Benefits service for people with me/cfs
Lancaster CAB
Morecambe Bay ME Group
Rights for ME is a pioneering benefits casework project which aims to improve the lives of people suffering from ME in the Morecambe Bay area and to push for longer term changes which will benefit far more.
The project is funded by the Big Lottery Fund for a three-year period. It is the result of a partnership between Morecambe Bay ME Group and Lancaster Citizens Advice Bureau. The service is available to those with ME/CFS, their carers and families, living in Barrow, Lancaster and South Lakes districts.
The project assists people with ME in claiming sickness and disability benefits. The caseworker will explain the eligibility criteria for the various benefits, and the application procedures. Advice will be available about how to improve applications, and how to challenge benefit decisions where possible.
If you wish to contact the project caseworker, please phone the referral line: 01524 65842. The caseworker will make an initial contact, and a home visit will be arranged if support from the caseworker is necessary. Home visits are key to the project, because they enable clients to make the most use of their available energy in contact with the caseworker, and avoid them having to travel to a venue for an appointment.
Rights for ME has produced a number of documents describing the process of obtaining benefit:
- The Rights for ME Project
- Applying for and Appealing against Disability and Sickness Benefits for People with ME/CFS
- The Doctor's Visit: the Medical Examination when Claiming Disability and Sickness Benefits
- Writing a Diary: Guidelines
- Incapacity Benefit Checklist for People with ME/CFS
- Disability Living Allowance Checklist for People with ME/CFS
- Employment and Support Allowance Checklist for People with ME/CFS
- Activities and Functions Assessed for DLA and IB Applications
- Voices of ME
- Applying and appealing for DLA: the process
- Primary care patient advice
- Employment and Support Allowance for ME/CFS claimants
Other organisations are welcome to make use of these documents, but are asked to inform the Rights for ME project first.
Suggestions about or amendments to these booklets would be gratefully received via Lancaster CAB or Morecambe Bay ME Group.
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