Here Are Some People We Have Helped

John and Margaret’s story

John and Margaret are both in their 80’s and live in West Lothian. They heard about DIG from their son after he had been at a talk on Welfare Benefits given by DIG’s Chief Benefits Adviser. John and Margaret are both very disabled and, like other couples, do their best to look after each other. They were struggling along on basic retirement pensions and a very small pension from John’s work. They didn’t know which Benefits they could claim. After a phone call to DIG each made a claim for Attendance Allowance (a benefit for people over 65 who have extensive difficulties with personal care) and DIG helped with all the form filling. Not only were they awarded this benefit at the higher rate but it also helped them get Income Support - an extra £240 per week altogether. They were over the moon! They were even more amazed when they found out this meant they would get full rent and council tax rebates. What a difference this extra money made to their lives - no more worrying about heating bills, they could take a taxi without worrying about the cost, they could pay for help in the house, plus lots more. John said “….. we wish to commend the DIG service. We would never have been able to succeed by ourselves.”

“We wish to commend the DIG service. We would never have been able to succeed by ourselves.” (John and Margaret)

Dara Lee’s story

Sadly, this lovely little 4 year old was born with an inherited heroin addiction, poor vision and a deformity of one leg making it smaller than it should be. Dara was emotionally withdrawn and needs a lot of love and attention. Her foster parents hope to adopt her. Her foster mum, Gloria, contacted DIG at the suggestion of a friend. After going over all Dara’s problems the DIG Adviser helped Gloria complete a rather lengthy and complicated claim form for Disability Living Allowance for Dara giving details of the difficulties Dara has in comparison with a non-disabled child of her age. It was several months before a decision was made but when it was, it meant she received £75 per week due to her difficulties with mobility and need for help in her daily life. Because there was a delay, a sizeable amount of arrears was paid too. Gloria could then apply for Carers Allowance and she receives over £40 per week for the extra attention she has to give Dara. These benefits have helped Dara get the care she needs. The family couldn’t get over the amount of support and help they got from DIG Adviser.

Jamila’s story

Jamila comes from the West of Scotland and it was her local branch of the Pain Association who gave her DIG’s number. Jamila suffers from a variety of ailments - spondylosis, muscle pain, diabetes and high blood pressure - as well as only having one kidney. Jamila’s first contact with DIG was in 1997 when she was getting Incapacity Benefit and was being assessed to see if she was unfit for any kind of work. Jamila was concerned about this. Her DIG Adviser helped her with the form detailing her disabilities and their effect on her. After 3 months Jamila was told her Incapacity Benefit would continue. She has had to complete the same form several times since then and has always valued DIG’s advice and support. As she also has walking difficulties, with DIG’s help, a successful claim was made for Disability Living Allowance - the mobility part. Jamila was pleased to get the £39 per week and this meant she could now get the Disabled Persons Parking Badge without having to have the usual medical. It was now easier for her to go out in a car. Jamila said “The help I received has been wonderful and your support eased my situation. I greatly appreciated help in understanding and completing benefit forms as well as being advised what I could claim.”

“I greatly appreciated help in understanding and completing benefit forms as well as being advised what I could claim"