Blue Badge Renewal nightmare

KirstieCare

Is anybody else having problems with the Blue Badge team? Having held a badge for 30 years my partner has been put up for re-assessment despite providing letters from her GP, the Salisbury Gate Clinic, as well as a BD8 partial site form. The Islington BB team acknowledging the receipt of the completed BB renewal form 9 weeks before her badge expired, yet they gave her an assessment date that was a 6 weeks after the badge expired (15 weeks after receiving the application). This means she now doesn't have a valid blue badge. We've been communicating with the Blue Badge team throughout, they have been matter of fact in approach, quite willing to leave us unable to use accessible parking.

We turned up to the assessment meeting by taxi last week, but the assessor was off ill. It took an hour for someone to figure out that the administrator had failed to contact us to let us know that the assessor had called in sick that morning. We then spoke with the duty manager who gave us a new appointment for the 6th of May, yet we've now received two letters telling us the assessment is now to take place on the 6th of June. 

How can the be allowed to expire her badges after 30 years without an assessment? Surely they need to renew or extend the badges if they can't provide an assessment appointment? 

2oldcodgers

A Blue Badge is not a guarantee to have unless you have one courtesy of having the correct DLA/PIP award in place.
Each council deals with these assessments/applications in different ways.
My wife simply cannot walk more than a few yards and has to rely on me taking her everywhere to use my BB.
She receives Attendance Allowance because she is unable to move around the home, never mind outside.
She has had countless assessments and has failed everyone of them.
She has now given up all hope of getting a BB.

KirstieCare

Thanks 2oldcodgers - this is of course the case and we are sorry that you are unable to obtain a badge for your wife. 

My Wife's descriptor D of 10 points qualifies her, but with a mobility score of 4 (8 is required) it is only through combining her partial sight and epilepsy with her partial paralysis that she qualifies. So as you point out she does not automatically qualify.

She has been re-assessed a number of times through the years, had her pass re-approved, and so has held a BB for 30 years. She re-applied in plenty of time in accordance with the guidance and so surely the issue is that they should not be able to terminate her badge without first re-assessing her?

poppy123456

A blue badge is awarded for a maximum of 3 years and they can't be extended, even when waiting for an assessment for a new BB.

KirstieCare

Thanks Poppy, Kirstie has just confirmed that this has been the case when she has renewed in the past, but as she always applies in good time they've never expired.  Her last assessment was due in 2020, but due to covid it was postponed. So our issue remains that she has applied in correct time frame so how can it be possible that the BB team do not also have to work within this timeframe. 

So the question remains as to whether others are experiencing the same problem. It is not acceptable to take somebody's BB away after 30 years when they've applied in good time and with good reason. She can't have been wrong the 10 times before yes? 

poppy123456

There could be backlogs and lack of staff, especially as the assessment has been cancelled a couple of times. Unfortunately, those things can't be helped.

I automatically qualify for my BB so have never needed an assessment. All local Authorities will have different timescales too, as well as different criteria for those that don't automatically qualify.

KirstieCare

Being without a BB for at least 4 months through no fault of your own is not a minor issue. Kirstie has already fallen over twice due to us having to park in non access friendly places, couldn't come on holiday as we could not park at the winter resort in accessible locations and she is unable to get through a car park unassisted due to her partial vision. We are having to use taxis as our vehicle is not ULEZ compliant. This is not a minor issue and so we shall be writing to our MP. Apparently we are in a minority with this issue on this forum. 

poppy123456

I didn't say it was a minor issue. Is she registered blind? If so then she should automatically qualify, without the need for an assessment. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/blue-badge-can-i-get-one/can-i-get-a-blue-badge

KirstieCare

She has a BD8 form stating that she is partially blind - her brain does not process the right side of her vision.  Although this is a permanent condition they are not accepting this form and she has been asked to update this to a CVI form, which she is trying to do. The NHS no longer provide this service so she has to get it from Spec Savers and as they don't make much money from it it takes months to get an appointment. 

anawilliam850

2oldcodgers said:

A Blue Badge is not a guarantee to have unless you have one courtesy of having the correct DLA/PIP award in place.
Each council deals with these assessments/applications in different ways.
My wife simply cannot walk more than a few yards and has to rely on me taking her everywhere to use my BB.
She receives Attendance Allowance because she is unable to move around the home, never mind outside.
She has had countless assessments and has failed everyone of them.
She has now given up all hope of getting a BB.

Thank you four the information

KirstieCare

Thank you, this discussion has helped me better understand the details around what Kirstie has been battling with the last 30 years with her BB. It would appear that her issue of having to attend in person to renew for the 11th time is not a common one, with most unfortunately not being awarded a pass in the first place or pre-qualifying. I am going to investigate with the blue badge team on whether there is a way to ensure her document set complies with their requirements. Just to be clear to those reading this, the previous 10 times she has always had her BB re-issued and her mobility now only declines with age.

Cher_Alumni

Hi @KirstieCare

Although I don't have any practical advice, I wanted to empathise with your situation and the difficulties it's presented whilst you're awaiting the reassessment. It sounds like the delay is making day to day life that bit more challenging, on top of managing pre-existing conditions, and that must be very frustrating when you've complied with the process requirements.

Wishing you and Kirstie a speedy resolution soon. Please do keep us posted with how you get on.

2oldcodgers

KirstieCare said:

Thank you, this discussion has helped me better understand the details around what Kirstie has been battling with the last 30 years with her BB. It would appear that her issue of having to attend in person to renew for the 11th time is not a common one, with most unfortunately not being awarded a pass in the first place or pre-qualifying. I am going to investigate with the blue badge team on whether there is a way to ensure her document set complies with their requirements. Just to be clear to those reading this, the previous 10 times she has always had her BB re-issued and her mobility now only declines with age.

I was under the impression that an application for a BB other than by virtue of a relevant benefit award, is treated as a new one and  being issued with one previously does not count. Very much like claiming PIP, you have to go through all of the hoops every 3 years.
Otherwise if renewals are issued on the basis of previously having qualified it could leave  it wide open to abuse - no one would give up a BB if their health issue improves. This is what happened with DLA. Because the DWP never bothered to check that the DLA award was still relevant with people receiving the money year after year incorrectly.

KirstieCare

Thanks for your thoughts @Cher_Scope - I guess many of us come on here just to have somewhere to talk about these things. I don't usually get involved in her BB renewal, but this was has been particularly hard for her so I've stepped in. 

@2oldcodgers understood, this was my assumption really. The frustrating thing is that it is a double standard. We are expected to have all documentation in on time yet they have no obligation to meet the timelines they've set. Our new appointment is the 6th of June and we have been told that our examiner is unlikely to be available on that date so 4 months and counting without a badge.... A sympathetic conversation with the rehabilitation clinic reveals that this is a staffing problem really 

I have just filed a complaint on the Islington Council website and I will post up how things go

L_Volunteer

We are glad we are able to help create a space where people feel comfortable to talk @KirstieCare. How frustrating are the double standards 

Please do feel free to let us know how things go and if there's anything we can do to support 

KirstieCare

This story does have a happy ending, the appointment went ahead in June and the BB was renewed. This all happened before we had to re-tax the vehicle which is crucial for maintaining congestion zone charge exemption. What made the decision easy for the examiner was an email I sent with the specific medical terms, drugs taken, visual impairments and or mobility devices required. If you have a combination of mobility issues then these need to be presented and their combined effect presented. Thanks for the offers of help and support

JessieJ

KirstieCare said:

The NHS no longer provide this service so she has to get it from Spec Savers and as they don't make much money from it it takes months to get an appointment. 

Because of your partner's mobility & sight issues, it might be an idea to call the Specsavers Home Visit team. If she qualifies, then they come to your home & the wait time is less.

2oldcodgers

KirstieCare said:

This story does have a happy ending, the appointment went ahead in June and the BB was renewed. This all happened before we had to re-tax the vehicle which is crucial for maintaining congestion zone charge exemption. What made the decision easy for the examiner was an email I sent with the specific medical terms, drugs taken, visual impairments and or mobility devices required. If you have a combination of mobility issues then these need to be presented and their combined effect presented. Thanks for the offers of help and support

So pleased for you.
Ah, I never thought of sending my wife's consultant letters, her repeat prescription list or details of the equipment that social services had installed in our home for my wife. From what I remember that was on the form was to state what her problems were and how they affected her mobility. It would have helped if the Council had specified the type of evidence that would have been helpful.
I was under the impression that the reasons for the face to face assessment and walking test was to establish what the mobility difficulties are/were.
The only times when the Council wanted evidence because no assessment or walking test would be carried out for those who are automatically entitled, was when I tried to  renew my own Blue Badge. The original evidence needed had been sent to them in 2020 for a renewal. They say that it has been lost so I just couldn't face the prospect of any more aggravation and gave up with the renewal. I mentioned at the time that I must be one of the few whose has a Motability car but no Blue Badge!

As I have said,  you must be so pleased

poppy123456

2oldcodgers said:

KirstieCare said:

This story does have a happy ending, the appointment went ahead in June and the BB was renewed. This all happened before we had to re-tax the vehicle which is crucial for maintaining congestion zone charge exemption. What made the decision easy for the examiner was an email I sent with the specific medical terms, drugs taken, visual impairments and or mobility devices required. If you have a combination of mobility issues then these need to be presented and their combined effect presented. Thanks for the offers of help and support

Ah, I never thought of sending my wife's consultant letters, her repeat prescription list or details of the equipment that social services had installed in our home for my wife. From what I remember that was on the form was to state what her problems were and how they affected her mobility. It would have helped if the Council had specified the type of evidence that would have been helpful.

Yet i gave you advice on a previous thread to send any relevant evidence you have to support her claim. You can see your thread here. https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/107515/applying-for-a-bb-and-looking-for-offers-of-help-for-the-verbal-and-physical-assessment/p1 Look at my first comment in that thread...

"Just send any relevant evidence you have to support her claim".

It's not the LA's responsibility to tell you what type of evidence to send to support a claim.

It's the same as claiming disability benefits, if you have relevant supporting evidence, why wouldn't you send it?

It seems like you make things a lot more difficult that what they really are.

MW123

2oldcoggers
You have received valuable advice from Poppy once again, and by submitting the required documents to your local authority, obtaining your blue badge should be a relatively straightforward process.

2oldcodgers

MW123 said:

2oldcoggers
You have received valuable advice from Poppy once again, and by submitting the required documents to your local authority, obtaining your blue badge should be a relatively straightforward process.

It would seem so on the face of it but the real test/evidence is with the assessor who wants to see how they walk and how long it takes to cover a prescribed distance. In my opinion no amount of paper evidence would ever be able to prove her inability to walk.