Voluntary Work & Expiry of Award

Hi Work and Benefits

Do you know if there has been any information regarding DLA and if it reflects consequences if you do any unpaid voluntary work? And my DLA award ends May 2011. I took the opportunity to have a Mobility Car which runs out the end of November, would you have any suggestions what my choices would be when it comes to November 2010 when the car I have has to go back? Do I ask for another form to complete, or wait till my current award expires.

I am really nervous about rocking the boat, although we will all have to apply again. It did eventually take me four years to get my current award and then I was ecstatic that I had been granted the high rate in both cases.
I have been awarded High rate for both Mobility and Care elements. The main reason for my enquiry is this. I am a 54 year old lady whom until 2003 became unfit for work. I was active and worked full-time and looked after my family. It took the medical world 4 years to find out what was exactly my malaise. They had found that I have Spinal Stenosis in the Cervical Neck with Myleopathy, Thoracic and Lumbar. I really do spend a lot of my life in complete pain and live on pain killers, have had morphine patches, two spine operations in the last three years and several visits to organise and have short stays in hospital to have injections to kill the pain. On a day to day basis the mental strain tells on me and I look in the mirror, I don’t see me, it’s someone else. (Without going into everything with a fine tooth comb as I don’t wish to bore you unecessarily, all though I know you love your work) There is more to just having Arthritis of the spine than just getting on with it. It does my head in, I really get frustrated at what I can do these days and I thought I would enjoy a bit of voluntary work, being therapeutic etal.

Now the Government cuts are really going to bite, I am very concerned that if I try to do my bit and give something back that I would be penalised if they thought ‘ I can go and do voluntary work’ then I can go too work’ But I can’t, I get mentally exhausted and physically tired if it on a full time basis, I have tried it. It just makes things worse and I become very ill and in pain and the whole cycle of everything clicks into being. Do you have any advice on what I could or can’t do? Would I then possibly be seen as not in as much help with personal care just because I volunteered. I can only do a bit maybe once a month, but mostly it’s to get me out because I have lost much contact with friends and not able to make new contacts being stuck at home, at least if I can get out it helps me.
Do I have to apply for the form again or do they send one out automatically?

Many thanks

QueenBee wrote:

Hi Work and Benefits

Do you know if there has been any information regarding DLA and if it reflects consequences if you do any unpaid voluntary work? And my DLA award ends May 2011. I took the opportunity to have a Mobility Car which runs out the end of November, would you have any suggestions what my choices would be when it comes to November 2010 when the car I have has to go back? Do I ask for another form to complete, or wait till my current award expires.

I am really nervous about rocking the boat, although we will all have to apply again. It did eventually take me four years to get my current award and then I was ecstatic that I had been granted the high rate in both cases.
I have been awarded High rate for both Mobility and Care elements. The main reason for my enquiry is this. I am a 54 year old lady whom until 2003 became unfit for work. I was active and worked full-time and looked after my family. It took the medical world 4 years to find out what was exactly my malaise. They had found that I have Spinal Stenosis in the Cervical Neck with Myleopathy, Thoracic and Lumbar. I really do spend a lot of my life in complete pain and live on pain killers, have had morphine patches, two spine operations in the last three years and several visits to organise and have short stays in hospital to have injections to kill the pain. On a day to day basis the mental strain tells on me and I look in the mirror, I don’t see me, it’s someone else. (Without going into everything with a fine tooth comb as I don’t wish to bore you unecessarily, all though I know you love your work) There is more to just having Arthritis of the spine than just getting on with it. It does my head in, I really get frustrated at what I can do these days and I thought I would enjoy a bit of voluntary work, being therapeutic etal.

Now the Government cuts are really going to bite, I am very concerned that if I try to do my bit and give something back that I would be penalised if they thought ‘ I can go and do voluntary work’ then I can go too work’ But I can’t, I get mentally exhausted and physically tired if it on a full time basis, I have tried it. It just makes things worse and I become very ill and in pain and the whole cycle of everything clicks into being. Do you have any advice on what I could or can’t do? Would I then possibly be seen as not in as much help with personal care just because I volunteered. I can only do a bit maybe once a month, but mostly it’s to get me out because I have lost much contact with friends and not able to make new contacts being stuck at home, at least if I can get out it helps me.
Do I have to apply for the form again or do they send one out automatically?

Many thanks

Insofar as the renewal of your DLA award arises, renewal forms are usually automatically sent out between 3-6 months before the current award is due to expire.

Voluntary work is covered in the guide entitled "Caution! It May Not Count as Voluntary Work", and is accessible by scolling down to the publication HERE.