I don't know if I'm entitled to claim for DLA

marissa

hi .
I'm suffering with severe arthritis in my knee. the hospital won't give me a knee replacement as they say in to young .so in the mean time I'm suffering. 
the last 2 months have been awful. my knee gives way so I've had a fall and got worse .
I've has to get a automatic car and to walk is so painful .people tell me to claim for dla but I don't know if I'm entitled to it 
regards 

steve51

Hi @marissa.

Please please go to our home page where you will find lots of info on Benefits.

We have also got a Benefit Advisor who will be able to help you further.

 Please please let us know if we can help you further.

Geoark

Hello @marissa and welcome to the community.

I am assuming you are over 16, in which case it is PIP you need to apply for, not DLA.

A good site I have come across today is https://pipinfo.net

This gives the descriptors, their points and also how the key phrases will be interpreted. Where appropriate it also gives key case law in interpreting the descriptors.

To qualify for the mobility scheme you will need to score 12 points in the Mobility section. This can be 12 points from one of the two descriptors, or totalled from the two relevant descriptors.

If you have any questions you can post to our benefit advisers at https://community.scope.org.uk/categories/ask-a-benefits-advisor

Liam_Alumni

Hi @marissa,

Welcome to Scope's online community! It's great to have you here.

Have you checked out our online benefits calculator? It's a handy tool which can give you an idea of what benefits you can apply for.

As @geoark mentions, people over 16 can apply for PIP (instead of DLA). We have lots of information about Personal Independence Payment on our website, and the Gov.UK site also has some useful information about the benefit and the eligibility criteria.

I hope this helps. If you have any other questions, please do get in touch!

Matilda

@marissa

Disability Rights and CAB websites both have very good guides to claiming PIP.  CAB says don't tick the mobility walking distance box 'it varies'; tick a specific walking distance box.  You will need not to be able to walk more than 20 metres before you need to stop and rest because of pain, stiffness or fatigue to qualify for 12 points which would give you enhanced mobility element and therefore eligibility for a Motability car.

CockneyRebel

to claim PIP your condition needs to have lasted three months with the likelyhood of continuing for the next 9 months, this is a minimum.
Apart from your obvious mobility issues, how does condition impact on other aspects of your life. For example do you need to use a perching stool when preparing food ? Are you able to safely stand and chop vegetables ? Can you safely get into a standard bath ?