The founder of a cancer charity has urged people with the disease to check whether they are eligible for disability benefits, saying she could not do “half the things” she does if she did not have her Blue Badge and adult disability payment.
Jen Hardy MBE, who set up the charity Cancer Card Scotland after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017, said she wants people with cancer to know that “it’s OK to get financial support” to help with the effects of the disease on day-to-day-life.
She has now joined the Scottish Government in calling on people with cancer to ensure they are getting the money they could be entitled to under Scotland’s disability payment schemes.
Both adult disability payment and child disability payment are available in Scotland to help cover the extra costs of being disabled, having a long-term health condition or being terminally ill.
Ms Hardy said: “There is a perception that to get disability benefits someone needs to have a physical disability that is there all the time, but that’s not the case.
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“Cancer can have a substantial and long-term effect on someone’s ability to do normal daily activities.
“It affects you not just physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. For most people, how they feel and the level of help they need changes.
“For example, every three weeks I have an infusion of life-extending Herceptin, which takes three or four hours. It’s exhausting and I get so tired I can’t move.
“Without my Blue Badge and my adult disability payment I couldn’t do half the things I do. I want people with cancer to know that it’s OK to get financial support and it’s OK to apply for child disability payment or adult disability payment.
“Everyone needs help at some point in their life.”
Social Security Scotland, which delivers social security payments, will fast-track applications for disability payments from people who are terminally ill, with decisions in these cases taking as little as 48 hours.
For people with cancer applying under the standard rules there is a qualifying period before they become eligible for support.
Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “Adult disability payment and child disability payment are there to help cover the extra costs that come with being disabled or having a long-term health condition such as cancer.
“Getting a cancer diagnosis is difficult enough without worrying about bills. This is money people are entitled to and I urge everyone who is eligible to apply for support.
“Many people with cancer have spoken about how attending appointments and getting treatment can be a full-time job.
“That’s why we fast-track applications from people diagnosed with terminal cancer so that they can get the support they need as quickly as possible.
“Social Security Scotland can help people apply for these payments either over the phone or face-to-face in a location that suits them.
“We also fund independent advocacy service Voiceability to provide help to disabled people applying for Scottish benefits.”
Cancer Card Scotland, founded in 2021, is a charity that connects people affected by cancer with the right support, regardless of their background or circumstances.
It has partnered with Social Security Scotland to help people affected by cancer to apply for disability benefits.
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