blue badge scheme. Can anyone share their experience of applying?

happyfella

Hi, can anyone please give me advice on their experience with the blue badge application process and assessment. i receive full pip but don't automatically get the blue badge, so i have to apply for it. I did apply a while back but due to the long delay due to covid and due to being concerned at the assessment i removed my application.

My doctors are telling me to apply for it again but i am not sure if i can deal with the stress of it all. Some days i have problems walking due to chronic pain and i also fall a lot. Sometimes we spend half an hour going around the car park in the car to find a suitable space that is close to where i need to go.

I would love to hear from people experience who have gone through the assessment and what happened and if they are as bad as the PIP people who are better

TartanTeapot

hello @happyfella

I got my blue badge before qualifying for PIP.  It is wonderful to have and makes a big difference.  My condition (mostly hEDS but also CRPS & some other stuff) is variable and I was worried about whether I would be "sore enough" on the day.
My experience was- I had to drive to an assessment centre. As with PIP, I had been warned that "they" could "watch from the windows" - which added to the pressure.
I was met by two youngish (twenty-something) people in medical clothing (don't know if they were nurses or physios or OTs). I had to walk up and down the corridor a bit, and probably sit and stand.  I was very nervous and worried that I was somehow doing it wrong... The assessor was very reassuring, and said it was her job to help me (I was somehow worried that she would accuse me of being a fraud as I wouldn't be sore enough). She was pleased to tell me at the time that of course I qualified... I said I knew that my condition was variable- on good days I wouldn't use the badge. I was told that it was important to use the badge on good days to stop them becoming bad days...
I had been completely psyched up for a difficult, combative experience. Instead the assessors were pleased to help and were sweetness and light.  Given what you say above, and that you already have PIP, it sounds like it shouldn't be a problem to get a blue badge. I know that experiences can differ between local councils, but my blue badge assessment was simple.  Hopefully yours will be too. Good luck!

abbyk41

Had my blue badge for 2 years waiting to hear about pip had my health care report posted to me. 
Anyways no assessment needed as social worker Council was already aware as they had housed me in ground floor adapted flat so they just issues it that was that 

Reg

I recently applied for a blue badge having delayed applying for years as I don't get any passporting benefits and I thought I would hate the medical assessment process and end up being told I wasn't disabled enough.

I called the local authority help line - they said to apply and so I did online and got the badge within two days - no assessment needed or supporting medical evidence.

still amazed that I have the badge - it has made life so much easier as whilst I can walk with a crutch I can't always walk far and I can't man handle myself out of a small car parking space as I need to open the car door wide to be able to stand up. 

Hope my experience encourages you to apply 

happyfella

I get full PIP but i do not automatically qualify. I have read some terrible experiences which includes one today in the Mirror newspapers. I have good days and i have some very bad days. I suffer from chronic pain. Some times we drive around the car park for half an hour or so trying to find a suitable space. It is not just about the distance to places, it is also about getting into the parking space. When i have a bad day i struggle to park in a space so i drive around and look for two empty spaces.

To look at me you think i was fine on a good day, and then after around ten minutes i could become really bad. The one thing i don't fanycy doing is putting myself into a stressful situation of applying for a blue badge. and then having a bad experience

onebigvoice

@happy fella.  Hi just to say I have had a blue badge for many years, yet when filling out the first form it sounds like you are filling out a new PIP's form? 

  Its only for you background and you don't have to be on PIP's to get a badge.  Al they require is a recent passport style picture ( 2 ) one for their files and one for the pass, and some general information which you already have and that's it will take about 10 days in Cardiff, and the renewal is even easier, they still quote 10 days but some times comes earlier.

  They are nice people to talk to if you have any problems either filling out the form or getting evidence they want and will point you in the right direction.

  Ring and ask for a form today, they really don't bit.....  No all joking aside they really are easy to talk to. 

OverlyAnxious

I was awarded a blue badge recently and was pleasantly surprised at the understanding of the people there and the accessibility of email contact.  The initial application was all done online.

I don't currently get any PIP Mobility, can't use phones and can't do a F2F so didn't think I had much chance.

happyfella

I know if you get full PIP and get the certain mobility element you automatically qualify, but i would like to know about those people who don't automatically qualify. What is the procedure, and what happens when you go for the meeting

abbyk41

Well I never had pip 2 years ago like I say I am waiting fir a decision on pip. However bevause the council had dealt with me by social services found me a ground floor flat I didn't need a meeting they just gave me a blue badge 

bg844

I applied online before I got PIP and was on DLA (I'd qualify now anyway with my descriptors), I didn't send any evidence in or have an assessment and 3 days after applying I got a phone call asking me for £10 payment for a 3 year badge. After I paid over the phone it came within 10 days. I always renew with no issues and they don't even ask if I get PIP.
I also helped an elderly neighbor get a badge too and she didn't get disability benefits, she however had to send infomation in but no assessment.

happyfella

I would love to hear from people who do not automatically qualify for the blue badge. Although i get full PIP i do not automatically qualify. My doctors and my family keep telling me to apply but i am worried about applying again.

If you look at me on good days you would say there is nothing wrong with him. You would see me walking normally for around five minutes depending on the pain. But, if i am in pain as i suffer from chronic pain, then as soon as i leave the car i struggle to walk and can fall.

My counsillor has told me to apply for the blue badge for the following reasons

1. i suffer from depression

2 I suffer from chronic pain.

If I am in pain then trying to park in small spaces is a nightmare. Sometimes i will drive around the car park for half an hour. There are times when i have driven around a car park for more than an hour trying to find a parking space.

Driving is fine, but it is when it comes to parking.

Also, i could be fine, but then parking away from a supermarket, and then walking to the supermarket from a distance, by the time i get there i am in pain and this puts me off going shopping.

I would love to hear from the scope team and other people about if i should apply or not. I did apply before and there was a long delay. Then they said i would need to go for an indpendent assessment and this worried me due to a bad experience i had with PIP. my worry as i have told my doctors is, going to an assessment on a day that i am not in pain and looking fine would then result in me being turned down.

happyfella

I was going to apply again but when i went through and seen all this that they want me to provide it just overwhelmed me and has put me off. Even though i need it, this really just puts me off

poppy123456

I automatically qualify for mine and always have so no experience there. Depression is unlikely to qualify you to be honest.

If you do apply then you should concentrate on the distance you can walk as this is what they will look at.

I've heard that some don't need assessments, if they send enough evidence to support their claim. If an assessment is needed then they will look at the distance you can walk and will likely ask you to walk a certain length during the assessment. This is based on stories i've read from others that have had the assessment. Of course each local authority will have their own criteria for those that don't automatically qualify.

You have nothing to lose by applying.

happyfella

the problem i have is, on different days i can walk different legnths. like yesterday i could walk normal. today, i am struggling like mad due to the bad pain i am in. so if my appointment was yesterday i would fail, today they may see the real me and see that i struggle to walk.

As mentioned, the problem for me is also about parking. it is a nightmare for me to park due to the pain. i have just received two parking fines from a private parking company because i spent twenty minutes driving around trying to park and they believe that i have parked my car without buying a ticket. this is the type of problems i face.

MarkM88

happyfella said:

I was going to apply again but when i went through and seen all this that they want me to provide it just overwhelmed me and has put me off. Even though i need it, this really just puts me off

You don’t need to provide ALL of that. 

happyfella

no, what do i need to supply. sorry it is overwhelming and confusing

MarkM88

happyfella said:

no, what do i need to supply. sorry it is overwhelming and confusing

According to the screenshot you provided, it asks for proof of ID, proof of address and proof of condition, it then goes on to give examples of what you can send, but you don't need to send everything listed. 

happyfella

thank you for that.

poppy123456

I would have thought they will allow for good days/bad days. I don't think anyone would expect a person to have bad times 24/7.