Dla renewal refused

[blue4ever]

Well Done Foggiepete

[Dispirited]

Congratulations foggiepete. I'm glad that you didn't have an independant doctor visiting your home to assess you. The local GP who did my husband's home assessment was a comedian and his whole report was a tissue of lies.

[jovinutter]

I got refused a few years ago. I was on the higher rate mobility and the lower rate care. My doctor told me I needed more care and to put in for the higher rate care. They gave me the middle rate of care and told me that both of these would run out in August 2006 instead of ongoing . I have both osteo and rhuematoid arthritis. When this was due to run out I had to reapply just like you have. The DWP sent out one of their doctors who in turn said that there was nothing at all wrong with me. I have only had this problem for 21 years now and I am only 38 . When I went for an appointment with my rhuematologist he asked what benefits I was on. When I told him I was only on income support and why he could not believe it. The medical and scans that he sent me for confirmed what was wrong and it isn't just the arthritis. The DWP reinstated my claim to higher rate mobility and lower rate care. This runs out again next year so I have to reapply. I only hope that I dont have as much trouble as you have had.

[jovinutter]

Originally Posted by Dispirited

Congratulations foggiepete. I'm glad that you didn't have an independant doctor visiting your home to assess you. The local GP who did my husband's home assessment was a comedian and his whole report was a tissue of lies.

I have had a doctor from an independent doctor who said that I didn't have a thing wrong with me . They think that a problem will go away if they say that. I have osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. You cant fake these things, especially with scans.

[foggiepete]

Thanks all, for all the good wishes.

As of today I still have not received notice of my DLA.
I phoned the DWP last week on the 23rd and they said they had posted me a letter.He would not tell me on the phone.
Surely it does not take nearly a week to receive a letter

I am starting to think that because I stated I would not be available for an appeal hearing from 1st june- 25th june,(I did not say I was going on holiday) they are playing funny sods and realise that...... from the 21st May when I first received word of the change in my award, if its not what I expect and I have not been awarded my higher rates back, by the time I am back and available again after 25th june.......1 month will have passed and I will not be able to appeal against the decision if I think its wrong.
Thats what they may think, well folks if its wrong I will just start a new appeal again explaining that I did not receive notice for over a week and was unavailable after this time.
So stuff their time limit of a month to appeal.
Bank holiday or not it still doesn't take a week to send a letter even second class.
It must be coming on horseback, a bloody pigeon could get here quicker.

I am not going to let this spoil my holiday.
My suitcase is nearly packed, (sorry folks no room for anyone),I have my lift to the Airport sorted, my taxi to pick me up at Bangkok and my hotel booked yesterday on the phone.Its great having mates there, the more times I go the more I discover.The guesthouse I am staying in I discovered last trip, a recently refurbished English owned small place with plasma tv, new beds, new fridge. new toilets and massive shower. very tastefully decorated, in house laundry (pennies to get your washing and ironing done) two bars downstairs all for only £7.50p a night.
I just love Thailand and its people.

Come what may, I am going to enjoy myself.
Touchdown in Bangkok .........06.40am Monday morning

[foggiepete]

Just had a call from my local council,
Asking me if I had a disabled space outside my house and if I was currently using it.
The other day I went out to my neighbour and informed him he should not be using my space and I then asked if he had a Disabled badge, he said he hadn't so I told him he had no right to park there.Especially since he had not even had the courtesy to ask me in the first place.
The cheeky sod has only phoned the council and informed them that I am not using it and do not have a car anymore.
Some people are just plain ignorant !
I was told he thinks he is better than everybody else.
Well, ain't he in for a surprise.
I told the council I would be getting another car soon and would be using it.
So stuff my neighbour, who the hell does he think he is ?
I had better not see him in the street or he will get a right piece of my mind.

[foggiepete]

Finally,
Received letter from DWP today,
Shock and horror, the tale takes a new twist.

I have been awarded back the higher rate mobility component indefinately
But only the lower rate care component (because as they state I only need help to prepare a meal)
Here I go again.
Do I disagree with their decision ?
To true I do.
So its back to an appeal tribunal again.

To be continued.

[blue4ever]

Go GET EM.. Foggiepete

[foggiepete]

Well folks I,m back home,
After a wonderful holiday spent with the girlfriend in Thailand in her home town in Sukothai which is way up north from Bangkok, its back to the appeal.
I today phoned the appeal board and told them I wanted the appeal to continue, and was told to contact DWP, which I did and they are sending me more appeal forms.
I discovered today as well that because I only get lower rate dla I do not qualify for income support and because I get Incapacity benefit I am over the threshfold for full rent payment,(by £5.50 per week) which means I am now in arrears with my rent.
Well I wish someone had told me about this.
I now have less income so I now have to pay rent
This does not make sense at all.
But if you are a junkie you get everything.

[callumsgran]

How did you get on with this Pete?
Did you appeal again?

[foggiepete]

I sent in an a letter stating that I wanted to appeal against their decision more than eight weeks ago.
To date I have not even had an acknowlegment from DWP that they have received the letter. (Very strange).
I highlighted all the excuses they used to deny me DLA and reasons why I disagree.
Here is just one of their reasons........

Mr T_ _ _ _ _ has no problem turning over and adjusting his sleeping position or bed covers as he could use ........his right hand and both arms.

Well excuse me!
My left arm has all of a sudden grown back again.
Call the newspapers!
A miracle has happened.

Makes you wonder what kind of people work at DWP.

I am going to phone them tommorow to check whether they received my letter or not.
I expect the answer to be no.

I still have copies of the letter but I expect to have to submit a fresh claim, knowing them and how they so conveniently can lose someones letters.

[djgordyp]

Have you thought about contacting your MP over this. In my 45 years on this planet I have come to the conclusion that the more entitled you are to benefits, the harder you have to fight for them. Then there are the ones who seem to have no problem getting more than they're entitled to.

[foggiepete]

So true!

I did not ask for this life changing accident.
But, I feel so let down by......the system, I can understand why people just give up.Its as though they just throw you to the rubbish tip and forget about us.
These days with the astonishing rise in day to day living, have our benefits gone up ?...............NO !
And they speak about discrimination.
I am now getting the same money as someone who is classed as temporally sick.
Or the same as a junkie gets.
As I keep hearing .....The law says this is how much you need to live on, so get on with it.
What kind of quality of life are we supposed to have.
Who the hell works that out?

Yes, I have been abroad many times but that was my savings, now gone.
I got my mobility award back so I could go and order another car, truth being, I can't afford to pay for the adaptions or the petrol to put in it.

One thing that I have realised is, that all these so called decision makers (that can and do ruin our lives) have not got a clue.They cannot begin to understand people with dissabilities and how it affects us.They are very poorly trained and most of the staff at DWP I have spoken to are always blaming someone else.
The only people that understand dissability are ourselves, not some jumped up decision maker who has done a couple of hours training and think they know it all.

Speaking about those that seem to get everything.......
Guy in my village just recently got awarded DLA.He now has a motability car for himself.
What does he do in his spare time..................... ..Teaches LINE DANCING!
It doesn't make sense.
This country is now ruined and if I could I would be gone in five minutes.
As for contacting my local MP I don't even know who he or she is.
I will have to look in to that.

[callumsgran]

Speaking about those that seem to get everything.......
Guy in my village just recently got awarded DLA.He now has a motability car for himself.
What does he do in his spare time..................... ..Teaches LINE DANCING!
It doesn't make sense.>>>>>>>

No it doesnt make sense and it makes my blood boil, perhaps you should sign up for his classes and ask him how he can manage to dance and get DLA when you cant!!??
Best of luck with your personal fight Pete, will be thinking of you
And find out who your MP is (its always handy to know who it is lol)

[legalpickle]

Originally Posted by foggiepete

So true!

I did not ask for this life changing accident.
But, I feel so let down by......the system, I can understand why people just give up.Its as though they just throw you to the rubbish tip and forget about us.
These days with the astonishing rise in day to day living, have our benefits gone up ?...............NO !
And they speak about discrimination.
I am now getting the same money as someone who is classed as temporally sick.
Or the same as a junkie gets.
As I keep hearing .....The law says this is how much you need to live on, so get on with it.
What kind of quality of life are we supposed to have.
Who the hell works that out?

Yes, I have been abroad many times but that was my savings, now gone.
I got my mobility award back so I could go and order another car, truth being, I can't afford to pay for the adaptions or the petrol to put in it.

One thing that I have realised is, that all these so called decision makers (that can and do ruin our lives) have not got a clue.They cannot begin to understand people with dissabilities and how it affects us.They are very poorly trained and most of the staff at DWP I have spoken to are always blaming someone else.
The only people that understand dissability are ourselves, not some jumped up decision maker who has done a couple of hours training and think they know it all.

Speaking about those that seem to get everything.......
Guy in my village just recently got awarded DLA.He now has a motability car for himself.
What does he do in his spare time..................... ..Teaches LINE DANCING!
It doesn't make sense.
This country is now ruined and if I could I would be gone in five minutes.
As for contacting my local MP I don't even know who he or she is.
I will have to look in to that.

I agree 100% foggiepete. I've just read your thread and it's absolutely abominable!

I would report that guy in your village anonymously, by whistleblowing on him. Teach him what he's worth!

I would also leave this damned country if I could. I made 3 applications for DLA till I finally got what I'm entitled to. I was put through hell by those idiots!

It's disgusting the way this country has become and I am planning to leave as soon as I physically can. I expect to be outa here by 2011 absolute latest. The place completely sucks.

You should complain about the way you were treated to DWP, and you may get some compensation for that.

Also, I would advise that you write a complaint to your MP about everything that's gone on, it may - though probably not, knowing those fraudsters [the biggest of the lot!] - help.

Another poster posted on this thread a link to Home : Benefits and Work that I'm looking at now and it seems interesting. You may want to look into it.

I would also contact Social Services for some help if I were you to deal with this, because it is obviously - and understandably - causing you quite a bit of distress.

Good luck & please keep us posted.

I'm rooting for you - though how much good that'll do I doubt, but nonetheless, the thoughts are there.

[foggiepete]

Thanks all for the support and kind words folks,

Latest update:

I recieved a letter from DWP this morning (9 weeks later), I was going to phone them today, (I kept putting it off)

They state:

You made an appeal against a decision about disability living allowance.
We have looked again at the facts and evidence we used to make our decision.As a result we have changed the decision.
Personal care
They have now awarded me the middle rate of care component.
Help with getting around
Higher rate.

Finally its nearly sorted.
I am happier with the decision as this means I now get back what I used to get,(minus a few quid) being the difference between middle and higher rate personal care.
This has been awarded with no end date, which means its for the rest of my life.
I don't think I will take it any further and appeal for the higher rate personal care.
I think that would be pushing my luck a bit too far.
I have also got my claim back-dated to when I first got refused DLA from 15/03/2008 to date.
So a big payment is due to me for personal care.
Which details of are in the letter. (To be paid tommorow)
YAHOO !

Next:

I then looked up benefit advice on the internet, and as I recall, I can now get back Income support if I receive the middle rate personal care component,
Well thats what it states on the DWP website.
I phoned Income support and asked them about this.
They are sure I am correct.
They are now going to look into this, and send me forms to fill in.
I did state that this was an ongoing appeal and I was assured weeks ago that if I was awarded Income support back I would get it back-dated.

But of course the person I spoke to did not know.
They owe me a fortune if my calculations are right.
I will be chasing them up about this, as they are quick enough to stop paying you.
This will also make a difference to me having to pay part of my rent. (Which I have been doing since March).
My local council stated that if I got back Income support they would pay me back.......every penny I paid towards my rent.
I don't hold much hope about this as I expect them to put my rent in credit with the ammount I have paid.
This is no good to me as my award has no end date which means the money sits in my account in credit for the rest of my life

It just goes to show that if you stick by your guns you can win.And without going to a Tribunal, which I stated I still wanted to go ahead with.
They must realise they made a BIG mistake, an apology would be nice.
Someone should be keel-hauled for this farce.
There was no way I was going to lie down and give up.
I now know my rights and stuff them
How many other people have they done this to ?.

I will keep posting about how things go, and cannot thank everyone enough for the good wishes and support I have received on this board.
I just hope everyone else gets things sorted out as I have.
This makes a huge difference to my quality of life and no more sleepless nights.

Now, where is my Passport ?
I need another holiday
Thailand here I come, again.

Best Wishes to everyone
Pete