Prostate Cancer as a Disability, what type of support or schemes are out there?

Hi Donald, a lot of additional benefits support depends on the basic starting point and are considered add on benefits so the best place to start is to carryout a benefit check which you can do yourself on either of the following sites
Government - https://www.gov.uk/check-benefits-financial-support

An independent Charity site is Turn2Us - https://benefits-calculator.turn2us.org.uk/

You can also contact the helpline below or also your local Citizens Advice, if you need support with claiming any benefits such as Personal Independence Payment or depending on your age then Disability Allowance, to get any Carer’s benefits then you have to have one of these benefits in place, both have a 6 month wait for payment from time of diagnosis.

You can also contact the Money Hub from ourselves : https://www.macmillan.org.uk/cancer-information-and-support/money-hub

Hope this helps

All the best, Take care, Tony

Hi Donald.

Kasvin has given you an excellent starting point for checking whether you are eligible for any benefits and can I just add in Attendance Allowance for pensioners and Mobility Allowance which opens up the Blue Badge scheme. I used to volunteer for a charity which helped people fill out claim forms for disability benefits and this taught me that you stand a better chance of having your claim accepted if you know the criteria which give you the most points. Most of the clients would naturally downplay the impact their illness had on them so having an expert help with filling in the forms is a great help. Also there was a quota system each month which meant that many people had their claims turned down unfairly so I ended up helping them through the appeals process which can be daunting. At the time I was volunteering approximately 60% of initial rejections were overturned at appeal.

Good luck.

Hi Tony, 

Thank you for your prompt response. There are a few things I've never heard of here and look very useful.

Is a couple of things might not have been mentioned like the Access Card, which helps with not able to stand outside venues and getting your reasonable adjustments in the various places and your carer gets access for free when with you.

When working there is also the Access to Work schemes that support people would have disability in the workplace.

I really appreciate information and I hope it benefits others in this forum as well.

Kind regards,

Donald 

Really good guidance and useful information and I see you recommended the Access Card, thank you.

They say it's good practice when filling in these forms so just simply mention your worst days as you can't make claims for good days and bad days.

It's most unfortunate some of these forms online don't send your copy, so you can't remember what you've written down and it would be used against you because you can't remember all the details.

Thank you for taking the time to answer my query.

Kind regards,

Donald 

Many thanks Donald for the information you shared. My husband has been diagnosed with Aggressive Prostate Cancer and my question is how do I claim these benefits? Do I go through MacMillian? I look forward to hearing from you. 

Millibob.

Kasvin put up some really useful links for accessing disability benefits in response to Donald's initial query but the post appears to have been taken down. I know you have knowledge of different organizations through your champs hat. Can you help please 

Hi don’t know about the things you have listed. I get the attendance allowance due to my prostate cancer. MacMillan cancer support filled in the form for me

Good Morning Alwayshope and Kasvin 

I have just read your post - I was out yesterday so wasn't aware of this thread until this morning but thanks for both posts.

 Kasvin 's original reply is still there at the top of the thread and in all honesty he's put up probably a better reply than I would have done (even though I work in the financial world!). so thanks for the cracking reply Tony.

My personal view is seek help to see what you can claim. These people are great at knowing what you can claim and they know just how to complete the claim form.

Best wishes to you both.

Brian.

Hi Brian.

Hope you had a well earned day off yesterday. The only reason I gave you a prompt was because Kasvin's post disappeared for a while but then returned after I put my post up. Obviously a glitch in the system.

When I was volunteering I found that a lot of people were under the misapprehension that disability benefits were means tested and, therefore, they were not entitled. Talking to an expert can open up a lot of help, not just financial, which can improve the quality of life particularly for those on the treatable pathway. I would urge everyone with cancer to get a review and you never know you may have a nice surprise. 

useful info Donald many thanks BM