i am claiming the smallest amount of disability for the loss of a finger and the partial disability of another.

[julie49]

ive had RA now for over 4 yrs and some times i have really bad wrists that feel like theyre sprained and my fingers really hurt,so too do my legs,i get out of breath when climbing stairs as at work we have quite a few of them,i have to wear my hand splints for my wrist and fingers but can only wear them for so long,i have trouble some times with the steering when i,m trying to turn the wheel on my car and its difficult with a hand splint on to drive safely,ive been on the embrel injection for 18 months and its very good for the inflamation and some of the pain but i,m tired a lot of the time and some days i have to go to bed when i come in from work,i cant lift things like i could do and a couple of months ago nearly scolded myself at work when i dropped the t pot good job it fell on a trolly and only splashed me,ive had to go on iron tablets because of my heamaglobin being low,i only work 30 hours now,and thats a struggle for me,can you also tell me if you can still work if you get the second amount of disability....thankyou

[Beth58]

Hi

Not sure what you mean by second amount of disability... DLA is paid at different rates and is a non means tested benefit, meaning you can work and still claim this also, if claiming other benefits it's not taken into account as income.

However, if you claim the care component it's hard to prove you need that level of care if your working!

Hope this answers you question.

Beth xx

[julie49]

i dont claim the care component,and by secondary, i meant there 3 stages of dissability i have the first one but wondered if i was ill enough to get the second stage and still work....

[Beth58]

So if you don't get the care component, you must get the lower rate of DLA (Disability Living Allowance) mobility component?

When working I claimed DLA high rate mobility and low care. So yes you can work and claim this benefit. It really depends on the level of help/support you need.

You can ask for a review at any time, especially if your condition has got worse. However, a word of caution:

If you contact DWP and request a review of your claim, they'll send you new DLA forms to fill in and as with any review of benefit it can go against you, potentially they can withdraw what benefit you already get..

If you do go down the path of a review I'd advise you to contact your local welfare rights or CAB to support you with this.

Hope this answers your question.

Beth xx

[julie49 in reply to Beth58]

thanks for the help....

[RichC]

Have a look at direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAn... . This gives a breakdown of the eligibility criteria .

It looks like you are on the care element Lower rate as that is the element that has 3 tiers to it . The criteria fort he next tier up(middle rate care ) is stated on the site above , and means that you would have care needs throughout the day .

As Beth states this is hard to prove if you are able to work .

The criteria for the other element , the mobility element, is also on the website above .

It is risky , in this current climate to ask for a reassessment as you could find you lose the lower rate .

It is possible that you could call your Adult Social Services for a needs assessment which might help you with issues around the home , and in some cases adaptations to your car.

It is also possible to to get help through access to work , for adaptations to your workplace see all the detail here : direct.gov.uk/en/DisabledPe...

Bear in mind , as well , that when DLA changes to PIP , this will probably set the bar even higher with regard to being able to get extra payments for Disability , as it is planned that 500,000 people will be removed from claiming disability benefits.

Rich

[julie49 in reply to RichC]

thanks for the help.....