disability living allowance turned down for 5 year old son

[mich7k]

Thank you tiglet i will approach them for some help, well a quick update i have written and sent off my review letter, it has been recieved checked today said it could take up to 3months for a decision to come through!! Outrageous! having taking 4 months to turn down my claim for my boy in the first place!

[mich7k]

Hi all! Hope you are well

Thought i'd give you a quick update:

Sent in the review letter got a bog off reply saying that he is not entitled to either if i would like a tribuneral and to reply within 14 days. To be honest i wasnt going to pursue it i am just so stressed out plus i have seven days to pay off my arrears on the mortgage or its court action; anyway i plucked up the courage today to call a solicitor about the mortgage arrears only to be told they no longer do legal aid and to call the legal helpline service, well now they advise you over the phone and asses you for anyother help you may need so i was put through to a welfare benefits officer who gave me some hope and has agreed to represent me at the dla hearing although she cannot attend personally after speaking to her it seems that my boy may qualify for the middle/higher rate care and lower rate mobility! So i thought lets go for it, said his problems are hard to explain on the form. The doctors have assesed him and they dont think he has adhd so he has been refered to see another doctor although i think he may have slight autism:confused:

[PriorityOne]

Go for it Mich !! Most people are successful at the tribunal stage. In fact, the turndown rate for DLA applications is ridiculously high.... in order to put people off going through the Appeals procedure.

[mich7k]

Thank you priorityone i will need all of you over the next few weeks!

[tiglet]

We'll be around - if you have help/representation at the tribunal, you are more likely to be successful, so get as much info/help as you can and make sure you are well-prepared.

[OMyDayz]

son who has asthama(really bad) has various inhalers and steriods), eczema, and has suspected adhd. Mich

 

Hi Mich,

 

Reading your first post - well I was nearly in tears. I could have written this myself.

 

My daughter has had chronic eczema from the age of 6 months - she is now 11. At the age of 3 I/she was appointed a home visiting eczema nurse (EN). It was only then that I was told about claiming DLA. The EN gave me the application booklet (War and Peace or what!), helped me fill it in and then completed the statement near the back of the book. The EN's advice to me was when filling in the form, make it look as bad as you can - not difficult as it was/is bad. The form was then sent off. My

daughter was awarded Middle Care Component and Low Mobility Component.

 

On another visit, the EN advised me to claim Carers Allowance - I was awarded it (will tell you about trauma with that later!). She also advised me on the Family Fund. I applied to them for a Tumble Dryer with a statement from the EN. This was granted.

 

My daughter had always been different/difficult from birth but I thought what with the eczema this was just how she was. However my usual eczema nurse was on holiday one time and another arrived instead. She was more worried about my daughters behaviour and referred her to a Child Mental Health Nurse friend of hers. He in turn referred her to a Consultant. The Consultant diagnosed ADD plus possible Aspergers and eventually decided she was mildy autistic as well.

 

My daughter also developed asthma from the age of 5.

 

I guess I was lucky with the DLA - don't know what swung it for me except for the EN's advice and going through it with me bit by bit, word for word. At the age of 8 and after one of the 2 year reviews (how laborious those are) my daughter was awarded the Higher Care Component along with the Low Mobility.

 

I am really hoping that you will be awarded DLA as it is helpful and certainly applicable to you.

 

Some points to remember in future when you have to fill in the review pack (hopefully) or another application form :

 

1) As the EN said make it sound as bad as it really is and explain it all in detail even though some of the questions are ridiculous and not really applicable.

 

2) Keep a copy of the application form or previous review pack - very handy for 1st or subsequent reviews, just re-word it so it doesn't look copied

 

3) Staple copies of the repeat presciption request forms to the booklet (if they are anything like my daughters you will have quite a few items on there! pro-topic, mometazone, turbohalers etc etc)

 

4) Be friendly with your son's teacher - they are always good for a statement as they spend a fair amount of time with the child too and realise how these debilitating conditions affect their every day life.

 

I've gone on for too long now and will tell you about my CA experience another time!

 

I'm so rooting for you. This world doesn't make sense sometimes but there is hope so go for it.

 

Let me know if I can be of any assistance to you.

 

GT

[OMyDayz]

Thinking about it, I applied to the Family Fund for assistance before getting the DLA award notice. The FF requested a letter of support from my daughter's GP who duly obliged and the request was granted.

 

If you haven't applied already, go for it.

 

[mich7k]

Hi gettingthrough thank you for your support and advice i tried to get help from the FF but they replied to me this week saying that my son is not severely disabled so i am not entitled to any help... My sons teacher is really nice anf friendly but she hasnt been able to support my claim for dla as he is a model child at school, i think they are trying to say that he just has challenging behaviour at home like im a rubbish parent???

[tiglet]

Children with even severe problems learn how to cope in social situations such as school - especially children who are high-functioning autistic children.

 

NEVER blame yourself. You sound like a very caring mother who wants what is best for her child and is tearing herself apart by thinking it is all her fault.

 

I (and I'm sure many others on this forum) have felt the same way. I've been told my son is difficult because I divorced his father (by his reception teacher), I've been told it's my fault he's been difficult because I worked long hours (to keep a roof over his head because of said divorce) - recently his teacher has told me his problems are because he is spoilt because I am there for him all of the time. We parents can't win, can we?

 

My advice to you is simply this: go with your gut feeling. YOU are his mother: YOU are the one who knows your child. Keep fighting and come back on here, or PM me, any time you want a whinge or a moan - it's cathartic to let it out.

 

You are doing everything right - have you tried calling those organisations I mentioned in a previous post? It is amazing what a little practical help and support can do.

 

Good luck!

 

Tigs xxx

[OMyDayz]

Hi gettingthrough thank you for your support and advice i tried to get help from the FF but they replied to me this week saying that my son is not severely disabled so i am not entitled to any help... My sons teacher is really nice anf friendly but she hasnt been able to support my claim for dla as he is a model child at school, i think they are trying to say that he just has challenging behaviour at home like im a rubbish parent???

 

Arrrrrrrghhhhhhh. Been there regarding the 'model' behaviour at school - my daughter seems to behave herself at school too. Can I ask if you have seen a Paed Consultant regarding his behaviour yet? I was lucky as I 'fast-tracked' and to be honest they are not much help but it is handy as a professional name to put down when applying for DLA but..... I know it is notoriously difficult to get a referral. We moved from the area we were living in and I was told that there is no funding for child mental health in my new area - along with a lot of other areas - consequently she does not see a consultant now.

 

However, regarding the School and teacher - surely his eczema affects him in class? Loss of concentration due to the scratching, tiredness etc. PM me for lot's more handy tips on this!

 

Can't believe that of the Family Fund - they must be tightening up but the way I see it is your son is multiply challenged like my daughter. Hopefully (!) the DLA will be awarded and you can then put in another application.

 

I've been exactly where you are and I too blamed myself as I divorced my ex-husband when my daughter was 3 but it is NOT your fault. Ask yourself, can you been responsible for his eczema & asthma? No so why would you be responsible for the rest? You can't. It's hard enough accepting the way your child is yourself without others insinuating that this was brought about by you. Don't beat yourself up over it my love.

 

As Tiglet has offered, feel free to PM me for info, rants etc. I'm 8 years down the line - nothings shocks me anymore!!

 

[OLIVE.FAMILY]

Hi mich7k

 

I have just read your newest post. decided to come over here and take a look. OMG. I can totally relate to this. To the point i have only read half the posts on this thread and just had to say something.

 

I have three children . ALL are on DLA. My two daughters have severe atopic eczema and acute asthma. One daughter also has allergic rhinitus. My son has type 1 diabetes.

 

My two daughters have had eczema since birth. In 2005 in got so much worse. My oldest daughter was 4at the time and my youngest was three(now are 7 and 6). My oldest narrowly escaped hospital because she was so infected from head to toe. My youngest woke evry night at least three times a night. I would have to lie there hour after hour rubbing there delicate skin to stop her from clawing herself to ribbons. I still do. We were under an asthma nurse andd dermatologist at the time.

 

I applied for dla for both of them at the same time. My eldest got it straigt away no problem. My youngest got refused. Like you this was due to what the doctor hadwritten mainly because our GP did not understand her eczema. EWe found out that they had written that it was under control with medication. This was because at her last check up she had been on oral steroids for her asthma which cleared her eczema temporarly. We asked for DLA to send all the info that they had and we worked out where they went wrong and appeled.

 

We have since learnt that you have to fill the form in about themost common worst day you can have. I hated seeing me children as disabled. Especially when you read them forms and you imagine what children they are talking about. I have some good doctors and friends though and they all appreciated the work we have to do.

 

Obviously i concentrated on the eczema but at the end of the form when it asked for any further info we basicly wrote a daily routind diary. How long we spent each time applying cream, getting them dressed rubbing there skin changing bed linen everyday as it was covered in blood and skin. All of this adds up to how much extra time you spend looking after your child. Even the school applying cream counted.

 

In the end after sending this off we got higher rate carers allowance for her and middle for my oldest aughter(the odd thing is she suffers more but in silence and doesnt wake up in the night)

 

We have just done our three year review which was very worrying incase the refused again but we had no problems.

 

One huge piece of advice though PHOTOCOPY the frms so you know what you have written next time.

 

Good luck

 

Olives

xxxx

[mich7k]

thank you Olive family for your support its in the hands of God now I wish i had claimed for it when he was younger i just got on with it. he almost lost two of his fingers as he used to scratch his fingers on the carpet when he was a baby and his elbows why do they make it so hard to get what they are entitled to? I am close to losing my home as i had to give up my job so im just waiting for a date for the tribunal.

[tiglet]

Well, ive sent off for the forms for my eldest and will be following all of the good advice on here and give the worst day, not the best.

 

Good luck with your tribunal!

[mich7k]

thanks Tiglet i hope it goes through ok:)

[emmaf01]

I have been advised to look at claiming DLA for my son who has developmental delay, resulting behavioural problems and eczema. He's four and has a paediatrician, psychologist and speech therapist. We've recently had his assessment for special needs help for when he starts big school in September.

 

We haven't got a definite diagnosis for his issues, we've been given speculative labels of ASD(possibly) to ADHD(absolutely wrong IMO). Our paediatrician won't commit herself until she can be sure, so will just keep observing for another couple of years.

 

We've been blamed for his problems, having to deal with social workers questioning every aspect of our lives. It was supposed to be to get us more help but the only thing it got us was an extra wheely bin due to all the nappies!

 

We have attended parenting classes even though we've read many theories and books on child behaviour and strategies and had the psychologist show we are very thorough and committed to helping our child.

 

Some days are reasonable, some bad but all are exhausting. Due to not having any extended family available, its all on us.

 

My big push until September is trying to get him toilet trained for school. We've only been at this for years! But with the help of the child psychologist (since January), we've battled his "toilet phobia" so at least he will now sit on the loo but not do anything(he used to have screaming hysterics and wouldn't got in the bathroom- we think perhaps tiled, echoing room, noise sensitivity). Now just his food phobia, bathing phobia, etc to go!

 

This thread has been invaluable as after I read the DLA forms I didn't know if we were eligible (even though I get DLA myself). I'll talk to his paediatrician when I see her.

 

Its nice to hear that other parents have an "interesting" time with their children too. Good luck with your tribunal.

[Billyhunt]

Edited by Billy

Edited July 12, 2008 by Billyhunt

[mich7k]

Hi Guys and Gals just wanted to let give you a quick update i have been given a date for the tribunal 8/8/08 so pray for me and my boy, along with some tips! Thank you for your support

[tiglet]

I'm praying honey - no advice, I'm afraid, but you'll be in my prayers x

[emmaf01]

good luck - from my own tribunal experience- I sat, petrified with tears running down my face, and that was just in the waiting room!

 

We never made it in to the tribunal. The clerk came out and told us they had received a letter THAT DAY from the DWP saying that 2 weeks before they had changed there decision and we'd won. They just hadn't bothered to tell us or the welfare rights officer handling our appeal.

 

I hope your appeal is as successful (without the shaking and crying)!

Edited July 17, 2008 by emmaf01
spelling

[OMyDayz]

Good luck Mich, will be thinking of you on the 8th. Just remember, tell it like it is and then some!

 

Am off now to hoover my daughters bed and floor again - you know how it is!

xxx

[mich7k]

Thanks getting through its the 6 weeks holidays and im exchasted! He's like a jumping bean from morning till night...........so i feel you

[emmaf01]

Mine also tears the wallpaper off the bedroom walls when he wakes up early- woodchip. And now the cat has brought in fleas.

 

Roll on September.

[OMyDayz]

And now the cat has brought in fleas.

 

Roll on September.

 

He he Emma, makes a change from mice - having said that I've even had rabbits!

 

xxx

[PriorityOne]

He he Emma, makes a change from mice - having said that I've even had rabbits!

 

xxx

 

Yep.. can relate to that totally. Mice, rabbits, birds, moles, voles, a bat:eek:.... yet they NEVER go after the fish.

[emmaf01]

I nearly bought a house rabbit yesterday, just because it was bigger (and blacker) than the cat. Then I remembered the chaos caused by just a cat and Michael and went back to buying out every flea product nd natural insect repellant in the pet shop.

 

He was a big bunny, almost a were-rabbit.

 

Anyway, how are the nerves and the hoovering!