1 We have an MEA information leaflet that covers all aspects of Blue Badge applications as they relate to ME/CFS:
www.meassociation.org.uk/shop/benefits-leaflets/blue-badge-scheme/
2 We also have an MEA ‘To Whom It May Concern’ letter, signed by myself, that can be used to support a Blue Badge application or renewal:
www.meassociation.org.uk/shop/to-whom-letters/blue-badge-evidence/
3 It can also be helpful to provide some research evidence relating to Prognosis and Permanency in relation to ME/CFS to back up an application. We have another MEA information leaflet that could be used for this purpose.
All of these leaflets can be ordered from the MEA on-line shop, or the literature order form in ME Essential magazine:
MEA literature order form:
www.meassociation.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/MEA-Order-Form-Feb-2016.pdf
MEA on-line shop:
www.meassociation.org.uk/shop/
4 We also work with the Countess of Mar on issues relating to DWP benefits and disability aids for people with ME/CFS, and the following parliamentary question was tabled in relation to Blue Badges and ME/CFS:
www.meassociation.org.uk/2012/05/parliamentary-question-blue-badge-eligibility-15-may-2012/
5 A number of MEA members have successfully challenged Blue Badge refusals using the above information, and I was recently involved in one such case.
6 We are also aware that people with ME/CFS are facing increasing difficulty when it comes to obtaining a Blue Badge or renewing an existing Blue Badge.
Whilst it is CORRECT to say that ME/CFS is not an illness that automatically qualifies a person for a Blue Badge, it is INCORRECT to state, as some local council officials are now doing, that people with ME/CFS are not eligible for a Blue Badge.
People with ME/CFS can be eligible for a Blue Badge – provided their mobility and walking problems satisfy the eligibility criteria that have been produced in relation to this scheme.
Dr Charles Shepherd
Hon Medical Adviser, The ME Association
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