The MND Association run very successful campaigns and are currently campaigning to all people with MND who should be able to access the benefits quickly using the Special Rules for Terminal Illness (SRTI).

People living with a terminal illness, such as MND, should be able to claim benefits without having to fill out a lengthy form, attend a face-to-face assessment, or wait weeks for their benefits to arrive.

The SRTI process is the fast-track process for claiming benefits, meaning people do not have to go through a long and stressful assessment process. However, the SRTI requires a ‘reasonable expecta-tion of death within six months’, which excludes many people with an unpredictable terminal illness like MND. We would like to see the government change the law, as Scotland has recently done, to move away from the six month definition towards a decision made by a clinician.

Do you, or does someone you know, have experience of claiming benefits which could help us per-suade the government to Scrap 6 Months?

We’re looking for people living with MND to share their experience of claiming benefits as part of our ‘Scrap 6 Months’ campaign! We’d also like to hear from carers who have supported a person living with MND through the benefits process.

Who we’re looking for:

· People who have tried to apply for benefits* under the Special Rules for Terminal Illness (the fast-track process for claiming benefits), but their GP or consultant refused to sign the relevant form (DS1500).

· People who tried to apply for benefits under the Special Rules for Terminal Illness, but were turned down by the Department for Work and Pensions.

· People who applied for benefits under the normal process and found the experience stressful and feel strongly that applying under the Special Rules for Terminal Illness would have been more appropriate for them.

Please email campaigns@mndassociation.org with your name, a couple of sentences describing how your experience matches the above examples, and the region you live in. A member of the team will then contact you for further details.

You can also help by sharing a personal message on social media, with #Scrap6months.

Written by Jo Campbell, Volunteering Development Co-ordinator