Sould We Try Claming Disabillity Allowance

[moveing on]

hi my wife as ms and injects herself daily but is still working full time however she has vgood days and v bad days dont know what to do about this dose somebody come to check on her its more memory loss and tierdness but when she is bad she has no balance she also finds it hard to open things ie no strenthin her arms wrist and burns her self alot when cooking sorry about going on about it but i am worried that if somebody came and she was haveing a good day they mite not be to pleased some advise would be nice thank you

[reallymadwoman]

I would suggest speaking to someone who knows what they are doing as very often knowing what to write on the form is the key, and you should always describe things at their worst.
Your local Citizen's Advice may have someone who can help - but make sure they are an expert at filling in DLA forms - or you could see if your council has a benefits advisor or disability advisor.

[dpick]

Hi with DLA if you just mention having a good day that will be the end of any claim.

dpick

[moveing on]

still not sure about it as you say haveing a good day but she has alot of bad days i think i will leave it alone but thank you for your help you see the probs with ms folks see you when you are well but not when you are bad and i dont want to put my wife in any stressful places once again thank you

[dpick]

Yes the good days can be a pig when my wife is able to go about she looks perfectly fit but then people outside don't see her when she is stuck in bed or in a wheelchair waiting to have a ramp installed to allow her to get out of the house. My wife does not have MS or anything like that we were involved in a car crash and she had nerve damage that on occation leaves her unable to walk but we are lucky she will recover in time.

all the best to you dpick

[moveing on]

yes know what you mean so i will not try this just thought i would ask as i have never tryed claming anything befor from the state but i wish i could drag them down here when she is haveing a real bad day but i know it dose not work like that once again thank you for your reply and all the best of luck for the future ps sorry about any spelling that are wrong

[GlasweJen]

It all depends. DLA isn't awarded the minute you come disabled it comes when you need help and the amount you get is based on how much help you need. It's never based on just what gets written on the form, instead they will write to doctors, hospital specialists, they will look up medications, talk to anyone who cares for your wife and, in the end, it will be down to them to decide if your wifes good days are good enough or if she gets enough bad days to require the levels of care stated on the forms.

Most likely they will reject your first claim anyway (I'm the only person I've come across who's never been rejected but touch wood because mines is up for renewal in December). You will likely go to appeal which means sourcing more letters, reports etc.

Really, if your wife meets the criteria she should apply but do be prepared for the long haul, you don't get anything on a plate from DWP.

Good luck!

[Weird Al Yankovic]

Yes. If you are refused then you will have lost nothing as you didn't have it in the first place.

Was your wife the victim of a crime in the car crash? What were the circumstances that led to the crash?

Regards

[stardust_john]

I have a condition that varies and i'm not going to go on, but I feel it very stressful filling the forms because you have to put yourself in the position of at your worst, which is regular but lucky enough for me, I tend to be unconscious at the time (as in not aware of bodily funcitons) what is not lucky is my poor family, who have to deal with it. You probably will get refused first time, but appeal. I think altough may be upsetting suggestion what I asked my family to do, was to record a typical severe seizure for record. I must admit though I recoiled after watching seconds of it, because its like a different person and destressed me, but your partner could maybe shield you from that. It was like a police file for record along with consultant info, pillow, clothers and bed mess etc, but they understood I needed the help and I was accepted as a result.
It feels personal letting the dla into your life but they will help if you do need the help, so good luck.

[patrickq1]

DLA, MS is on the list of claims for the award of dla and also incapacity benefit,she will not need to go on a medical either all she needs is your doctors letter and specialist letter to prove she suffers from MS their are also very very helpful websites for MS sufferers,i wish you all the best but dont get stressed about putting in your claim she is entitled and also you have a claim for cares allowance
TRY THIS SITE FOR WHAT BENEFITS YOU ARE ALLOWED HOPE IT HELPS
Multiple Sclerosis Society Website - Welcome to the MS Society - Decision Aid
patrickq1

[patrickq1]

Completing the claim-form

Don't underestimate your needs. Don’t concentrate on what you can only do on ‘good days’. Although you may have periods of remission, there could be some underlying or ongoing disabilities, which you should mention. Try to explain your symptoms in detail and how they affect what you can and cannot do. The person deciding your claim may not know much about MS and you need to be specific about how the MS affects you individually. For example, if explaining that you get fatigue, rather than just saying you ‘feel tired’, state when it occurs, how long it lasts, how long you need to rest in order to recover, and if there is anything that triggers it or makes it worse. Remember to concentrate on the things that you have trouble with and need help to do (even if you are not currently receiving help with these particular tasks).

To help your claim, you may wish to keep a diary of your care needs over a few days. This would be useful if your care needs vary, which is often the case with MS. Keep a copy of the diary for yourself and attach another to the claim-form before you send it off.

[robbond55]

Hi there.
I will give one tip RE: DLA - go to citizens advice - they have specialists trained in the application process and they should make an appointment for you to go along and fill in the form with them and they have a far far greater success rate with the claim. After all, the worst they can say is no.
I have MS and have been successful with a claim and I too have good and bad days so best of luck!

[moveing on]

rob bound thanks for the post will have a look into that once again thank you for your time

[Helen2264]

Originally Posted by moveing on

hi my wife as ms and injects herself daily but is still working full time however she has vgood days and v bad days dont know what to do about this dose somebody come to check on her its more memory loss and tierdness but when she is bad she has no balance she also finds it hard to open things ie no strenthin her arms wrist and burns her self alot when cooking sorry about going on about it but i am worried that if somebody came and she was haveing a good day they mite not be to pleased some advise would be nice thank you

As with DLA as i am learning everyday searching the net endlessly. If you say good days, you might as well throw your claim form in the dustbing and save yourself the hassle. Apparently dood days is not the word to use, you can use better days which mean you are still in pain, but your pain threshold could be anything like 90% say instead of a 100% so that would count you are still suffering though you have better days, the main thing is to be in constant pain throughout the day. DLA is paid for your need not your illness, so if your wife can have a couple of days free of pain, I doubt they would even look at your form. I am claiming for DLA myself due to my health problems, i've only recently received my claim pack, after going in different forums and finding most people has been refused, i am searching around and see what tips i can pick, but i would still seek an expert adviser to fill in the form for me. i don't have the health nor strength to deal with appeal if i don't succeed.helen

[IdaInFife]

I have filled in my sisters form for the last 10 years.
I have always been advised by the accessors to put down the equivelant of her 'bad days'.

Only twice in the last 10 years has a doctor had to come out to assess( in which 1 was my gp) although I do know that if you are rejected at first to reapply.

Unfortumatley my sister has everything strike her so when I filled out her last forms it was quite quick and no need for visit. Most of the time they know what the conditons are can speculate what is happening to the person.

Do not be afraid, i find the forms easily to fill in and the 2 visits she has had the dr's have been great.

And as said before CAB do an excellent service of helping form filling as been advised friends who have used them.


The worse they can say is no.

It won't hurt you.

If you need help give us a shout.


Idax

[Helen2264]

I have always been advised by the accessors to put down the equivelant of her 'bad days'.

Unfortumatley my sister has everything strike her so when I filled out her last forms it was quite quick and no need for visit. Most of the time they know what the conditons are can speculate what is happening to the person.
Hi Ida,Thanks very much for your message, couple of things you've said put my mind at rest, the above. The problem is when i read about dla in forums all you see is the bad ones, i keep saying to myself there must be some good stories about claiming DLA, of course people come in the forums to seek help that's why there are so many negatives regarding dla. I am just so ill and tired to be able to cope with this form, some says the dla form is a health hazard in itself, i agree entirely. your post is the sort of post people should read it has put my mind at rest though i am still very nervous and haven't a clue of what to do. many thanksregardshelen

[robbond55]

Also another thing - the disability rights handbook (search for it on Google) is what the disability advisors for the CAB use - it might be worth seeing if there is a copy in you local library as otherwise its around £21 and I think the book offers help in filling in DLA forms.
If your first claim is rejected, I have been informed, do not appeal the decision, just go and do a fresh application straight away.
Best of luck!