Claiming benefits for RLS

[Bettyboop45]

Hi

I had rls for 15 years now, and some days I'm so tired of it all, as working and coping with it all, has anyone successfully claimed any benefits for this condition 🤔, I'm on neuro patch 2mg and gabapentin to help me . Thanks for any advice .

[Joolsg]

This government is cracking down on all PIP claims so I would imagine it would be very difficult to claim for RLS. It’s outrageous because it is more debilitating than many other disabilities. If you have a sympathetic GP or neurologist you might be able to put a successful case together. The PIP system awards points for things like ‘ Can you raise your arm above your head’ - so severe sleep disturbances aren’t even mentioned. It’s a very restrictive benefit and it needs a complete overhaul.

[Bettyboop45 in reply to Joolsg]

Thank you , its awful trying to get some help regarding benefits when they cant actually see your illness and knowing how it feels to have it. I know nothing about benefits as I've never claimed them but now I need a little help but its going to be probably a no.

[gypsy49 in reply to Bettyboop45]

Don;t forget how RLS affect your mental health too and causes anxiety and depression go into details even write a sleep diary don't do the mistake i did i forgot to date mine day by day i did a new one for the appeal court kept a sleep diary for a week titled sleep/daily diary , write everything you have wrong know most have Fibro too , It's not the RLS it's what comes with it get friend and your boss to write letters . Hope this helps and good luck

I'm waiting for my appeal date don't just have RLS

[LotteM]

I am in NL and the system here is somewhat different from that in the UK. However, it made a great difference when I realized they look at how the disease impacts your daily life and working ability. Due to the kack of sleep from the RLS I could hardly read or concentrate any more (5-10 min of simple text, sometimes not even that when at my worst),I couldn’t remember things like a phone number (one digit at a time only), could climb the stairs or walk for say 20min, but next needed recovery time of at least an hour. Things like that. Paint a story of what it is like on your WORST days. It helped me to get the message across. Good luck.

[Bettyboop45 in reply to LotteM]

Thank you for your reply it was very helpful ,I'm due to see my consultant in oct at the sleep clinic I will ask them too.

[K8Whit]

Hi, I helped my mum try and claim for PIP due to her Parkinson's and they even turned her down saying it wasn't bad enough! It's terrible but I agree with Joolsg. They really are reluctant to award it to anyone. The paperwork is hefty and you have to have an interview just for them to say no. Is your employer aware? They should be able to make changes to your contract to accommodate you seeing as you have a this and it's impacting your ability.

[CORFUORBUST]

You can claim PIP for any illness. It's just that RLS is not an obvious illness, unlike cancer or heart disease which would give you a faster decision due to obvious conditions. As others had said even having Parkinsons or MS ensures you cannot always get PIP. It is the daily living that PIP is mostly all about and Mobility is the smaller other part of it.

The forms are long and exhausting to complete. However, if you go onto the CAB site they have excellent examples for you write your own story against for each question on the form. This guide is absolutely necessary in having any chance of a successful result. This is because DWP employees are given a standard pack when they join and it lists all the key words to look for and if you do not use them, they just refuse you. This practice is well documented and has appeared in the media many times that they are all "puppets" and must follow the governments rules, which is basically, save money, cut costs and save money!!!

So instead of just saying I have RLS and I am tired all day. You need to say my RLS causes me to be sleepy during the day due to not having hardly any sleep at night. This means that I am never 100% alert and I cannot concentrate on my job anymore. Due to my legs thrashing about all night I wake up in terrible pain. I need excessively strong pain killers to get a small amount of relief from this crippling, delabitating disease and this makes me even more drowsy and sleepy. This also means that I can fall asleep at the wheel and be a danger to myself and others. I should probably be accompanied everywhere I go. RLS is not only a physical disease but, also a mental disease as the stress of no sleep causes anxiety and depression.

Each section awards points up to a varied amount. You may score low or zero in almost every section. For example, you may have no major issues feeding yourself, cooking, cleaning, etc., but, you may be awarded one or two points in several sections and receive enough points overall. For example, you may receive 2 points for issues with cooking due to it being dangerous as you are falling asleep and you dropping things. To receive standard rate pip you only need 8-11 points and for enhanced 12 points, so you can add up the odd one or two points here and there quite easily.

Do not get put off by these things. It is a struggle but, if you get awarded it is so worth it.

If you have any questions just ask. Good luck.

Brenda

[Bettyboop45 in reply to CORFUORBUST]

Thank you ever so much , I will give it a go !

[JoeR in reply to CORFUORBUST]

HI- very interested in your article. When you say go onto the CAB site for help where can I find this site. I am not good on the internet and need some help. THANKS

[CORFUORBUST in reply to JoeR]

HI JoeR

No worries I will explain. CAB is short for Citizens Advice Bureau. They are committed to helping those with legal issues and PIP eventually turns into a court case due to the lack of yes's given to claimants. I am going to attempt to attach the link but, sometimes they are not allowed on this site so if it doesn't appear in this message, please google Citizens Advice and their website appears. When on google you may see the website required at the top and next to it in a green box the word Ad will be there. Never click on these links as they are adverts from third parties that earn a commission and will not care about you as a person. Just scroll down a few until you see the website you require without the green word Ad.

When you are on their site it will ask what country you are in as even though we are all in the UK, there are different laws and rules for those in Wales, Scotland and N. Ireland compared to England. If you are in England this is the link required for PIP and details everything you need to know. They are up to date with all the laws and they also know all the tricks the DWP use and give expert, critical advice to anyone filling out these forms.

citizensadvice.org.uk/benef...

Let me know how you get on and if you need any help with anything else.

I must go now as I am going out.

Speak soon.

[JoeR in reply to CORFUORBUST]

Thanks for the reply, I will slowly go through it all and will let you know the outcome. Thanks again for the help. Will be in touch. Joe

[Sara_2611]

no Ive never claimed any benefit for rls - I claim universal credit but thats because Im unemployed . but never claimed for rls you can enquire with the dwp to see whether its possible