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Forum Home  →  Discussion  →  Disability benefits  →  Thread

DLA Mobility/supermarkets/length of aisle F.Y.I

TJL
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Derby advice - Derby Homes

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The oft quoted question, in hearings/interviews under caution, can you walk the length of a supermarket aisle is not necessarily as straightfoward as at first thought - disregarding the no of shoppers around a supermarket confirmed to me recently that the aisle is designed to attract and thus halt shoppers every so often along an aisle.

Therefore the implication in the question can you walk the length is misleading as a shopper will stop to look at ( insert your own produce ) before moving on,

Just a little Tuesday morning thought,

Toby

Brian JB
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Advisor - Wirral Welfare Rights Unit, Birkenhead

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“Bear in mind that a person who can easily manage around the house and garden
is unlikely to be limited to walking less than 200 metres; a person who can walk
around a shopping centre/supermarket is unlikely to be limited to walking less
than 800 metres although consideration must be given to the speed of walking,
stops and pauses etc”.

This is an extract from the esa medical services handbook, and mirrors the advice to healthcare professionals in the incapacity benefit euivalent.  As a lot of healthvare professionals do DLA and ESA/IB medical assessments, they will all have been made aware of this guidance. As to any scientific basis for this, who knows?

For DLA, the HCP only really has to put “150” or “200 metres” to torpedo a claim for high rate mobility, so they would not need to say “800 metres”.  A walking distances of “200 metres” before onset of severe discomfort is still very significant to those of us who walk freely, but will look as though some consideration has been given to the difficulties experienced by the claimant

ClaireHodgson
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Solicitor, CMH solicitors, Tyne And Wear

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none of which helps the person who is in severe discomfort from the first step, but walks nonetheless, despite it ...

ikbikb
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LSD WB supervisor - Bury District CAB, Lancashire

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Any walking done with severe discomfort does not count in any assesment of walking ability.

ClaireHodgson
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Solicitor, CMH solicitors, Tyne And Wear

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ikbikb - 20 July 2010 02:34 PM

Any walking done with severe discomfort does not count in any assesment of walking ability.

i know; see my thread headed “you will like this”

chrislpl
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Linskills Solicitors

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Dear Soviet Leader,

Would it be possible for you to provide a copy of the ESA Medical Services Handbook. When I have asked Atos to provide it and quoted UT Decision CIB/0664/2005, they have very politely completely ignored me. I have just taken instructions from a client who had an awful EMP Home Visit report for DLA and sight of the Handbook may help to formulate arguments as to why the Appeal Tribunal should place lesser weight upon it than they usually do.

My e-mail address is chris.browne AT linskills.co.uk

Many thanks in anticipation.

Regards

Chris

Tony Benson
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Disability Alliance

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“Bear in mind…” how can they possibly make proper findings based on such a wide generalisation? If any HCP thinks that this is a sound basis for evidence gathering I do not want them caring for my health.

Ariadne
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Social policy coordinator, CAB, Basingstoke

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Let’s be provocative (I love doing this).

I am currently suffering from plantar fasciitis in my left heel, not I must admit particularly severely (like almost all medical conditions, it is hugely variable). I have the typical feature of the condition, which is that if I have been sitting or lying down for any period of time, it is acutely painful when I first stand up and I cannot walk at all without severe discomfort.

But if I persist for maybe 10 metres, say as far as the bathroom, the acute pain vanishes and I can then walk for a couple of miles before mild discomfort sets in, and perhaps as much as 4 miles before I actually have what I would regard as moderate pain of the sort where I can’t wait to stop and take a painkiller.

Do I qualify for higher rate mobility?