No explanation just a recalculation? With a list of elements, I will ring but thanks for the advice, will check out the calculators too, quite worried! x

Morning I was hoping someone could shed some light for me. We have recently been awarded via mandatory reconsideration high rate care for our daughter, we were already in receipt of low rate mobility so getting the disabled child premium on housing benefit and council tax benefit. I sent the housing office proof of the new DLA award just to keep them up to date and someone said they may add a severe disablement element to the benefit but I didn't really understand that. I did not expect the award to change much as I didn't think DLA for a child was regarded as income as such. Anyway today I received a letter and although not clear I estimate a reduction in housing benefit by around £35 a month and a substantial reduction in council tax support. Does this sound accurate? No other changes to income, I will ring and check but the people who man the phones are often quite rude! Thanks all xx

This is interesting - please feel free to move this if inappropriate to the OP but i had a tribunal a week or so ago for my daughter DLA, the claim is from February 2014 ... i was repeatedly told i must only refer to the questions from that time period .....i understand and appreciate that! So the DWP rep and a member of the panel repeatedly asked me questions from 2009!?, they would not consider newer evidence and said i must lodge a super session.... Also the doctor on the panel made many inappropriate comments such as i stated walking in from work is distressing and he said how would you know when you don't work? ( i was referring to husband and the fact im at college a few days per week so i do walk in from outside). Also the person asking about care only asked really tedious questions which in my opinion didn't give us opportunity to make it understood how my childs care needs are MUCH more than any child her age. I have been to 2 tribunals and this one was more like being on the stand for murder rather than a tribunal for dla for a child! The doctor was very much pro the DWP in my opinion!

Thank you ever so much. Very odd as we won low rate mobility but not any care element! Not sure how that affects things until i speak to my rep all your links are great! Thank you x

Thank you ever so much! We won middle rate care previously and i will look into the local councils and social services, they did provide specialist toys when she was younger! So hopefully the backdated DLA will be ok and i can use it for her

Thankyou

It is on my daughters name but i have claimed on her behalf as she is under 16? Does that make the difference?

Hi i can only advise you from personal experience, I am a bit confused by some of your post, people will possibly disagree with some of what i say but i was in a very similar situation. First and foremost get all your evidence/paperwork together and see a solicitor NOW. My partner at the time also sofa surfed and spent time in his brothers caravan and worked away for periods of time, he was on my car insurance so any paperwork for the car came to mine as did his driving licence details as he got points and didnt want his mum seing!, i was also in massive debt and not coping ( buried my head in the sand!) so he rang the water rates people and the phone line company and took over the debt in his name in an attempt to sort out an agreement before they took me to court... So fast forwards a few years and i get an interview under caution where the fact i spent £145 per week in asda was provided as proof he lived with me .. ( too much for 1 woman with 2 small children apparently!) any official documents in his name or bills are proof he lives with me .... the fact he transferred £300 into my bank to pay me back some money he owed me was proof he lived with me ... the fact he worked away went massively against me too as in the eyes of the DWP thats proof he was living with me and we were committing benefit fraud If you add up what they are saying your partner has been overpaid in housing benefit, council tax benefit, income support/tax credits if the total is over £21,000 it is likely they will infact prosecute. We went to see a solicitor and whether people feel i was misinformed or not is a matter of personal opinion but i was told when pleading not guilty in a court the judge & Jury decide based on reasonable evidence what is classed as you contributing to the household ( not definite proof of you LIVING at the address) this was news to me .. so the fact some money went into my account, car insurance and driving licences were at my address, EVEN the fact he was on the emergency contact list at my childs school was brought up and used.. they had spoken to my doctors, dentist, banks, utility companies n my usage of electric and gas and water ...... all this would count against me in a court and anything i said would be seen as an excuse. After summing all this up i made the painful decision to plead guilty I couldn't face ( was suffering severe depression at the time and we had by this point moved in together and i was now pregnant!) 10 days of trial with friends called to the witness box, massive press coverage and the possibility of been then sent to prison if found guilty and leaving my babies My solicitor was great but honest and told me the evidence although circumstantial was stackd against me. The only concrete was of being found not guilty of benefit fraud is to have NO correspondence at your partners address, no money go into her account and a permanent fixed abode where you pay rent and council tax & proof of this. If i can help anymore then feel free to contact me but ultimately for all your sakes get a solicitor immediately, you possibly will get help with legal aid - we did x

Hi all! I hope someone can advise me here, I'm due to go to appeal for my daughters DLA and it is likely we will win (again!). My problem is i owe a large amount of money to the DWP and to the housing due to a massive over payment. I strongly suspect the backdated carers allowance, DLA and housing benefit will be taken off my debt so i wont receive the back pay? Am i correct? The Housing underpaid us recently by over £500 and that got deducted from our debt. I will get to keep the backdated tax credits i assume but i was looking forward to buying some specialist ( and very expensive!) equipment for my daughter to improve things Thank you for your help!

Hi all I will try keep it brief - just wondered if anyone could help or suggest anything ? My daughters issues go back many years and after been told to claim dla from a local charity group we did . This was 2010 / 2011 it was immediately refused on basis of school report as my daughters issues are/were not taken seriously in school .. A reconsideration took place and was refused (before mandatory ones were introduced ) so we waited 6 months and went to tribunal where we won midrate care . It was up for renewal in February this year and the forms were posted in December ,Payment stopped in Feb then we were refused ( based again on school report - daughter is of mid/high intelligence lol ) and asked for mandatory reconsideration which should of taken 11 weeks , I called and was told that it was now 15 weeks ...after 15weeks I rang and was told backlog blah .. think we are now 8 months post sending in the renewal and around 22 weeks from requesting the mandatory reconsideration. I emailed my MP with no response . Some people may take DLA for granted but I used every penny to help my daughter and improve her life skills .. it paid for social skill lessons. gymnastics for improving her co ordination , new bedding and mattresses which are needed often , the things she destroys through picking / anxiety but most of all horse riding which kept her calm and focused - all of which has had to stop Is anyone else in the same boat ? 8 months of this seems extreme .

Hi im not sure if this is the right place to post but the best I could find ! My sister in law received an amount of community service last year . She only has a few months left to complete her hours but recently had a baby and also had 4 other children one of which is disabled and her partner works full time . She has no childcare to enable her to do the hours either and she is worried sick - she tried speaking to the probation people about this to no avail , is there any advice I could give her .? Thank you in advance

sorry almost 3 years overpay

18 months after my first IUC i have received a letter stating they believe i was over paid almost 2 years of income support ( also housing benefit/tax credits ?) as my (now) husband was living with me .The story is far too long i told them in hindsight our 'setup' was not ideal but as he was not living with me and lived mostly with his mum and brother i didnt realise i was doing any thing wrong :(Anyway i can ask for a reconsideration or appeal but to be honest the CAB here are useless and have already let me down massively with things im exhausted with the IUCs and intrusiion on my privacy and i cant fight anymore .The letter stated if the amount was recoverable they would write to me seperately which they havent done ..So does anyone know what happens next if i dont appeal ?

yep agree totally

yes same trying to state we lived together fraudulently claimed all benefits (( iv been stupid but tbh all i did wrong was have a realllyyyy complicated relationship allow my kids as much contact as possible with their Dad and keep finances the same