Access to benefits

From MEpedia, a crowd-sourced encyclopedia of ME and CFS science and history
Revision as of 22:57, February 2, 2019 by 77.111.245.10 (talk) (→‎USA: c/e)

Access to disability benefits can be difficult for patients with ME/CFS. This is due to a range of factors including discrimination, poor public understanding, and the fluctuating nature of the condition.

UK[edit | edit source]

  • A report by Action for ME found that despite 97% of patients experiencing difficulty with two or more daily activities listed in the Care Act 2014 for England, only 16% had received social care assessments, and only 6% had been awarded a care package.[1]
  • "Barriers to self-referral and fair assessment included:
    • lack of clear information about social care process and entitlements (58% of respondents)
    • cognitive and communication difficulties preventing engagement with social care processes (47% of respondents)
    • social care processes ill-adjusted to the very poor stamina of people with M.E./CFS
    • misunderstanding, misinformation and stigma surrounding the label of M.E./CFS acted as a deterrent to asking for help for 38% of respondents and was also perceived to impact on the fairness of assessments and the type of support provided."[2]

USA[edit | edit source]

The United States has Social Security Insurance/Social Security Disability (SSI/SSD) and Long Term Disability (LTD) is available through private insurance companies and many businesses offer this insurance to their employees.

Please Note: The following is NOT legal advice and it should not be relied upon in taking steps for a disability case. Only the Social Security Administration (SSA) and a disability lawyer can provide the most up to date and the correct legal avenue for bringing a disability case.

Preparing For Your Social Security Disability Hearing: What To Expect By Michles Booth (2015)

Learn more[edit | edit source]

See also[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]