came along to a BLT support group meeting we attended a couple of years back and advised that as my hubby was in receipt of PIP I was eligible with the caring I was doing to claim Carers Allowance).

In all since hubbies diagnosis of cirrhosis we've managed to claim Employment and Support Allowance with hubby being placed in the Support Group - ESA opened up access to Housing and Council Tax Benefit and the ability to get re-imbursed for hospital travel costs - including o/n accomodation when having early appointments away from home.

Hubby gets PIP (Enhanced Daily Living & Basic Rate Mobility) & then I got to claim Carers Allowance.

Neither of us have been benefits claimants before so it was a bit of a research mission to see what we might be eligble for in the way of support but there certainly is help available - some is means tested and all the disability ones can be gruelling with all the stress etc.

Katie

[Hidden in reply to AyrshireK]

Thankyou Katie

[Roy1955]

If symptoms are impacting your daily life you might qualify for pip.But simply having a diagnosis of cirrhosis does not entitle you to anything.