For use by Health Professionals and their Advisors only
Blue Badge ‘Fast Track’ service for the terminally ill (Children & Adults)
We have been looking at all parts of our Blue Badge service to find ways of improving it for our customers.
One of the areas of focus is the current Blue Badge ‘Fast Track’ service; providing badges to those who are eligible because they are terminally ill and have a life expectancy of less than 6 month. The process to date has been open to abuse so we made changes to our general application form to include terminal illness last month. Along with the application form customers, or often their families, need to provide us with a copy of a DS1500 form as well as proof of address, ID, payment and a photo (although photos are not necessary if the person is too ill). We aim to process these applications within 24hrs of receipt at County Hall.
If customers don’t have a DS1500 form then currently they have to complete the full, quite lengthy, application form. To overcome this, we have designed a new form, specifically for a Health Professional to complete on behalf of the customer, that will speed up the process. The form is short and quick to complete and allows the Professional to confirm the customer’s address and identity, preventing the customer or their family from having to find and photocopy documents to send in to us. If the customer has a DS1500, a copy can be sent in as well. Payment and a photo is still required (again, if the person is too ill, a photo does not have to be included).
On the new form, fourth page is an optional page, which can be given to the customers to enclose with their payment and photo if they are not being sent with the form.
The form’s design is based on what other Local Authorities, who do something similar, use.
We are looking to go live with the form with effect from 1st October, 2018, however forms received before this date will be accepted and processed.
If you have any feedback or queries regarding the new form please contact: bluebadgescheme@somerset.gov.uk.