Applying for a blue badge

Cabbie21

Sorry I did not mean to paste the whole thing, just the relevant paragraphs which state specific grounds for blue badges in Nottinghamshire.
It is quite unfair that different councils can operate different policies.

Just had a quick look at their website and I can’t see anything that isn’t pretty standard across the board TBH. Just to clarify, the list of evidence required to support your claim doesn’t mean you have to supply all of that documentation, just anything relevant to you.

Oh, I see it didn’t copy the link, good.

Sorry I did not mean to paste the whole thing, just the relevant paragraphs which state specific grounds for blue badges in Nottinghamshire.
It is quite unfair that different councils can operate different policies.

Marydoll

Pammie1

Marydoll

You have to have the higher rate of the mobility component of what is now known as PIPS

I don't have the higher rate of PIP. As I said previously, mine is based on my medical conditions and the impact they have on my mobility.

Crossed similar posts with you. Not really sure what else we can say to dispel the myth that you have to be on benefit to get a blue badge !!

We can say it until we are blue in the face.

This kind of misinformation, puts people off applying.

That’s what worries me, because it’s a fairly simple application process and usually councils won’t ask for an expensive medical assessment if they have a clear picture of what your disability is and how it affects you, with evidence to support it. The problem is that people who have been turned down will have a different view to those who are successful, and it’s really important to understand that no matter how disabled you believe yourself to be, your level of difficulty has to meet the criteria or you won’t be successful. If you are turned down, you are less likely to think the process is fair than if you were successful. It’s human nature.

Pammie1

Marydoll

You have to have the higher rate of the mobility component of what is now known as PIPS

I don't have the higher rate of PIP. As I said previously, mine is based on my medical conditions and the impact they have on my mobility.

Crossed similar posts with you. Not really sure what else we can say to dispel the myth that you have to be on benefit to get a blue badge !!

We can say it until we are blue in the face.

This kind of misinformation, puts people off applying.

4allweknow

Pammiel thank you for your response. Any care type allowance is assessed on length of life expectation which must be less than 6 months. Here we are 6 months since chemo started but no one would give specific term. Now just started a different chemo as original started to fail end of December. Suppose if this one fails too some professional may risk giving a length of survival estimate. Hope it's not like my DD who died two years ago with cancer. Given 6 months, died 3 weeks later. I just feel it is so easy for some, impossible for others.

For PIP your doctor needs to state that life expectancy can reasonably be estimated between 5 and 12 months - it may be worth explaining your difficulties and asking if anyone is prepared to complete the DS1500 form for your DH, as this is all that’s needed to fast track the application. I’m sorry, I completely forgot to ask whether your DH has reached state pension age - if so it will be Attendance Allowance you would claim, not PIP. Even if you can’t claim under the special rules, it may be worth considering a claim based on his condition and level of difficulty day to day. I’m so sorry you’re going through this - if you want to PM me I can certainly make a few enquiries for you as to the best course of action. ?

Marydoll

^You have to have the higher rate of the mobility component of what is now known as PIPS^

I don't have the higher rate of PIP. As I said previously, mine is based on my medical conditions and the impact they have on my mobility.

Crossed similar posts with you. Not really sure what else we can say to dispel the myth that you have to be on benefit to get a blue badge !!

Pammiel thank you for your response. Any care type allowance is assessed on length of life expectation which must be less than 6 months. Here we are 6 months since chemo started but no one would give specific term. Now just started a different chemo as original started to fail end of December. Suppose if this one fails too some professional may risk giving a length of survival estimate. Hope it's not like my DD who died two years ago with cancer. Given 6 months, died 3 weeks later. I just feel it is so easy for some, impossible for others.

tictacnana

I’ve had a blue badge for nearly 30 years and have been disabled since early childhood. You have to have the higher rate of the mobility component of what is now known as PIPS. The paperwork for this is extremely complicated and invasive and some of the questions are near enough reliant on guesswork to answer. Eg. How far can you walk without feeling pain or breathlessness ? I had my payments stopped after a nurse’s assessment a couple of years ago. She said that her extensive examination showed that there was nothing wrong with me. My doctor gave the powers that be a little nudge, pointing out that after 65 years of physiotherapy, leg braces, special shoes and painful surgery, it was unlikely that my claim was bogus . All was restored, backdated and included an apology for any distress caused. I should add that despite my condition, I worked, even past retirement age, to support myself and my children . I’m sure that this government, like a lot of the general population , equates disability rights with laziness or a devious manipulation of the system. Okay .... rant over!

Sorry, but this is totally incorrect with regard to the issue of the Blue Badge. As previously state several times, you do not need to be on any benefit to qualify for a Blue Badge - they are issued purely on whether your disability is permanent and substantially affects your mobility. If you are in receipt of either standard or enhanced rate of the mobility component of PIP, you will automatically qualify for the badge without having to undergo a medical examination - this is the only difference and does not mean it’s the only way to be eligible. Many conditions, including mental health conditions, qualify for the Blue Badge if the condition is permanent and substantially affects mobility.

With regard to PIP, your assertion that it’s based on guesswork is incorrect. The questions on the application form may appear invasive but they are designed to give an overall impression of how your disability affects you on a day to day basis and also to allow the decision maker an insight as to how you personally, view your disability as well as referring to the assessment report. There are two rates of both care and mobility components and both are based on clearly defined eligibility criteria as to how claimants manage their day to day needs as well as mobility. The decision is based on observations of ability, manner of moving, pain, breathlessness and safety, during the assessment process. I’m glad your appeal was successful, but the outcome of the appeal would not solely have been based on medical evidence provided by your doctor - it would have entailed a complete review of your case by a different decision maker, taking into account all the medical evidence originally provided and any new evidence not used in the original decision. I’m not saying the process is perfect - far from it, and I too have reservations about the use of healthcare professionals who may not have much experience of the conditions they are being asked to assess and this flaw is reflected in the amount of people who take their cases to appeal and win.

Very easy only took a few minutes to apply online, badge arrived within a week

You have to have the higher rate of the mobility component of what is now known as PIPS

I don't have the higher rate of PIP. As I said previously, mine is based on my medical conditions and the impact they have on my mobility.

I’ve had a blue badge for nearly 30 years and have been disabled since early childhood. You have to have the higher rate of the mobility component of what is now known as PIPS. The paperwork for this is extremely complicated and invasive and some of the questions are near enough reliant on guesswork to answer. Eg. How far can you walk without feeling pain or breathlessness ? I had my payments stopped after a nurse’s assessment a couple of years ago. She said that her extensive examination showed that there was nothing wrong with me. My doctor gave the powers that be a little nudge, pointing out that after 65 years of physiotherapy, leg braces, special shoes and painful surgery, it was unlikely that my claim was bogus . All was restored, backdated and included an apology for any distress caused. I should add that despite my condition, I worked, even past retirement age, to support myself and my children . I’m sure that this government, like a lot of the general population , equates disability rights with laziness or a devious manipulation of the system. Okay .... rant over!

Marydoll

I remember a question from years ago. It asked if your condition/s were progressivel.

I remember that too @Marydoll. The questioning now is to determine whether the condition can be considered permanent and substantially affecting mobility. Unless it’s both, there’s no entitlement to a badge.

I remember a question from years ago. It asked if your condition/s were progressivel.

kjmpde

i worked with a woman who applied on behalf of her mother. the mother was blind, doubly incontinent and could not walk more than a dozen steps. the application was refused

our neighbour in his 80s has real issues with his knees and cannot walk far . Again refused

why do some people get them and others are refused ?

Sorry, forgot to say - someone who is registered blind automatically qualifies for a blue badge.

It’s worth mentioning also that to qualify for a Blue Badge your condition must be considered permanent, and to substantially affecting your mobility. I think this is the minimum threshold for most councils, so if you are being turned down for a badge, it could be because your condition is not considered to be permanent.

4allweknow

DH undergoing palliative care and has had chemo since August still ongoing. Can hardly walk the length of himself but not eligible for blue badge. If he fancies an outing he just has to sit in the car. Even attending for his 3 weekly chemo not allowed to park in disabled bays. I just can't figure out who does qualify.

I’m so sorry but there’s no other way to ask this question - you mentioned palliative care so is your DH’s condition considered terminal ? If so you need to apply for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) under the special rules. Get a DS1500 form from your GP or oncologist and your application will be fast tracked - he should qualify for both the mobility and care components and that will qualify him for a blue badge. If you don’t want to apply for PIP for any reason, still get the DS1500 form and submit it with an application for a blue badge. You will qualify.

EmilyHarburn

Very interesting thread this. I would like to apply for a blue badge as I need it when food shopping, and going out. I have arthritis in the medial third of each knee and wear orthopaedic boots. If I dose myself up with paracetamol I can walk into the shop, do the shopping and get to the till, but by the time I have pushed the shopping cart passed all the disabled parking stolts to my car I am knackered. At Aldi you then have to go all the way back with the empty trolly to get your £1 and then walk back to the car!!!

I sometimes park in the mother and prams section but do not want to offend anyone.

I think with age and arthritis there should be better understading of what a blue badge means for independent lifing.

At home my husband has kindly installed a through floor lift which has made a great difference to my day as before I came downstairs once and then upstairs once. Now i can come and go as I please.

I would apply if I were you. If you have to take painkillers to be able to walk a reasonable distance and then you have issues with pain/fatigue afterwards, you may well meet the threshold.

Sorry - posted too soon. There is also, I believe, policy in place for issue of Blue Badges to the elderly. Our own council here has a cut off point where mobility problems are caused by the natural ageing process and not by disability. Might sound harsh, but again, where do you draw the line ?

kjmpde

i worked with a woman who applied on behalf of her mother. the mother was blind, doubly incontinent and could not walk more than a dozen steps. the application was refused

our neighbour in his 80s has real issues with his knees and cannot walk far . Again refused

why do some people get them and others are refused ?

Sounds as though a mistake has been made in your first example, but with regard to your neighbour - not being able to walk far in itself isn’t a qualification for a badge. It depends on whether you meet the minimum threshold and they have to have a cut off point somewhere otherwise no one would find a disabled space anywhere.

Paperbackwriter

"Those we see parking on double yellow lines, slapping down a blue badge certificate on the dashboard then leaping out of the car must have lied on the application form."
Not all disabilities are visible. Please remember that before judging.

I agree. There was a thread on disabled toilet facilities not so long ago and people were levelling similar accusations in that some people didn’t appear to be disabled. Before passing judgement please remember that there are those with heart problems, severe asthma and COPD, people with bowel/bladder urgency and incontinence, and those with stoma’s - all usually qualify for a Blue Badge if their condition is severe enough to affect mobility. And I am a wheelchair user - several months ago I pulled into a disabled parking space in a supermarket and my friend leapt out of the car to go round and help me with my wheelchair. She hadn’t even closed the door when someone jumped on her and started berating her for parking dishonestly. Exit one red faced busy body when she realised it was the driver who was disabled. People still have pre conceived ideas about what disability should ‘look like’.

Charleygirl5

Pammiel not in my part of London. I have to go through the entire process each time. I do appreciate living here I should either be walking or on a bike and certainly not using a car.

I think there are some different rules for London in view of the geography. Parking rules for Blue Badge holders are different in London too - not being able to park on double yellow lines etc.

cookiemonster66

To get a blue badge or PIP is an absolute nightmare in England, have to jump through hoops which is why I get so angry when lazy bones people park in the disabled bays because it is raining or they have a massive 4x4. I always think "If you want my disabled parking bay, you can have my disability too!" It annoys me that the most vulnerable people in society are put through the mill to get what they need, recently on TV wa sa documentary showing how many have commited suicide trying to claim disability benefits because the stress and trauma of it all is just too much to bear sometimes. I am already stressed about having to renew my PIP end of this year!

If it helps, have a look at the pensions and benefits threads. I posted some quite comprehensive information on PIP applications and various other benefits.

Pammiel not in my part of London. I have to go through the entire process each time. I do appreciate living here I should either be walking or on a bike and certainly not using a car.

DeeJaysMum

I've had orange/blue badges since 1994, if I remember correctly I filled in a form, the council verified the information with my gp and I got my badge within a couple of weeks. I've never had an issue with renewing either.

@Pammiel

It’s important to remember that the Blue Badge is essentially issued on grounds of limited mobility and your medical condition must demonstrate such a limitation in order to qualify.

This WAS what the orange badge was originally brought about for back in about 1971, then it changed colour to blue in 2000 (I think) and yes, it has always been about physical mobility UNTIL recently when the government announced that they were going to start issuing them to people with mental health issues.

I completely understand that someone with mh issues is now considered to have a disability but based on what the blue badge is for, should they be given to people with mh issues but no mobility issues?

Disabled parking spaces are like rocking horse poo as it is without local councils doubling the number of badges issued.

Some mental health conditions do affect mobility, and also speak to safety issues where there is a learning disability - this was what the change was meant to reflect. However badges are not issued to everyone with mental health problems - those with MH issues must demonstrate that their mobility is affected by the condition, in the same way as those with physical disabilities. There is a perception on this thread that all those with a disability should qualify for a badge - this is not so. Whatever your disability, it must affect your mobility to the minimum threshold for issue of a badge.