ELIGIBILITY FOR THE NATIONAL CONCESSIONARYBUSPASS
For people with certain disabilities or those of eligible age

Interpretation of the following eligibility categories will be in accordance with statutory guidance issued by the Department for Transport (DfT) under Section 146 of the Transport Act 2000. The DfT is of the opinion that the types of disability which should enable people to claim the statutory concession are those which are permanent or which have lasted at least twelve months - or which are likely to last at least twelve months, and have a substantial effect on a person’s ability to carry out normal day to day activities.

Category A - Blind or partially sighted people
The DfT advises that permits should be issued to people whose sight is so impaired that they would be able to register as blind or partially sighted. For both blind and partially sighted people, however, registration is voluntary. It is recognised that local authorities are unlikely to have the expertise to assess applicants, so for the purposes of the travel concession local authorities may, where appropriate, require evidence that the applicant is registerable as blind or partially sighted from an eye specialist, for example, an optometrist.
Cornwall Council requires one type of the following items of proof:
  • Evidence from an eye specialist/ medical professional on official paper that the applicant is registered or is registerable as blind or partially sighted
  • Letter from Social Services confirming registration as blind or partially sighted

Category B - People who are profoundly or severely deaf
People who are profoundly or severely deaf. Hearing loss is measured in decibels, as dBHL (Hearing Level). People are generally regarded as having a severe hearing loss if it reaches 70-95 dBHL and a profound loss if it reaches 95+ dBHL.
There is no statutory registration system for deaf people. However many will be registered on a voluntary basis with their local authority Social Services department. The register is open to people who have varying degrees of hearing loss, so in checking applications a local authority is advised to check that the applicant is profoundly or severely deaf. As for blind and partially sighted people local authorities may where appropriate require applicants to show evidence of registration before issuing a permit, or evidence that they are registerable, for example, an audiological report, or a report from an aural specialist.
Cornwall Council requires one type of the following items of proof:
Evidence from an aural specialist/medical professional on official paper that the applicant is registerable as profoundly or severely deaf
 Letter from Social Services confirming registration as profoundly or severely deaf
Category C – People without Speech
People without speech, who are unable to communicate orally in any language. These people will be: unable to make clear basic oral requests e.g. to ask for a particular destination, fare or unable to ask specific questions to clarify instructions e.g. "Does this bus go to the High Street"?
This category would not, in the DfT’s opinion, cover people who are able to communicate orally, but whose speech may be slow or difficult to understand because, for example, of a severe stammer. The local authority may reasonably seek medical evidence to support the application in appropriate cases.
Cornwall Council requires one type of the following items of proof:
  • Evidence from a medical professional on official paper that the applicant is without speech
  • Social Services registration as disabled person

Category D - People with severe mobility problems
People who have a disability, or have suffered an injury, which has a substantial and long term effect on their ability to walk (likely to last at least 12 months)
In assessing the eligibility of other applicants local authorities will wish to consider the ability to walk for distances of up to 100m without stopping, severe discomfort or help from another person, whether a mobility aid is used - wheelchair, crutches, walking frame, stick, etc. It is envisaged that permits will be issued to people who can do so only with excessive labour and at an extremely slow pace or with excessive pain. In other words the degree of disability should not fall far short of that required to qualify for the higher rate mobility component of DLA.
Cornwall Council requires one type of the following items of proof:
  • Evidence from a medical professional on official paper which states that the applicant can not walk for up to 100m without stopping, severe discomfort or help from another person even when a mobility or artificial aid is used.
  • Disability Living Allowance with higher rate mobility component (Official letter must be no older than 12 months showing period awarded)
  • Personal Independence Payments (PIP) where the customer has been awarded at least 8 points against either or both of the relevant two activities: The moving around activity and the communicating verbally activity (Official letter must be no older than 12 months showing period awarded)
  • War pension (Mobility supplement)
  • Current Blue badge parking permit (photocopy of both sides)
  • Vehicle Excise Duty (car tax disc) exemption certificate

Category E - People without the use of both arms
People without arms, or who have long term loss of the use of both arms. This includes upper limb double amputees and those with congenital absence of both upper limbs.
In the DfT’s opinion, it also covers both people with deformity of both arms and people who have both arms; if in either case they are unable to use them to carry out day to day tasks, for example, paying coins into a fare machine. In these latter cases the DfT advises that a local authority should normally seek independent medical evidence to support the application.
Cornwall Council requires one type of the following items of proof:
  • Evidence on official paper from a medical professional confirming that the applicant has long term loss of the use of both arms
Disability Living Allowance with higher rate mobility component (Official letter must be no older than 12 months showing period awarded)
Category F - People who have a learning disability
The local authority may be aware that the applicant has had contact with specialist services and he or she may have had special educational provision. In determining eligibility in a case where there has been no previous contact with specialist services a local authority should normally seek independent medical advice or check any register of people with learning disabilities which may be held by the Social Services Department of the applicant’s localcouncil.
Cornwall Council requires the following proof only:
  • A letter from either a medical professional or from Social Services on official paper confirming that the applicanthas a learning disability and that his/her condition satisfies statement A AND either statement B or statement C below:
  1. The applicant has a permanent disability or one that has lasted at least twelve months – or which is likely to last at least twelve months.
  2. The applicant has a state of arrested or incomplete development of mind which includes significant impairment of intelligence and social functioning which has a substantial effect on that person’s ability to carry out normal day to day activities.
  3. The applicant has a reduced ability to understand new or complex information, a difficulty in learning new skills, and may be unable to cope independently. These disabilities must have started before adulthood, have a lasting effect on development and a substantial effect on that person’s ability to carry out normal day to day activities.
Please note: Letters which state learning difficulty will not be accepted.
Category G- People who would be refused a driving licence on medical grounds
People who would be refused a driving licence on medical grounds under Section 92 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 (except on the grounds of persistent misuse of drugs or alcohol).
Those who are currently barred from holding a licence include people with:
  • Uncontrolled epilepsy(seizure within the last 12 months).
  • A severe mental disorder
  • Liability to sudden attacks of giddiness or fainting (whether as a result of cardiac disorder or otherwise)
  • The inability to read a registration plate in good light at 20.5 metres
  • Other disabilities or medical condition which would cause the refusal or withdrawal of a driving licence at present.

Cornwall Council requires one type of the following items of proof:
  • A letter on official paper from a medical professional confirming a medical condition and confirmation whetherat present this would cause a driving licence to be refused or withdrawn.
  • Letter from the DVLA giving notice of refusal or withdrawal of licence (must be dated within the last 12 months and all pages of the letter must be sent)

Category H- People of eligible age
Before 6 April 2010 both men and women became eligible for free local bus travel at 60 years of age. From 6 April 2010, the age of eligibility for concessionary travel for both women and men in England is tied to the pensionable age for women (see chart below).
Cornwall Council requires one type of the following items of proof:
Birth Certificate
Department for Work and Pensions letter confirming state retirement pension
Driving Licence
NHS medical card
Optical/medical prescription (showing date of birth)
Retirement card (pink)
Passport
Period within which date of birth falls / Eligible date / Period within which date of birth falls / Eligible date
6 Sept 1950 to 5 Oct 1950 / 6 March 2011 / 6 Nov 1951 to5 Dec 1951 / 6 July 2013
6 Oct 1950 to 5 Nov 1950 / 6 May 2011 / 6 Dec 1951 to 5 Jan 1952 / 6 September 2013
6 Nov 1950 to 5 Dec 1950 / 6 July 2011 / 6 Jan 1952 to 5 Feb 1952 / 6 November 2013
6 Dec 1950 to 5 Jan 1951 / 6 September 2011 / 6 Feb 1952 to 5 Mar 1952 / 6 January 2014
6 Jan 1951 to 5 Feb 1951 / 6 November 2011 / 6 Mar 1952to 5 Apr 1952 / 6 March 2014
6 Feb 1951 to 5 Mar 1951 / 6 January 2012 / 6 Apr 1952 to 5 May 1952 / 6 May 2014
6 Mar 1951 to 5 Apr 1951 / 6 March 2012 / 6 May 1952 to 5 Jun 1952 / 6 July 2014
6 Apr 1951 to 5 May 1951 / 6 May 2012 / 6 Jun 1952 to 5 Jul 1952 / 6 September 2014
6 May 1951 to 5 Jun 1951 / 6 July 2012 / 6 Jul 1952 to 5 Aug 1952 / 6 November 2014
6 Jun 1951 to 5 Jul 1951 / 6 September 2012 / 6 Aug 1952 to 5 Sept 1952 / 6 January 2015
6 Jul 1951 to 5 Aug 1951 / 6 November 2012 / 6 Sept 1952 to 5 Oct 1952 / 6 March 2015
6 Aug 1951 to 5 Sept 1951 / 6 January 2013 / 6 Oct 1952 to 5 Nov 1952 / 6 May 2015
6 Sep 1951 to 5 Oct 1951 / 6 March 2013 / 6Nov 1952 to 5 Dec 1952 / 6 July 2015
6 Oct 1951 to 5 Nov 1951 / 6 May 2013 / 6 Dec 1952 to 5 Jan 1953 / 6 September 2015

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