ileostomy and social welfare.

advice2011

Hello there,

Looking for a bit of advice as i'm getting a bit stressed out with this situation.

The short version of events; For the last 2 years i have been battling with ulcer colitis, which resulted in having surgery, leaving me with an ileostomy. I've been receiving supplementary welfare payments over this period while a decision was pending on my eligibility for disability allowance. After being initial refused (because at that stage i had not had surgery) and appealing the decision (on the advice of a brief conversation with a social worker) i now have an oral hearing coming up in the coming weeks.

My question is;

Is having an ileostomy classed as a disability in the social welfare systems eyes?

and if so what are my entitlements?

Also are there support groups in ireland to contact for help on these issues?

Or is there anyone on boards with previous experience with these issues or who could point me to existing threads about these matters??

thank you.

p.s probably relevant to state benefits forum also???

MS.ing

Rules

To qualify for Disability Allowance (DA) you must:

• Have an injury, disease or physical or mental disability that has continued or may be expected to continue for at least one year
• As a result of this disability be substantially restricted in undertaking work that would otherwise be suitable for a person of your age, experience and qualifications
• Be aged between 16 and 66. When you reach 66 years of age you no longer qualify for DA, but you are assessed for a state pension.
• Satisfy a means test
• Satisfy the Habitual Residence Condition.

source

I doubt having an ileostomy is a disability itself based on what the qualiying conditions are

liquoriceall

Why cant you work with an ileostomy? Know people who do all sorts of jobs with stomas icluding vets, secretarys, teachers etc so cant really think of too many jobs that would not be doable

advice2011

liquoriceall wrote: »

Why cant you work with an ileostomy? Know people who do all sorts of jobs with stomas icluding vets, secretarys, teachers etc so cant really think of too many jobs that would not be doable

Hello. thanks for the reply.

Its a little more complicated than id rather discuss on a public forum. Avoiding work is not my intention at all, in fact id love to get back into the normal run of things. what im concerned about is being messed about by the SW office, getting to jump through hoop after hoop, being stressed out about the little bit of money i have been surviving on at the minute, instead of focusing on my health.

So i'm just looking to see if there is anybody on here who has gone through similar experiences or could point me to irish based support groups online or otherwise to find some sort of guidance or support through the next few weeks.

thanks.

jeckle

Firstly, having had an ileostomy would not automatically quailify anyone for Disability Allowance, but could for example inhibit someone with a highly physical occupation, or a model etc, so nothing is cut and dry.

If I am understanding your OP correctly, your initial application was refused, you have appealed the decision & are awating a hearing based on this refusal. You don't say whether or not you were called for a MRA previously, but even if you were & it was before your surgery, the possibility is that this would not have made any difference to the decision.

Your oral appeal hearing is your chance to update DSP/MRA your medical condition, so it's vital that you gather all supporting documentation & bring it with you to this hearing. Your GP will be able to tell you whether or not he/she has received any correspondence from DSP/MRA requesting further information regarding your present condition. If he/she hasn't, ask them to furnish you with an up to date medical report & supporting letter. You might also have to obtain report(s) from hospital consultants, social worker etc.

Your GP will more than likely have experience of appeals before, so should be able to help & advise you of what you need. Your social worker might also be in a position to accompany you to the hearing, which would be of great benefit, not only for moral support, but also as they would be less likely to get phased by the situation at hand & possibly say/point out something that you might forget to under stress.

It's understandable that you don't want to go into exact details about your condition on a public forum, but bear in mind that any resulting or related conditions such as acute anxiety, severe depression, for example, which may have surfaced as a direct result of your present condition are also taken into account, as is how your present condition now affects your capacity to work. This is why it's so important that you gather all relevant up to date medical information, as your present condition, even though may have been predicted - might not have been the case at the time of your initial application.

The entire system is full of red tape, & waiting periods of months is the norm. Larger numbers applying for any particular scheme, public service employment embargoes etc create backlogs, which sometimes gives applicants the impression that they are being given the runaround. Strict controls & operational guidelines are in place, so try not to worry too much - the chances are that everything will work out. I realise that this is easier said than done & that it's natural to worry - just try to get into your midset that you have nothing to worry about as regards your appeal being successful. Why should you? - your GP considers you medically unfit, so the chances are with up to date supporting evidence that the DSP/MRA will too. Financial worries are a different kettle of fish, but bear in mind that if your disability allowance is awarded that they will become less of a burden, & the possibility of secondary benefits would go some way to alleviate some of these.

Best of luck!

advice2011

thank you very much jeckle for the advice. just what i was looking for.

longlife

Hi advice 2011, I can understand your predicament and feel your pain. Firstly of course an ileostomy is a disability if it's not working out for you. It can prevent you from doing a lot of day to day stuff . Going back to work may not be an option for quite a few years, each case is different and some people suffer far more complications that others. Also one has to consider that applying for a disability allowance is now an obligatory part of the process when illness benefit cuts off automatically after 2 years. As a collitis sufferer for 4 years leading to a total colectomy in 2011, I nearly killed myself trying to hold down a job id had for 16 years previous, literally ! eventually i had to go on illness benefit because I could only get as far as the bathroom and back to bed [about 30 times in a day] , never mind get to work ! of course i had paid over an above my fair share of prsi, as i had in the past worked for over 30 years somtimes holding down more than one job.I was horrified to learn, while i was waiting for my total colectomy operation that because of the austerity measures due to banks mismanaging their businesses and going into liquidation, the government who'd bailed them out, with our prsi contributions, decided without warning to us the recipients, that it would automatically cut off after 2 years.
A decsion I feel should not have had retrospective effect, it should only apply new applicants. Although if your seriously sick like you and I were it should continue until your better, regardless of when you start on it. Its really hard living on any kind of benefit, it only provides for a basic subsistence level quality of life, and the stress of being ill and not being able to pay your esb bins etc takes it's toll. Anyway illness benefit doesn't use up your prsi contributions, so i was advised to apply for invalidity pension by dfsp in the interim i get clinic payments like yourself. If i'm refused this IP i have to apply for disability allowance. My GP says its all part of the process ! in other words they make it as hard as possible for you ,make you jump through hoops in the hope you will give up, yes its true, I've been told this by social workers, doctors pharmacists and patients etc there is no sudden giant increase in sick people in ireland so DFSP and HSE are well capable of dealing with and giving us back the money we paid out for our insurance in case of sickness over all the years, its just they have been instructed not to unless impossible criterion are met, wonder when the bankers are going to pay us back the money we loaned them when they went bust !That might speed up our disability applications. Anyway hang on in there
You are entitled to financial assistance if your are genuinely ill and suffering from a disability that prevents you from working and YOU ARE, there is no doubt, keep the faith. After all miracles do happen I got the medical card 8 months after my on line application.... far cry from their website promise of 15 days to determine whether your eligible or not!! good luck and keep your spirits up,regards longlife