Dec/090
The Miners Brass Band Festival 2010
The Butlins Mineworkers National Open Brass Band Festival 2010 is one of the most ‘must visit’ contests in the brass
band calendar. The contest will be taking place at Butlins Skegness. It is the perfect venue for such an event
with everything you could want. With superb accommodation, good food and drink it promises to offer great family entertainment.
The Festival is hugely popular and attracts Brass Bands from all over the UK. All five brass band sections will compete on
Saturday 23rd January. The Championship section bands will compete in an entertainment contest (hosted by
BBC Radio 2’s Frank Renton) on Sunday 24th January determining the Butlins Champion Band for 2010.
Nov/094
Miners urged to have the VWF settlements reasssed
Are you one of the estimated 50,000+ claimants who were mis-advised or “short-changed” in relation to a claim for coal health compensation?
Following analysis of the administration of the compensation schemes for vibration white finger, a number of potential areas have been identified where solicitors have not properly advised claimants, or have undersettled claims.
You will probably not know the answers to these.
Let us assess this for you FREE OF CHARGE, you may be entitled to more compensation.
Aug/091
Can you make a claim for Osteoarthritis?
Osteoarthritis is a condition affecting the joints. The NHS say it is the most common form of arthritis affecting UK citizens and a reported 8-9 million people in this country are currently suffering with it. Characteristics of osteoarthritis are fairly constant in each case:
- It causes damage to cartilage - the strong, smooth surface that lines the bones and allows joints to move easily and without friction
- It results in bony growths developing around the edge of the joints.
- It causes mild inflammation of the tissues around the joints (synovitis)
- Osteoarthritis mostly occurs in the knees, hips and small joints of the hands, but almost any joint can be affected
Although it is a widespread condition, the Government has recognised that it may be, for some people, a direct consequence of working conditions suffered years ago. For example, ex miners who have worked for 10 or more years as a coal miner would have a good chance of receiving compensation from the Industrial Disablement Benefit fund announced by the Government.
The fund will initially be set up to provide benefits (from July 2009) to people suffering from this condition who can directly relate it to their employment. However, there are reports and rumours that the fund will eventually extend to offering compensation payouts to individuals who meet the criteria.
Aug/090
Latest News on Miners Claims
We have been getting quite a few calls and emails over recent weeks regarding the confusion over miners claims and compensation. The confusion has come about after a Government statement suggested that Miners Knee should be added to the list of conditions covered under the Industrial Disablement Benefit and was supposed to come into effect from July 2009.
As this seems to be a hot topic at the moment we felt obliged to create a list of FACTS relating to this:
To claim Industrial Disablement Benefit you must satisfy that:
You were an ‘employed earner’; and either
You have suffered a ‘personal injury’ in an industrial accident; or
You are suffering from a ‘prescribed industrial disease’; and
As a result of that accident/disease you have suffered a loss of faculty;
As a result of that loss of faculty you are disabled.
Your claim is analysed on a percentage scale.
The percentage of disablements for 2 or more accidents/diseases can be added together. So if you have 7% for PDA11 (Vibration White Finger) and 15% for an accident to your leg, you have a total of 22%.
Your claim can be backdated to 13th July 2009. It cannot be backdated any earlier unfortunately because osteoarthritis only became a prescribed disease on that date.
To process your claim it could take up to and beyond 6 months. This is because the Government anticipate that most eligible ex-miners will claim and that means an awful lot of claims will be made in a short space of time causing an inevitable backlog. However, as with many state benefits (eg. Job Seekers Allowance) it will be backdated to the original date of claim meaning you will likely receive a large lump sum payment.
The Government recognises that people who need it most should get it first which is why the benefit will be forced through as quickly as possible for the elderly and/or ill. However, it is important to note this in your DWP claim form otherwise panel making the decision on your claim will not take this into account.
If you have osteoarthritis in just one knee you should not be detered from making a claim. Most miners will have worked on both knees and therefore will have ‘Miners Knee’ in both but occassionally miners would use just one knee beit through preference or working conditions.
It is possible to have osteoarthritis in other parts of your body which is why it is to the doctors discretion (who will examine you) whether the osteoarthrit is linked to your employment.
There are no time limits to making a claim. The Government recognises that Osteoarthritis can develop over a long period of time and can develop in different ways.
Information taken from the Nation Union of Miners website.
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