A relative who is 75 currently gets the higher mobility and lower care component of DLA (both on an indefinite award). Their situation has worsened and they now require more daytime assistance/supervision; thus should probably be entitled to the middle rate care component. If they report their change of circumstances what will happen? With the current culture they are wary of being re-assessed due to the onerous guidelines now in place and they couldn't deal with the stress of having their benefit reduced and having to appeal. Thanks for any help and guidance.

I applied for DLA almost 14 months ago and its been nothing but a disaster. Firstly, me and my representative filled it in and I got a rejection letter almost instantly, so we appealed it. But during this 14 months, its been nothing but stress for me. Not in any particular order, but these some of the things that have happened: :They got my application mixed up with another guy called George, who had also applied for DLA :They claimed we had appealed after the time limit but, we proved them wrong as we had postal evidence from when we sent the appeal in :They requested my brothers doctors notes instead of mines from my GP, so we had to then get my ones sent out :They have been using my outdated ESA information from 2 years ago from when I failed my ESA and not my ESA information from when I passed my ESA appeal last year :They sent me a letter asking me to sign it saying I was happy with a tribunal being heard and that "I had if I remember correctly", 10 days to send it back. However, I received the letter 11 days after when they typed up the letter so I had to call them and have the date put forward a week Tribunal part one: on the day of the tribunal, my representative said she would go by herself and represent me as it said on the letter, that Nor me or my representative had to attend as the hearing will go ahead with or without either myself or both of us attending or not. So she went along with all my information, including a letter from the specialist I see at the hospital. However, when she arrived, they told her that I MUST be there??? so they rescheduled another hearing Tribunal part two. On the day of my second hearing, unfortunately, my representative was involved in a small car accident out the road and called from the hospital saying she would not manage. The tribunal asked me if I wished to go ahead with the hearing. I said yes BUT then they asked me to leave the room and I went back in after only about 90 seconds. I sat down and they said that, it would be best if both myself and my representative was there so they rescheduled another hearing The hearing is for this Tuesday. I guess I am just wondering, is this normal for all this to be happening to a person who puts a claim in for DLA or PIP?

I have been under an enormous amount of pressure and had failed to submit my son's DLA claiming again forms on time. My Son has ASD/ADHD&Conduct Disorder - age 17. (I am appointee) & owing to lack of support and intervention, no education, involved with the Criminal Justice System & having very challenging behaviour - which I struggle to deal with and many meetings with |Social Services, YOT and CAMHS to challenge the lack of support etc, this had meant my claiming late. First claim pack submitted, lost?? So submitted another, marked clearly DUPLICATE, second claim set etc and posted Recorded Next Day Guaranteed Delivery at the cost of #7.50. I have received a letter from DLA, which refers to claim as 'New Claim' and states has been transferred to the PIP Unit - owing to my son's age & not accepting any new DLA Claims to be processed. I telephoned DLA Unit and they said once a claim has been referred to PIP there is nothing they can do? i said, can I not ask for decision to be lookied at again and she said no - not applicable. So basically nothing anyone can do now? Can anybody clarify this for me please, is it worth my while writing to ask them to reconsider this decision based on my situation/circumstances\??? H E L P ! ! ! ! ! ! Many thanks Nadia

im currently on esa for not been able to walk unaided with crutches for more than a few metres. this is due to a back and leg injury from many moons ago. i was diagnosed with epilepsy around 3-4 weeks ago after suffering absence seizures for over 12 months . i then had a full epileptic seizure whilst in bed and woke up in hospital ,i was in severe pain with my right leg and sciatica for which they have prescribed diazipam they did an mri of my spine and i was told i have 2 ruptured disks L1 and L3 but they would not operate as i could still control my bladder. i am still in agony with it weeks later and the right half of my right foot is completley numb. my doctor has made me an appointment with a neurosurgeon for june with a outlook to operate and have a diskoptomy ? i however dont think its epilepsy as im confused most times ,and forget just about everything im asked of or told . i cannot even think in a noisey enviroment .plus i can have upto 17 absence seizures a day . then 1 week ago i suffered a massive heart attack and needed stents putting in my arteries. im now on 15 different types of medication a day totalling over 30 tablets in a 24hour period . im not allowed to drive either way with a heart attack or epilepsy the worst thing i think is im only 42 years old ,not over weight .6ft ,12.5 stone .dont drink ,do drugs or smoke . i could cope with the back pain and leg pain before and with the codeine and naproxen i was managing the pain . now i can,t cope with anything even just 1 task is hard to do .

My son's DLA recently due for renewal. He is 17 and I am his appointee. He has Autism, ADHD, I get no support or respite and his very challenging behaviour and other difficulties, mean I am kept occupied pretty much 24/7. Owing to this, I had not completed his DLA forms (DLA renewal) had been returned later than required, as they are a nightmare to complete, so time consuming and I had not been able to prioritise them - whilst dealing with various issues and daily care for my son. Disability & Carers Services, have written to me, stating my son's claim being treated as a New Claim as late return and therefore they cannot take any action so have referred claim to PIP. Is there any way I can challenge this - it is going to place so much extra pressure on my son and I think I had good reason for late submission. Any suggestions? Please let me know - I really dont know what to do about this?? Many thanks in advance to any advice given. Worried and frustrated Phillilps

Hi all. I have a question to put to you all if I may. I am on ESA and receive PIP as well plus housing benefit. My disabled daughter gets DLA which we put in her bank account as it's her money. I think you can only have £6000 savings and a child £3000, she nearly has that now so I do not know what I can do with her money we do not want to spend it willy nilly on rubbish so what can we do legally? Any help will be gratefully received.

Hi I am trying to reassure a friend who is convinced that if he tells the DWP of a change in bank account they will reassess his DLA claim I have said that he will not be reassessed untill 2015 at the earliest (re DLA website ) unless his care / mobility needs change Unfortunatley you know what chinese whispers are like I am now beginning to question the advice given has anyone heard about the above Thanks

Hi. I am an MS patient (diagnosed 2012). Firstly I just want to extend a big thank you to CAG & it's members, you guys rock & do a fantastic Job in helping people get through the bureaucratic pit falls in all walks of life. You have helped me and countless others in the past so guys/gals thank you so much! Ok, now to my problem... I have the form from the PIP people, it's expected back to them by the 21st of August or apparently I lose my right to claim! I just have a couple of questions regarding the form for anyone who's already been through the process and applied. 1) Is the form for DLA>PIP people different from those claiming PIP for the first time? 2) Regarding Savings, I have some savings but what do I put about them on the form? I have always felt them asking about this as an intrusion and in the past never had any savings but now that I do how much will it affect my claim letting them know what I have? (I am quite concerned about this one). lastly 3) Is it ok for my mum to fill out the form for me if I am there to give the answers? I am ok at typing on a PC keyboard if I concentrate but writing is a lot more difficult for me. I don't know that many other people I can ask to help fill it out and I am unsure as to if relations are allowed to help with this. If anyone can help clarify these three things I would be very grateful. Also if anyone has done the DLA>PIP and has any other advice regarding the form/application also want to extend thanks to you if you can help.

Hey I hope somebody can provide some advice, I am posting here on behalf of my farther who sadly lost his brother around a month ago. He was in a care home for the last 23 years of his life, he was severely mentally disabled and was unable to look after himself or any of his own affairs, my father let the care home manage his finances, my farther only needed to sign when something major was needed to be bought (eg specially adapted bed) but other than that everything seemed to be fine, around 12 months ago the care home manager showed my farther a copy of the statement of account which had around £10,000 but they needed him to sign to buy some things which he did. My father made a phone call to the head office to check the status of the funeral payment as the funeral director advised it had still not been paid. They advised they are paying it today but after that there will be around £700 left because there has been a benefit over payment which until now nobody had mentioned to my farther until now. The over payment has been taken back in full since my uncles death just looking for some advice on what we can do and who to contact about this as it seems confusing that nobody mentioned a word of this until now. Thanks

My daughter has type 1 Diabetes. She received DLA with the lower mobility allowance up to the beginning of this year. We then had to re-apply in about March and in about June we were informed that she was no longer eligible to receive the allowance. Nothing has changed in her outlook, though. So far as I can remember, there was no mention on the letter of the ability to appeal the decision. When she had her latest hospital appointment, last week (she has to have them every three months), I mentioned the situation to her doctor and he said we should appeal. I am concerned that because it is almost 6 months since we received the letter removing her entitlement, that we would not be allowed to appeal. Do we have to reapply because of the lapsed time or can we still appeal and ask them to reconsider the decision? Mark

I've just read on the 'Benefits and Work' forum that DLA claimants outside the 'Capita' area who are not currently being transferred to PIP are (mostly) no longer going to be assessed by ATOS and will instead have their claims decided based on information from 'a variety of sources' (DWP). Apart from obvious questions such as why? and if DWP no longer need ATOS, what have they been paying them for? I mostly would like to know if it's true? Also, would it apply to Attendance Allowance claims or were they never assessed by ATOS?

Hey Folks, I've just received a letter this week with a DLA renewal form giving me until Jan 27th, 2014 to send it in. Despite being in constant comms with the DLA, i.e. sending them every letter from consultants, doctors and therapists since my claim I have to renew it? I don't quite get this, in every second letter it's made quite clear that this is a permanent illness. Do I need to renew every 2 years or something? What's worse is the pure stress of being scared to send this is fearing a battle is causing other repercussions... At the moment, I rely HEAVILY on my DLA to cover annoying costs of dealing with it, and rely even mores on the disability component of my WTC to keep my head just above water. On top of all of that is because I'm only 34, if they botch it up and deny me, which I've seen happening more and more all over the place I'll even lose my HB as it just covers my rent due to being on DLA. What can I do about this to keep my back covered? It's not like this illness is going away, specialists which took a 7 year waiting list to see confirm everything in writing too. I'm almost tempted to send the form back sarcastically and in big red writing "should i renew my illness too?" lol Some advise would be really handy. Cheers, A *edit* just to add, even the medication that I'm been treated with should be a good indicator, being in the amphetamine phonily and being a listed controlled medication, it's potent stuff and not given out like smarties by doctors :-/

Sorry I know this is only a minor thing, but have those entitled to this £10 received it? I get high rate DLA and in ESA Support Group but had no letter or payment.

Hi A friend seems to have a problem, she is self employed, single parent, works 25 hours per week, £100 per week income (if she's lucky) one child on DLA, receives CA, council is saying she can only work 9 hours per week to receive the full (91%) council tax benefit, yet working tax credits say minimum hours need to be 16 hours. Does all this sound right? What can she do?

I currently receive HRC and LRM but would now be entitled to HRM as my condition has got significantly worse. I am not in a PIP area and my current award is due to expire in 2 years. If I decided to report a change of circumstances in order to receive HRM I think it would still be a DLA claim. Am I right? I'm not yet ready to risk a PIP claim even though I shouldn't be any worse off.

Hello, Had a home visit for DLA. First letter was postmarked a Friday with a 2nd class stamp for an appointment on the following Tuesday so only got the letter a few hours prior to the appointment. therefore rearranged it as no notice given, have kept envelope and letter Atos said they do not need to give any notice and they posted in plenty of time! Can anyone advise a link to guidelines were ATOS state the notice period that they have to or should give? Dr that turned up introduced himself as a current GP. However he is not on the GP or specialist register. When confronted with this at a later date - he has now said he didn't say this. However an audio recording was in place for personal use. Dr ignored aids I use and what he was told, stating I need no help - basically he has written a false report to say no care help required despite various reports from experts being ignored. Despite not being a current GP he carried out a physical examination and an eye test - GMC complaint maybe? Dr then went on to diagnose that I had a severe mental condition and suggested I should start treatment - news to myself and medical team. Something made up from a line I said about feeling a bit low at times. Have done an initial complaint via ATOS but it's they're stating the DR didn't do any of that and he is right and I'm wrong attitude - they haven't stated where to go now - what's the next level of complaint I can take? Any advise folks?! Thanks!

Hi All, My Sister has just received her DLA renewal award, it has remained the same High Care and High Mobility, what is confusing me it states she will receive this for the rest of her life, I thought everyone has to claim PIP from April of this year??? any suggestions..

Hi everybody, I'm hoping someone can help me because I'm terrified. I receive DLA. My award ends in Jan 2014. When I was assessed by one of their doctors in March 2012 I was working part time. I started a full time job in November 2012. Not to make excuses, but I was just out of surgery and I had just moved house and broken up with my long term partner all within the same couple of months as starting my job. I thought I phoned to inform the DWP of my change of circumstances. I hadn't. I only realised this about a month ago when I was sorting out some Working Tax Credit stuff and they advised that I hadn't changed my employer. I thought I had done both at the same time. I wrote to the DWP as soon as I realised this, and told them that my circumstances had changed and requested they stop my DLA immediately, and now they are sending out a change of circumstances pack. I just dont want this benefit anymore. I know this amounts to benefit fraud and I am petrified about what is going to happen to me. I will lose my job if I have a criminal record and my doctor has put me on anti depressants and diazepam because I am having panic attacks and have started to think about killing myself because if I lose my job I wont have anything. Nothing has actually happened yet with the DWP, I haven't had an interview under caution or anything but I am so scared that something is going to happen I just dont know what to do. If I have to pay back money I'll pay it back, I just cant have a criminal record or I'll have lost everything I have worked for. Can someone please give me some advice on what to do, I am completely terrified right now. Thank you.

Hi, my DLA runs out in December and I have received my new form, thought it would be PIP form but it isn't, I get high mobility and high care, do you think it would be a good idea to enclose a copy of my last DLA award with my form . thank you

Just a heads up. As the title says really just been into store to pay off an agreement we have with them at long last and found out that there new scheme started today which has now pushed them from plain expensive to extortionate especially if you never used to take DLA or OSC with them The APR rate has increased a whopping 40% to 69.9% on the new agreements that now have everything included which is allegedly better for the customer we were told. Not sure how this works with regards to being sold cover and insurance which customers do not want or need in place. Glad to be rid of them at long last.

Hi this is for a friend who has asked for some help. She had DLA for years HRC & HRM. Things in her life started to improve last winter and she started to be able walk further in a shorter time frame than she has ever done. On top of that her medication started to stabilise her needs. Thinking that it might just be a flash in the pan, she left it until May this year when she felt that the changes were more or less permanent. She contacted the DLA by letter and told them that she wanted to stop her claim as for the past 6 months things had been improving month on month. They sent her another claim form, why I don't know, but anyhow she didn't bother to fill it in and just binned it. Her DLA payments stopped. The next thing she hears is that the DWP wanted to talk to her on tape about her DLA claim. With nothing to hide or be guilty about off she went. When she returned she looked awful, crying. She says that they treated her like a criminal. The only thing I could get out of her was that they wanted to talk about the 6 months leading up to when she contacted them to stop the claim. She told them the truth that her abilities had improved month on month but wanted to make sure that they were not in her head and were permanent. She told me that they are now investigating it on the basis of what she had said and admitted that she continued to claim DLA for 6 months knowing that her care needs and mobility had improved. What can she expect out of this? She seems to have been too honest and has admitted guilt when none exists.

Hi, My 64 year old wife receives DLA at the lower level for mobility and personal care. Her current entitlement ends mid January 2014 and she received claim forms today for it's continuation. The form stated that she should complete and return it ASAP but I have heard that if she did this and her claim was denied then her current payments would stop immediately instead of carrying on until January. Can anyone throw some light on this? Also she thought that DLA was being replaced with PIP yet the renewal forms all say DLA. Would I be correct in thinking that because of her age and the fact that she is over retirement age the Government will not be so anxious to get her off DLA as they would someone of working age? Thanks in advance.

Hi I have recently had notie of benefit on my DLA review. Award has been made a thigher mobitlity rate indefinately and lowest rate care componant indefinately the award has been dropped from middle rate care to lowest rate which not only reduces my money but also trivializes my husbands constant and ardous tasks of looking after me. I was surprised when review came under DLA bracket rather than PIP but pressume indefinately is indefinately no matter what the heading now. I telephoned DLA to discuss the change in care component of my benefit however I think I pressed the wrong option. I spoke with a woman who was more than abrupt and she would not listen to what I was trying to say the more she spoke the more dismissive she became getting me all in a muddle. She kept on saying oh you want this reviewed but reviewed was not the word she used. The word she used made it sound as if I was being unreasonable - when in fact I just wanted to talk to her about the decision. She 3 times said she had already put paperwork through and was very sharp with me My question is this should I telephone them again and pressin the correct option and try to speak to someone? As the woman I spoke to said that a may lose all my entitlement in putting this request through? Also if DLA review is different to the PIP then am I know going to be reviewed under new guidelines? Can they really cancel a indefinate qualification for DLA ? Just because I wanted to ask a question? If this is the case then should I just cancel my request (although I never made this request) and send DLA a change in circumstances application ? This whole thing is proving to be extremely stressful, I have read other peoples experiences of the effects on them both mentally and pyhiscally - I now can understand the feelings of dispair leaving them questioning the point in them being here at all. What should I do ? Shall Ijust leave it to run its course OSW

received a letter last thursday saying a home visit has been arranged for a medical assessment today. i rang the doctor on friday and left a message to say that appointment wasnt convenient as i want my partner to be available. He/she didnt get back to me and because of the bank holiday i rang Atos office this morning to confim that he was going to rearrange, and gave them a list of dates when my partner could be available. They told me to send him away if he still comes today, i told them i would be in bed.... little bit anxious that he will still come.. should i just not answer the door? Also can anyone advise me,what to expect and how best to tackle a medical assessment? will i be examined, will i need to undress? I have heard allsorts about the doctor snooping round the house and making assumptions, are they allowed to do that? I even read somewhere that i should hide the dog, because they will assume that i can walk her ( my partner does this btw)... thats not really possible. when they write the report, do you get a chance to see it and challenge things that are inaccurate or assumed? trying not to be too anxious, but not doing terribly well atm

Hello, I've been getting middle rate care & low rate mobility. Paid from 7/11-7/13. My award notice says they will contact me by July to see if I want to claim again- but they never did. My support worker didn't help me fill in my conditions as negatively as they affect me & I wrongly assumed it would be obvious. Gov website doesn't say that I need to apply for PIP yet. But I can't find any adult DLA claim forms online & I really need an online form that can be filled in by typing such as the ESA50 can. Is there an online adult DLA form please?