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Motorised Transport Grant and Various others

  • 02-05-2011 1:09am
    #1
    LegacyUser
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 166,026 ✭✭✭✭


    Hi all, I've read through the Department of Social Protection's site and the Citizen's Information site but I am still a bit unsure about my own entitlements (if any) so I thought I'd ask here to see if anyone has any experiences of it or would be better able to interpret the literature in the context of my own personal situation.

    There seem to be several assistance packages to assist with motoring and transport, but I just can't fathom if I would be eligable for any of them.

    I have a long term illness called Aplastic Anemia which causes my blood counts to drop to very low levels. I frequently visit a hospital which is 30 kilometers away and the cost of fuelling and maintaining my car are really adding up, I can't afford it on my Disability allowance and my credit card and overdraft are nearing their limits.

    I do have a travel pass but my doctors reccomend that I don't use public transport because I have a very risk of picking up an infection, which would have serious consequences. I also can't walk any futher than half a kilometer or so without being extremely exhausted because my low blood levels.

    I live on my own and don't have family members that I can ask for lifts so my only option really is to drive my own car, which was purchased 6 years ago before I was diagnosed and is becoming older and more expensive to maintain.

    Sometimes I have to make up excuses to my consultant for missing appointments for the simple reason that I can't afford to fill the tank or have had to pay tax/insurance on the car so I'm down most of my disability payment.

    (I've been to the citizen's information office and was basically told that she wasn't sure either, she just read the guidlines on the citizens info website and told me what they said)

    Is anone familiar with these schemes? I would appreciate a bit of advice on this.


Comments

  • #2
    mp22
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Regional South Moderators Posts: 6,854 Mod ✭✭✭✭mp22


    The catch all for grants for cars is that the car has to be modified to either carry the person with a disability as a passenger or modified for them to drive.

    There might be more here http://www.ddai.ie/


  • #3
    mrsbyrne
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,228 ✭✭✭mrsbyrne


    hi
    firstly, the motorised transport grant is specifically for someone with a disability who, if they could get a modified car, could look for work, and secure a job, and be able to get themselves to work. so the motorised transport grant is not for you. you are able to drive your own car, dont need any modification, etc. and are suffering from an illness, not a disability. secondly there is extensive and generous VAT refunds for people either driving with a disability, or responsible for chauffeuring someone with a disability. this is not for you as the first requirement is that you have a primary medical certificate, which you would not qualify for and is in any case is not what you are looking for.
    what you are essentially looking for is financial help with the cost of transporting yourself to the hospital to be treated for your medical condition. realistically, the only option you have is to go and see your CWO, in your local health centre and be meanstested for financial help with the petrol. i couldn't say, as i dont know all your circumstances, how favourable a response you would get, but it is not unknown for patients to get at least some help with travel costs. you wont know unless you ask. best thing is to find out the CWO clinic times, (your local citizens infromation will tell you those) and pay him/her a visit.
    PS i do know that Gps can organise transport through the HSE, for people with hospital appointments, usually patients who dont have a car or the hospital is too far, or they dont have anyone to bring them. this involves sharing a HSE minibus with others, a kind of a bus journey there and back with many stops, and waiting around for everybody to be ready to go home as obviously there would only be one journey over and back per day. so probably not for you then.


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