DLA knocked me back again

[emmaf01]

I had to go for an appeal regarding incapacity benefit a few years ago. Thanks to the local council welfare rights officer (part of social services, and the best person to help with ALL your benefit problems/needs), we won and he completed DLA forms for us- we have got higher rate care and low rate mobility.

He has also completed all our renewal forms, which have all been successful.

I can only advise that you and your husband go straight to them for help- they will co-ordinate your appeal, getting supporting medical evidence etc.

You need the best help possible in this situation!

Just by the way- it is wonderful how many of this site are people with disabilities or carers. It just shows that we may be unable to do some things, but we are still a force to be reconned with.

[debbiVwoolwich]

I applied for DLA and a doctor came to my home I had been released two days from hospital prior to his visit,(from a bad asthma attack) my mother met him at the door and explained that i was not very well,he said in that case I wont see her!!, he came back three weeks later, asked some pretty irrelevant questions (touncing my toes ?? since when asthma affects that I dont know !!) and departed I was turned down, I reapply later and my consultant backed my application, I didnt see a dr this time and it was awarded indefinatly high rate mobility,I also get industrial injuries orginally awarded at 20% for life, when i asked for a reassesment I saw a dr who while listening to my lungs talked to me !! and said if this is increased your get more money, to which i replied no I wont, its classed as income and affects my other benefits (unable to work at that time due to being so bad) to which he replied then why are you bothering to ask for a reassement , i replied when im on the floor at 4am coughing and wheezing and wondering if my kids will find me on the floor dead, or if Im going to make it through the night . or being unable to work because Im nebulising every 2 hrs I get annoyed that the industrial injuries is worth £20 per week and my life and the changes to it made by the industrial injury is worth more than that and its the principal, he replied your quite right and increased it to 50% for life...... I would advise speak to your consultant if you have one, and get them to write a letter backing your claim. if you appeal a consultant who sees you .knows you and your condition outweighs the drs they send round who see you for 10mins.

[emmaf01]

The person who made the difference in winning my appeal/getting DLA was my consultant.

But the person who made sure the consultant gave the right information to the Benefits Agency was my local council welfare rights officer.

One with out the other would be useless.

[debbiVwoolwich]

I wrote to my respiratory consultant for his support, he sent me a letter for me to read and forward with my DLA aplication, Im not saying that the support of the Council Welfare rights Officer wasnt helpful or in some cases needed, but one without the other is not useless ?, if your consultant is happy to support you as I found, I didnt need the assistance of any other parties as I said if its needed then yes get all the help you can.

[emmaf01]

The problem is some consultants don't understand what the DSS needs to hear.

And when I say one with out the other would be useless, I mean in my case.

Not everyone has a consultant as good as yours!

[debbiVwoolwich]

"Im not saying that the support of the Council Welfare rights Officer wasnt helpful or in some cases needed"

"if your consultant is happy to support you as I found, I didnt need the assistance of any other parties as I said if its needed then yes get all the help you can"

Sorry I thought I had said that the support of the CWRO was needed in some cases and if its needed get all the help you can.

I apologise for having a helpful consultant !!!!

[emmaf01]

I don't think it matters whether either of us have good or bad consultants.

I am only suggesting to smiley(who's post started this off), that a Local council welfare rights officer may be able to help her get DLA.

As she may have to go to an appeal/tribunal, she will need proper representation and advice. This officer can provide this, and go with her to any such meeting. And get any necessary supporting documentation from any physicians who treat her.

This is about smiley/Brenda, not us.

[debbiVwoolwich]

I totally agree, and in answering the post I gave her informtion on how my application to DLA was successful, this being the purpose of this forum, its then up to the postee to take all and any information given and use what they feel would be best for them,
you replied to my post questioning it, I therefore have the right to respond,It appears you feel only your information is relevant and should be listened to, and mine should be ignored ?? if it were to go to tribunal Im sure a consultants letter would add weight to any hearing. I have NEVER said that the welfare offices imput was useless and in fact advised getting any help available, I do not understand why you feel the need to be so defensive, and insisit on making this an issue.

I aplogise to smiley for the thread going off at a tanget, and wish you all the best in your claim.

[demon_x_slash]

Alright, now calm down ladies - all your advice has been great advice, both of you Now, it's up to the OP as to what s/he does next.

[debbiVwoolwich]

thank you Demon

[fidgit41]

i suffer with chronic obesity , brittle asthma and im diabetic i also have very high blood pressure ,,,,, ive tried working but because im sick so often i can never keep a job , ive attempted to claim DLA twice and been turned down , I feel im looked upon as just fat and lazy and obesity i feel isnt recognised i dont know what to do next i cannot work and i dont not have enough money to live on , i have to get taxi's to most places and cannot afford them because money is tight

[GlasweJen]

Take the advice of everyone on here, i've filled in 2 DLA forms and got what i wanted at first attempt. My heart condition is so rare they had to call my cardiologist up and ask him how it would affect me, it slowed down the claim but i got middle rate care and low rate mobility for 1 year then for 3. My mum had someone from citizens advice fill out the first one with me then she filled in the second bit as my carer. When it asks when you last saw the doctor you just write in the most recent date, even if it was just for a prescription. You write about your worst days and you always back up what you write for example one question is about cooking, i had to answer yes, i can cook but i need constant supervision as i may injure myself should i collapse unexpectedly near the hot cooker or when handling boiling water, had i just answered yes they would have told me where to go.

[emmaf01]

Fidget, try the local council welfare rights officer. They fill in the DLA forms for people everyday, and know what to write to get your claim passed.

And fidget, it doesn't matter what causes your disability, its how you are affected day to day. My disability has caused me to gain alot of weight, making my previous problems much worse. It is the disability and the ways it has made your life more difficult.

I wish you the best of luck.

[Kurt_Hamster]

I just got turned down for DLA. The reasons they gave were so ludicrous I literally fell over laughing.

Paraphrasing, they told me that as my conditions were temporary I didn't qualify. I'd be very interested to know where the DLA board are hiding the cure for diabetes, osteo-arthritis, fibromyalgia, steato-hepatitis, chronic depression, Asperger's Syndrome plus several other incurable conditions I have.

Are these people for real, or do they employ the 50% of all doctors who were in the bottom half of their class?

[JonCris]

Kurt I suspect they are referring to the possibility that your ability to move around might improve, not that you will be cured

If it hasn't happened already ask to be examined by one of their doctors & whatever you do don't visit them. tell them your too imobile to visit & ask they visit you at home

[Kurt_Hamster]

Originally Posted by JonCris

Kurt I suspect they are referring to the possibility that your ability to move around might improve, not that you will be cured

That's the point though, I've been like this for years and most of those conditions are progressive, they certainly aren't temporary and they are only going to get worse. I'm amazed at the gall of these people.

If it hasn't happened already ask to be examined by one of their doctors & whatever you do don't visit them. tell them your too imobile to visit & ask they visit you at home

I was rather surprised that there was no medical arranged. It even took them 2 months come to their decision.

I'm going to be trying to get an appointment with the local Welfare Rights Officer and get them to help me arrange an appeal.

[emmaf01]

Welfare rights are the best place to go to appeal this ludicrous(?) decision, Kurt. They helped me with and appeal, leaving no stone unturned to help.

Good luck- and good you can laugh about it!

[CAGisforME]

Kurt . Good Luck with the appeal.

You really need to ensure that you have the deadlines for the paperwork written down. They are really really strict on the amount of days you have to apply to appeal, receive the relevant forms and then actually appeal.

If your paperwork arrives any later than the prescribed timescales they will not accept it.

I think you need to do what I did. Don't focus on WHAT the illness/disease is, focus on how it affects you on your worst days.

[JonCris]

Very good advice CAG

[Kurt_Hamster]

Originally Posted by CAGisforME

Kurt . Good Luck with the appeal.

You really need to ensure that you have the deadlines for the paperwork written down. They are really really strict on the amount of days you have to apply to appeal, receive the relevant forms and then actually appeal.

If your paperwork arrives any later than the prescribed timescales they will not accept it.

I think you need to do what I did. Don't focus on WHAT the illness/disease is, focus on how it affects you on your worst days.

I've been in touch with my local welfare rights officer and have an appointment on June 5th. The guy I spoke to on the phone was really on the ball so I don't anticipate too many problems.

As regards how it affects me, well that's what I found so funny. Surely they must have known I've been on InCap for 15 years and the biannual medicals I've had has shown my conditions deteriorating each time. Must be either case of the left hand not knowing etc, either that or it's the assault course methodology of paring down the claim numbers.

Well I've honed my bloody mindedness on the banks, so now I feel ready to take on the DWP too