Help with DLA form - describe my worst days or not?

[cupcake69]

Good Afternoon,

I have to fill in my dla form and cannot find any information ie descriptors for mental health and bowel incontinence. Basically I have depression, anxiety attacks which cause me to lose control of bowel.

Hope someone can point me in the right direction,

Thanks.

[Nystagmite]

There are no descriptors. You just have to tell them what you're like and how often, etc.

[dx100uk]

just put down exactly what happens on your very worst days.

 

dx

[Nystagmite]

No. Worst days is fraud. You're giving incorrect information. At the end of the form, it says that you have to sign to say that the information you've given is true. By exclusively doing it on your worst days, you're knowingly giving wrong information.

[dx100uk]

thats interesting Ny.

 

on both my daughters and wifes DLA thats what the local councils benefit maximisation team advised

and was successful,

 

of course the form both had pages of reports etc etc

So might not have been relevent in both succeeding.

 

dx

[Nystagmite]

I don't think I've ever come across as organisation which tells you do that. I know some say you have to spell everything out; but they never tell you to do it on your worst day.

[RaeUK]

I'm sure I covered all bases by putting down what I was like on an average day and what I was like on a worst day. There's plenty of space and you can really go to town with the detail ...

[worried33]

I don't think I've ever come across as organisation which tells you do that. I know some say you have to spell everything out; but they never tell you to do it on your worst day.

 

I had welfare rights say worst days.

 

I also had a DWP manager tell me to put worst days.

[mekongmarcus]

My local CAB said describe my worst days.

[huyton74]

Should always describe how your illness effects you on your worst days

[Nystagmite]

No. Worst days is fraud. You're saying you need more help than you actually do.

[anniea]

When filling out son's DLA form after suffering a stroke - had stroke association person come out to help with form and they told us to put down worst day also!! It seems alot of organisations tell people to do this.

[Lillibelle]

I don't know if the forms still have a 'any furthur information you think we might need to know' page as I'm now at last stage of my illness (not terminal but at 'it aint gonna get better' stage) I don't have to fill any more forms in for DLA,I was given an 'age 80' award now known as indefinite award...but when I did fill them in,I used to put the 'on my worst' days on the more info page because my abilitys varied and I would have been fibbing to say I was really bad all the time...but forms may have altered since then

[estellyn]

Yes, some organisations will tell you to write about your worst days - because that is the easiest way to write the form. Its much harder to describe variability, but if you describe your worst day - and you only have days like that once a week or fortnight, then yes, you would be commiting fraud. If you have the days you describe the majority of the time - say 5 days out of 7 then there would not be a problem. However, when completing a form for someone, I've always used the extra information to explain about good days and bad days - for instance 'on a bad day mrs x can only walk a few steps, on an average day 20 metres, on a good day maybe 50 metres - good days only occur once or twice a month, bad days about once a week, the rest are average days'.

 

But yes, nystagmite is right, you're not supposed to just put down what happens on your worst day - good grief some people might only have their worst day once a month.

[Nystagmite]

I was told never to write the words "good day" - as it can be assumed there's no issue. I always say "better day".

[estellyn]

I was told never to write the words "good day" - as it can be assumed there's no issue. I always say "better day".

 

I've never had a problem with writing it - though I would often write something like 'on their best day they can only walk 30 metres' - it gives a really good idea to the decision maker what the range of activity is - but I always qualify with how many 'best' or 'good' days they have. If someone talks about good or bad days, then isn't specific about how often they occur - then yes there can be problems. Decision makers are well aware that what is a good day for a disabled person is very different than what it is for a healthy able bodied person.

[dx100uk]

i've got to admit, that i gave several referance like those you describe.

 

including on a good day this, on a bad day that, and how often each occured

 

dx

[worried33]

No. Worst days is fraud. You're saying you need more help than you actually do.

 

this depends.

 

If you put how you are on your worst days and then say its every day like that, then that is lieing.

 

If you just state how you are on your worst days and simply dont mention how you are on good days that isnt lieing.

 

But the fact is advice groups and even a DWP manager have told people to state how they are on their worst days. This is probably due to how claims are processed and assumptions get made that good days are the norm.

[estellyn]

This is probably due to how claims are processed and assumptions get made that good days are the norm.

 

This is why it is so important with DLA, ESA and later with PIP, to be very specific and detailed, and also wording things in the right way.

 

The difference being between writing:

 

'I can't walk far due to arthritis' and:

 

'I have arthritis in my hips, knees and ankles, this causes severe pain and stiffness in all these joints when standing or walking. On an average day I can only walk about 10 metres before the pain becomes so intense I have to stop and sit down for at least 30 minutes. On my bad days I cannot walk more than a few steps before the pain becomes too much to continue. On my very best day, I can only walk a maximum of 25 metres. I have about 3 bad days a week, and about one or two good days a month, the rest are average days. On an average day I can walk to the car in my driveway and that is it, but on a bad day I cannot even leave the house due to the joint pain affecting my walking.

 

(just an example, not about my issues)

 

Detail is everything - in fact normally I'd write more about aids and ability to use them etc, but you get the idea.

[jabba jones]

this depends.

 

If you put how you are on your worst days and then say its every day like that, then that is lieing.

 

If you just state how you are on your worst days and simply dont mention how you are on good days that isnt lieing.

 

But the fact is advice groups and even a DWP manager have told people to state how they are on their worst days. This is probably due to how claims are processed and assumptions get made that good days are the norm.

 

But if you're unfortunate enough to be investigated by FIS they will use the claim form (& reviews) as the basis of the investigation & should it get that far, the IUC as well.

 

If you only list what its like on a bad day & they've got plenty of surveillance footage showing normal & good days, you're b*ggered!

 

Like estellyn, Nystagmite & RaeUK have already said its all in the detail & if you do put what it's like on a bad day make sure you mention a normal day as well.

[worried33]

But if you're unfortunate enough to be investigated by FIS they will use the claim form (& reviews) as the basis of the investigation & should it get that far, the IUC as well.

 

If you only list what its like on a bad day & they've got plenty of surveillance footage showing normal & good days, you're b*ggered!

 

Like estellyn, Nystagmite & RaeUK have already said its all in the detail & if you do put what it's like on a bad day make sure you mention a normal day as well.

 

I would say using the term better days is best after reading more points made.

 

In truth i dont have any good days, but use that term to describe days that are simply not as bad.

 

In my own DLA claim tho on better days I would still qualify, where this comes into dispute of course is when someone on better days is improved to the point they wouldnt be considered eleglble.which would then come down to I guess how often are better days.

 

But as I said before if someone in those circumstances proved they were filling in the form based on legal advice they recieved I think personal prosecution would be a weak case.

 

To be clear tho, you seem to be considering worse,normal and good days as seperate to each other.

 

When I say worse days I mean as normal days and I see good (netter) days as something as a rarity.

 

So what I am saying is if someone can walk 200 metres 6 days a week but 1 day a week they cant walk 50 and they claim DLA on that basis only describing that 1 day a week, I think thats wrong. My point is if someone has 5-6 days a week they are disabled but maybe 1 day a week isnt so bad but since its infrequent it then isnt relevant and mentioning it can make DWP staff treat that 1 day as a norm.

[cupcake69]

I am a bit confused what has happened to my title, I never put describe my worst days or not, how did that change?

[dx100uk]

i elaborated it up to get better input for you

 

dx

[honour2012]

Hi all I have been to 2 well known organisations, both have told me when filling in forms, imagine your worst day.

[estellyn]

Hi all I have been to 2 well known organisations, both have told me when filling in forms, imagine your worst day.

 

Unfortunately doesn't mean they're right according to the law.

Edited September 13, 2012 by estellyn