Illness Benefit Query

[dariuscork]

Does anyone know how long someone can be on Illness Benefit before they will be called before a board medical examiner, I have a friend who is on it now for over 4 months, they have to get a form signed every week in the Doctors when should that turn to having to sign monthly and who decides this? this person has a genuine illness so please only genuine answers. Thank you.

 

[STEINER]

Hi,

I think someone on IB will be called up every 6 months or so. I am almost 2 years on it but didn't attend any board for review as was too ill with cancer both as a lengthy inpatient and even too ill as an outpatient also for board review.

For a whole year my wife had to get a sick cert every week for me from CONSULTANT or REG or GP and post it away. This changed to once a month after the first year. Now I was too ill to think about this back then, but looking back now it does seem that I could have been switched to monthly certs much earlier given the nature of my illness.

If someone has quite a serious medical condition which is likely to prevent work for some time then they should look to change to monthly certs, contact the Illness Benefit section in DSP.

 

[amtc]

I was off for 2 1/2 months in 2010 and got called just as I returned to work

 

[gipimann]

The referral to the medical examiner depends on the illness. Most illnesses have an approximate "timeline" and if a person is still claiming illness benefit after that time, they are likely to be referred.

For example, a broken arm might have a "timeline" of 6-8 weeks, so if someone was still claiming after 10-12 weeks, they might be referred to the medical referee.

 

[aoc]

to tag onto the end of this post - hope that is ok...

friend off for 8 mths now with genuine illness... has been called for assessment at end of May. When she got initial diagnoses she was told at least 9-12 mts off possibly up to 2 yrs......

she is now worried that she will be cut off, just anxious about it i suppose, but i have no experience to offer advice to her - what do you bring, all scans reports etc etc????? what are they entitled to ask you? she has been changed from weekly certs to monthly certs and then got this notice....