Forum Topic

Getting a blue badge for mum - advice please

I applied for a blue badge for my mother on the grounds of her disability....which means she can't walk far but mostly that I can't drop her off outside places and go away and park.Being a stalwart and independent woman, she has refused to claim the benefits for which she is totally eligible because she says she doesn't need them and won't therefore deprive the state of money she could claim.This penalises her in that she is not therefore automatically eligible for a blue badge.So we have to wait 42 working days for any sort of answer (i.e. from an application on 30 August until late October).So what do I do next?Claim benefits because that would speed things up (maybe) even though she is happy not to take them?Harass the office in Ealing until they do the assessment on her need so she could get the badge by the end of October? Of course their systems are down so they can't actually do anything at the moment.Just fume quietly and stop taking her places that are in any way inaccessible?

Sara Nathan ● 3502d23 Comments

Philippa,Hospital parking is horrendous and costly,not enoughdisabled spaces at all,parking in general is not as easy as you think even with a Badge,and then sometimes on top of anyproblems sometimes abuse by those who should know better.regards John.

Dr John Stolworthy D.Sc ● 3492d

The Blue Badge was listed in the bank's printed list of acceptable documents to choose from.  It was very difficult to find the requisite number. Unfortunately you often can't park as close as you can drop off which when mobility is very poor makes life difficult.In one hospital we attended although we had a Blue Badge there were not enough spaces in the car park at all and we had to drop off (using a wheelchair in a car park on the steepest slope you could imagine) and then take the car into town to a multi-storey car park and walk back.  Hospital transport meant being unable to accompany which meant that there was nobody else to corroborate and able to discuss what a consultant had said or able to ask more questions of the consultant.  If you think of the questions later the GP will ask whey you didn't ask the consultant...  Hospital transport also seems to mean having to spend a whole day out which creates a new set of challenges.

Philippa Bond ● 3492d

Ealing Council's eligibility criteria for a blue badge are quite prescriptive and based solely on ability to walk:"you have a permanent and substantial disability, which means you are unable to walk or have considerable, and not intermittent difficulty in walking.  In this case, you will be asked a series of questions to help the local authority determine whether you are eligible for a badge."

Peter Millman ● 3492d

Quite a lot of disabilities are not obvious, so I wouldn't necessarily make a judgement on that.

Chris Hurley ● 3492d

Paul,We see it daily,regards John.

Dr John Stolworthy D.Sc ● 3493d

I totally agree with John regarding the fraudulent use of the Blue Badge. I think that the most irresponsible use I have seen was in Morrison's underground car park. A chap in his 20's drove up in a Maserati showing a blue badge and parked in a Disabled Bay. Got out of the car and then took two large sacks out of the boot of the car and then briskly walked onto the High Street!

Paul Ambridge ● 3493d

Please Note.The Blue Badge is not an acceptable item of proof of  identification,and should not be offered as such.Every man  his dog has one,and you see them daily running from the car and walking at ease,it time the Police and Local Councils tightened up to stop this shambles once  and for all.

Dr John Stolworthy D.Sc ● 3493d

Following your other thread - with banks closing you could also find yourself/your mother in a position where you want to open an account in another nearby bank in trying to maintain independence  This can also be fraught with ID and accessibility complications.For us the Blue Badge was listed as acceptable ID and then when we had got everything together and presented it (and booked and arranged a meeting in a room with no stairs with visiting staff etc) - it wasn't - it was the wrong kind of Blue Badge (!?!)!  They also seemed to have problems with electronic identification because apparently they couldn't find enough. The systems are/were obviously not set up with enough consideration for a very feisty and independent much older generation.

Philippa Bond ● 3493d

registered blind obviously!

Philippa Bond ● 3495d

It is worth keeping your passport up to date (if you have one) even if you have no intention of travelling.  If you are over a certain age renewal is free.  A driving licence is commonly listed as acceptable ID but if you are registered bind and 90+ you are rather unlikely to have a current one. Just make sure you keep your passport in a safe and secure place so you don't cause yourself more ID problems!

Philippa Bond ● 3495d

I agree it ends up costing more and the bureaucracy is so great that you also have to take your own time and well-being into account. This is why carers need support.

Philippa Bond ● 3497d

Sara,We all have learnt the same lesson,regards John.

Dr John Stolworthy D.Sc ● 3497d

Possibly, but mum was opposed to applying for something she didnt need. Now it transpires she should've been less public spirited.

Sara Nathan ● 3497d

Sara,You went the wrong way about things,should have the Benefit first,and Blue Badge second,I wish you luck in your endeavors,its not easy?John.

Dr John Stolworthy D.Sc ● 3498d

I've filled in the Blue Badge form - the next thing is to do the benefits one. Such a pain.I suppose I could just get the benefit and use them to pay for more Ubers instead.. would probably balance out.

Sara Nathan ● 3498d

Hi Paul, snap, I have recently been diagnosed severe COPD with AF and just had 19 days in hospital with a PE. Unfortunately the scans couldn't find the clot. Now on blood thinners for 3 months.I have high rate DLA which should automatically procure a Blue Badge. Therefore I would suggest that Ms Nathan tries to secure this benefit for her mother. Beware, the application form asks the same question in so many ways, and is designed to trip up applicants. Get the aid of a benefits advisor to help fill in the form. You should be able to get the form from the GP and the DWP.

Sylvia Kidd ● 3499d

I have severe COPD which means that I cannot walk more than 10 metres without having to stop. I also have a heart condition.I applied for a Blue Badge with the endorsement of my GP, my Respiratory Consultant, my Cardiac Consultant and a few other health professionals that were all in agreement that I should get a Blue Badge.I was turned down for a badge by Ealing Council. Part of the letter informing me of my failure to get the badge contained these words of wisdom! "Whilst information from health professionals may be helpful, the decision regarding eligibility rest entirely with the Council and is based on assessed need, directed to walking ability and not simply upon a medical diagnosis of a condition."In a nutshell that means two fingers up to people who have a medical condition and health professional's support. Only if you tick the right boxes that Ealing Council think are appropriate, will you be successful.

Paul Ambridge ● 3499d

We had the same problems with the benefits.  We could have had them years earlier. (Hear that ye whingers.)  The charities will sometimes do this for you or help you with this which is useful as they are likely to know better what the changing criteria are - and who to contact locally.  If she doesn't want the money she can always give it back to the charity/ies of her choice.  If and when she does need/want the money for something that the State no longer provides she/you won't have to go through the all the stress of the bureaucracy. Age Concern were certainly doing this.  We found the systems kept changing and very few people would put their hand up and say that something was their responsibility to deal with.  I believe that the GP's surgery is supposed to be where a lot of this care is requested from but they tend to be overwhelmed.

Philippa Bond ● 3501d

We found going to hospital difficult.  It took two people because there was hardly ever a seat or wheelchair where we could drop off while we parked - or even a dropping off point.  (It was still very difficult with a blue badge but a lot less stressful.) I still walked two floors of a hospital on several occasions before finding a wheelchair.  Eventually we bought our own wheelchair although it wasn't actually needed anywhere else. Actually getting the blue badge was a nightmare even though being registered blind was supposed to make it a lot easier.  The photos weren't considered good enough even though it was extremely difficult to get to a photo booth to get photos taken.  (The Respite Care Home took their own and those were fine enough for them.)  We also found it difficult to get the other ID requirements together because several authorities eg DWP and HMRC wrote directly to us and all bills were paid by direct debit. We had to send everything recorded delivery so that we knew it had arrived.  Each time we wondered what the next reason for turning us down would be.  Bills had to be within a certain amount of time.  After the first attempt when bills were within date they weren't by the second. (It was too cold to go out for several months.)  This wasn't LBE.

Philippa Bond ● 3502d

Yes have activated the nurse, who was appalled and I suppose that's what we will have to do.Seems (as with so many policies of the sort) both short-sighted and counter-productive.

Sara Nathan ● 3502d

Just for the record, I would not describe Sara's mum as 'controlling' and find her attitude to benefits she doesn't need wholly admirable.Now, if the useless authorities could just get their fingers out and give her the thing she does need!

Susan Kelly ● 3502d

Sara,The conditions for meeting the criteria  for a Blue Badge are now harder,a walking difficulty may not be good enough,has she any other medical condition's that may helpto obtain the Badge,Get your GP involved,apply for the benefits to which she is fully entitled and paid for!!!!!regards John.

Dr John Stolworthy D.Sc ● 3502d

I feel your pain, I too have a fiercely independent and controlling 'elder'.Remind her that she has been paying into the state all her life  so that she has earned these very small perks. The blue badges are the key to independence, I have registered my car under her badge so I can take my Godmother to museums inside the congestion charge area,  and park near the entrance of many state houses or gardens she likes to visit. As well as practical errands, like parking outside the opticians or doctor on the high street.If she spends her benefits locally she will make the community benefit!Or give them directly to a charity if she really doesn't want them!Good luck.

Kim Rugg ● 3502d