Invalidity Pension - Help/Advice

Quiko09

Can anyone please give me some useful advice on Invalidity Pension
My mum has sent an application form for it about 6 weeks ago, she had been on Illness Benifit for 2 years ,it ended in Sept this year.
She has since been getting Supplementary Allowance and Jobseekers Benifit for the last 2 weeks.
She is 62,lives alone and has no dependents.

She is bad with her two hips and had one hip replacement 2 years ago.
Also she has since got leg ulcers and is getting them dressed every week.She has varicose veins for years.Takes a tablet for Blood Pressure.

Today she got a form out in the post to be filled by her Doctor in the next 3 weeks.

She is worried now as she feels she does not know what to do.
Anyone any advice or what happens after Doctor fills form?
Is the Invaldity Pension hard to get?

jeckle

I'm not altogether sure whether claiming jobseekers benefit is a good idea if she is incapacitated to such a degree that she is incapable of & unavailable for work.

She should really be claiming supplementary welfare allowance on foot of her invalidity pension claim, so you might want to discuss this with her community welfare officer for clarification.

Apart from PRSI conditions, which I assume she has satisfied given the fact that dept social protection have sent her the medical form for her GP to complete, she has to satisfy the medical conditions. In her case her age may work in her favour.

Tell her not to worry about her application. She just needs to bring the form to her GP, who will complete it & send it back to DSP in the freepost envelope.

When received, the medical assessor will decide whether her invalidity pension can be awarded without the need for a medical desk assessment, though more often than not it can't, so she shouldn't be surprised if she receives an appointment to attend for a medical desk assessment. Her age may work in her favour here, as there is an eligibility category for over 60's.

This is not a cause for alarm. The entire process is full of red tape, but is conducted using strict procedure & operational guidelines. If called for this assessment she will be interviewed by one or more doctors. There will also be a nurse present (usually sitting in the backround). All medical information supplied by your GP, plus any other consultant or hospital records that have been supplied, will be available to them.

The doctors are all GPs who are on a panel, they are not out to trap your Mum in any way - they will ask her some questions about her condition & how it affects her daily (working) life now compared to how she was before she became ill, so it's important that she has put a bit of thought into this so as she doesn't leave anything out. basically, they have to make a call on whether, in their opinion your mum will be capable of work for the next 12 months or longer. When I say they aren't out to trap anyone, obviously, there are some people who apply who are capable of work, so someone with a mobility problem skipping into the room for example would raise alarm bells, but otherwise they will conduct the interview with respect & due care to your Mum's feelings.

They will then form an opinion based on medical records/reports plus the actual interview. They might tell her there & then that they are going to recommend that she be awarded invalidity pension, then again they might not. This again is nothing to worry about.

After that, she will receive a letter from DSP - if her claim has been refused they will say why. She has the right to appeal. If it has been awarded, they will inform her what, if any, further actions she has to take e.g. if she is applying for fuel allowance she may need to supply bank statements, as this is means tested. she will also be informed when her invalidity pension is due to start being paid. Any arrears due, less any payments already paid in form of Supplementary Welfare Allowance will be calculated & paid after her invalidity pension has started to be paid.

The whole process is quite a lengthly one, so she should be prepared to wait months rather than weeks for the entire process to complete.

If, at any time during this process she needs an update on her claim she can contact the invalidity pension section for an update.

The main thing is that you tell her to try not to worry - she has done nothing to hide, so all things being equal the odds are in her favour. She may not even be called for medical desk assessment, but if she is just make sure that she brings as much supporting documentation with her as possible. Her own GP will be able to advise her if she needs to obtain any hospital or consultant reports, or (s)he may be of the opinion that enough information has already been supplied.

She is also entitled to bring someone with her for moral support, so you may want to go along with her.

The welfare.ie site seems to be down at the moment, but if you do a google search for 'dept social welfare invalidity pension operational guidelines' when it comes back up, the entire process is explained in detail there. You can also go to the invalidity pension section on the site & look for a link for operational guidelines, or on the a to z index go to M & look for medical review & assessment. The operational guidelines section gives a more detailed description of the entire process than the description on the main pages.

I hope all goes well for her.

blossom180

Totally agree with jeckle,stick with swa as her stamps could run out while she is waiting for a decision.If this should happen she will be on a means tested benefit instead of Invalidately pension.Forgot to add her stamps run out after a year on jsb and her claim could take some time. wishing you mam well.

Quiko09

Thanks for replies,She gave her Doctor the form today,Hope it goes ok.Will update

roseann

Hi this is my 1st time posting here so sorry if i ramble.... i just wanted to let you know that i too applied for invalidity for the same reasons your mother applied (was on ib for 2 years). there is an extremely long waiting period for invalidity, i have waited 6 and a half months only to be told last Thusrday that i have been refused IP . I am distraught, i had not even been called in for a medical. my doctor did fill out a medical report form which i sent that back in July. i suffer from depression and chronic anxiety, it said in the letter that the deciding medical adviser thinks i will be capable to return to work in the next year,he decided without ever even meeting me or contacting my own doctor for further information on my condition. i was with my own doctor yesterday and he is disgusted that this has happened and has said he will help me in any way he can with my review on this. i also see a psychologist and a councilor on a regular basis and all this information was on my medical report form that was sent to them along with what dosage of medication i am on (which is quite high). i just can`t get my head around how based on a bit of paper this doctor has refused me IP. it feels like he is telling me i am not depressed, i really wish he was right. this has really tipped me over the edge and just don`t see the point anymore. I`m sorry for going on so much but i just want people to be prepared and realize the system is not always there to help you. LOOK AFTER YOUR MENTAL HEALTH!!!!! what a sad joke.

mp22

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/social_welfare/irish_social_welfare_system/social_welfare_appeals.html

mrsbyrne

roseann wrote: »

Hi this is my 1st time posting here so sorry if i ramble.... i just wanted to let you know that i too applied for invalidity for the same reasons your mother applied (was on ib for 2 years). there is an extremely long waiting period for invalidity, i have waited 6 and a half months only to be told last Thusrday that i have been refused IP . I am distraught, i had not even been called in for a medical. my doctor did fill out a medical report form which i sent that back in July. i suffer from depression and chronic anxiety, it said in the letter that the deciding medical adviser thinks i will be capable to return to work in the next year,he decided without ever even meeting me or contacting my own doctor for further information on my condition. i was with my own doctor yesterday and he is disgusted that this has happened and has said he will help me in any way he can with my review on this. i also see a psychologist and a councilor on a regular basis and all this information was on my medical report form that was sent to them along with what dosage of medication i am on (which is quite high). i just can`t get my head around how based on a bit of paper this doctor has refused me IP. it feels like he is telling me i am not depressed, i really wish he was right. this has really tipped me over the edge and just don`t see the point anymore. I`m sorry for going on so much but i just want people to be prepared and realize the system is not always there to help you. LOOK AFTER YOUR MENTAL HEALTH!!!!! what a sad joke.

So sorry rosanne your having such a terrible time. Appeal the refusal immediately to the Deciding Officer that refused you in Longford. Get strongly worded letters from your consultants and your GP your local TD the parish priest and any body else who will allege that you are very ill and will not be fit for work within the net 12 months. Have you got anyone to help you do this? you must do it as soon as possible, within the nest 21 days. good luck.

roseann

Thank you mp22 for the link you sent. And thank you mrsbyrne for your reply. my doctor and my physiologist have both given me letters and i am seeing my councilor today. my sister also rang our local TD who is going to help. My doctor is really maddened by all this because as he said it is disgraceful that the medical adviser`s can make these decision`s just by looking at a simple medical report form with a few boxes the doctor is given to tick! i have been like this for the last 4 years but became really bad just over 2 years ago and this is when i went in Ib, my mother died a few months ago due to a short illness with cancer and this has set me back so much i find the will to go on ebbing away, it is only for my son that i am still here. i wish these medical advisers could see and realize the effect their poor decisions have on our lives, they clearly must not have anyone in their lives suffering from depression (and i hope they never do), it is crippling.

roseann

@mrsbyrne, thank you so much for your advice, i did what you told me to do and got a local TD to help and also asked my doctors to write letters again for me ( they both wrote very strong worded letters) and i pleased to say that i have finally been awarded IP i got my 1st payment last week. My TD put in a review for me which is done much quicker than an appeal. I have been told that my money will be back dated to when my claim went in but that it will take at least 5-6 weeks for that to be sorted (but at least i know its on the way).