incapacity benefit uk
The UK benefit which is most applicable to IBS sufferers is Incapacity Benefit. This is available to people who are not currently in work. This page provides details of Incapacity Benefit and also Statutory Sick Pay (for employed people) and Disability Living Allowance.
Statutory sick pay
If you are employed then you can receive Sick Pay for up to 28 weeks. After that you will need to claim Incapacity Benefit.
Disability living allowance
The Disability Living Allowance is for people who have care needs, such as help using the toilet or with cooking and cleaning, or mobility problems. It is unlikely to be applicable to IBS sufferers unless you also suffer from another disability such as arthritis or fibromyalgia.
Incapacity benefit
Incapacity benefit is paid to people who are unable to work and who are not receiving Sick Pay. There are different rates of Incapacity Benefit, which depend on how long you have been unable to work.
To qualify for this benefit you must be 16 or over and under state pension age, and you will usually need to have paid sufficient national insurance contributions. Initially you will need to provide a medical certificate to prove that you cannot work, and this can be used for the first 196 days of your sickness. When 196 days have passed you will be asked to pass a 'Personal Capability Assessment' (previously called the 'all work test'). This assessment examines your ability to perform everyday tasks such as cooking and walking. You may need to be examined by a doctor.
If your application for benefit is refused then you can lodge an appeal. Remember that if you are unemployed but looking for work, or working less than 16 hours a week, you may be able to apply for Income Support rather than a disability payment.
If you are thinking of applying for one of these benefits, there are more details on the JobcentrePlus website, or you can get good advice from a local Citizens' Advice Bureau.
disability experiences
The tale of...Blondie13
Well, where to begin describing the debacle which has been applying for Incapacity Benefit...I'll summarise the key points, because if I wrote in detail we'd be here for weeks!
1) Discovered Incapacity Benefit existed by seeing this very web page - previously had tried to claim income support and had failed, but they didn't bother telling me about Incapacity Benefit (IB).
2) Went to the relevant JobcentrePlus website, read all about the benefit, realised I qualified - so downloaded an application form (very long) and filled it in (very boring, some bizarre questions with no direct answer possible) and sent it in, along with my doctor's note/medical certificate.
3) Received two envelopes from the Department of Work and Pensions/JobcentrePlus on the same day. One had my application form in it (returned because I had 'not included a medical certificate', the other had my medical certificate, telling me I did 'not have a current claim for IB'. Hmm....
4) Called them up to ask 'What the hell?'. Took three departments before anyone could figure out what had happened, namely because they had no record for me, and seemed to blame me for that...Turns out that you CAN'T APPLY FOR IB BY POST - you have to call them to start the process. Any ideas as to why they tell you otherwise on their website? Nope...
5) So now started the 'correct' process, having lost six weeks (how long it took them to reply to my original application). Correct process apparently consists of a phone call to your local JobcentrePlus, which lasts around 20 minutes (though it took longer as the guy I spoke to understood minimal English), then one of their colleagues calls you back the next day to finish the telephone application/information-gathering process. Note: Be prepared - have details of all your banking and savings, work dates, etc to hand - you can get a good idea of the information you should have with you for the phone calls if you download the useless application form from their website.
6) Once these two telephone conversations have been completed, the information gathered in them will be sent to you ('personal statement'), which you must sign and send back. Two points here - first it means you send back something nearly entirely identical to the form that you can't use, containing the same information, second that it is advisable to use recorded post - don't ask...
7) Upon receiving your personal statement your 'claim process' is started - don't hold your breath. This process took three months, lots of phone calls to chase it, ridiculous arguments with people determined not to help and an original rejection decision - based on my 'late claim' (yep, I lost it at that point).
So, in conclusion, I eventually received Incapacity Benefit, and they backdated it for three months (I was actually entitled to it being backdated by 12, as I had medical certificates covering that period, but was advised trying to claim 'this much' would damage my claim, and it would take longer). I now receive it fortnightly, around £70 a week.
After 28 weeks they send you a letter saying you're nearly ready to claim Higher Rate Short Term Benefit - can you just please fill in the attached forms, get a more detailed note from your doctor, and send them back. This is part of your Personal Capability Test, and depending on the information in it you might be asked to attend a test with a doctor. Hmm, looking forward to that one...Still waiting to hear when/if I have to do that.
After 52 weeks you are entitled to Long Term Rate, which is quite a bit more than Short Term initial rate and Higher Rate. Hopefully I will be in a position to work by then and won't need it!! I'll update later.
Hopefully mine was just a bad case, but from the contact I've had with people there I wouldn't hold out much hope. Good luck!
The tale of...Hayley
I live in the UK and I have a degree. I am considering applying for Incapacity Benefit after previously receiving Jobseeker's Allowance (so much for uni!). I have 'tolerated' my IBS for a number of years, but I am now in my mid-twenties and it has become considerably worse, as not only an embarrassing but debilitating social condition.
The last bout was so bad I was practically bed-ridden for four weeks (apart from needing to get up to use the loo every five minutes). I hate having to go to the doctor and even talk about it to him as I get very embarrassed, my doctor isn't very empathetic which doesn't help! I also suffer from a knee injury and severe bouts of depression, but with both I fight very hard not to take anti-depressants or painkillers.
The knee injury plus depression, which is classed as a 'non-serious' mental illness, may bolster the application and save me from being turned down the first time, but at the same time I don't want to have to exaggerate any of my ailments just to receive any entitlements, but it seems that's what you have to do, I don't know if anyone would agree with me about that? I was able and available/seeking work before this, and did not want to have to resort to even applying for incapacity benefit.
The tale of...GG
My IBS is constipation-based (with the occasional bout of diarrhea just so that I can suffer all the symptoms) and makes me constantly tired and bloated. I have just dropped out of doing a masters degree I worked for years to be able to do because I simply could not cope.
I've been unemployed for a few weeks and am thinking of trying to claim some benefit. I can't eat without pain, get to sleep if I feel like I'm going to be sick or have stomach cramps, and I can't go to the toilet. So basically that's the three basic functions of any human being (eating, sleeping, using the toilet) that are difficult, some days even impossible, and painful for me. However I just have a feeling that actually claiming the benefit is going to be hard...
But it's just occurred to me that even if I did get it, what would be the point? Without work, a social interaction or just being able to enjoy something in life without pain there's no chance of living a decent lifestyle. I'm not talking about 'having it large' every Friday night, I just mean that I've had to become a social recluse who whines on the internet about a problem that is socially unacceptable to most people to talk about...Without any hope of recovery I can't even begin to try and fight this thing I'd rather it actually was fatal.
The tale of...Paul
The way you are awarded incapacity benefit is on a points system, and if you score 15 points you get it. One of the points if for if you lose control of your bowels at least once a week. The doctor asked me how many times a week I soil myself?! I could not believe him.
The tale of...Diana
I have applied for disability four or five times and have been turned down on each occasion. I have lost four stones due to IBS and have ended up in hospital three times. I haven't been able to work for four years and cannot continue my university career. These days I only go out to attend medical appointments. I've given up hope.
The tale of...Nikki
I have been receiving disability payments for over five years now but have suffered from IBS for about seven years. I'm a married mum of two and I live in the UK.
The whole process of claiming disability benefits was very easy to do. It took about six months to be actually allowed the benefit because I was refused it at first. They don't really take any notice of what you put into the application form. They ask you to go for a little chat with them and tell them how IBS affects you, and as we all know it affects everyone in different ways.
Myself, I rarely leave the house, travelling is impossible, I constantly feel sick and tired etc. I hope this helps anyone out there.
The tale of...Mandie
I have been ill for years with IBS and it got so bad I couldn't work. I applied for benefits with the help of the Citizens Advice Bureau and at first was turned down. I appealed and was awarded a low rate for two years, so it is worth a try. I think disability living allowance should be given as IBS is a chronic condition.
The tale of...Angela
My 10 year-old daughter has had IBS for five years. We tried to claim disability allowance and were turned down. We appealed with the help of a benefits officer but we were still turned down, although they would not give the reason why. Because it is not common they don't believe that it is that bad. Some days my daughter doesn't get out of bed with it or get much sleep at night.
The tale of...Bry
I have been off work for over three years because of IBS. I have been getting Incapacity Benefit for over two years, but the government department which deals with Incapacity Benefits does not believe that IBS is enough to prevent you going to work. So the way I got to receive Incapacity Benefit was to express the stress that it causes.