OMG that man was just so rude....DLA

parisjordana

How stupid is this....please read my other thread further down the line saying "turned down for DLA pleeease help"well I took everyones advice and wrote a ten page letter going more in depth to the DLA so someone can have a look again and if i fail again I will appeal...well I just rang up to check that my letter had been recieved and the bloke said I need to speak to the client I stated he was at college and i was his mother who had filled in the forms and sent in the new letter and he said Nope I cannot tell you anything its against the law to do so,I said it was me who fills in his forms he may be 17 but Iv always done it for him he wouldnt have a clue,I always make it clear on all forms its me his mother filling in them.....its my letter I wrote so why the questions he said its against the law and your son will need an officer to come out and access him huh I said why is it any other time I ring up im spoken to fine and Im given the information and now you are giving me all this waffle about the law.....he said expect an officer to be in touch as this should have been done when he was 16 not now at 18.I give up I bet hes a new recruit whos thinks hes so important as god he was so up himself ,he probably likes the sound of pressing buttons on the keyboard.......My son wouldnt have a clue how to fill a form in like dla let alone if I explain to him about dla and an officer will come around....I told this bloke you made your first decision without even contacting his doctor what a joke his answer was we dont have to and even though you have asked us to look at it again we still dont need to my answer was then I will do what I should have done in the first place and appeal.Please can someone tell me what to expect and what will happen from here.....my son had a diagnosis of adhd and has been having assesments for a year now for autismn and asperger.....give up....feel so low and tired of it all.

McKneff

You may have to sit down with your son and teach him how to fill the forms in. Possibly the reason he hasnt got a clue about filling in forms is because you have always done it for him. Your are not doing your son any favours, you are giving the impression that he cant read or write and i am sure this is not the case. You need to calm down and then you will probably realise you are over reacting. this man is just doing his job and its the law that he can only divulge information to the claimant unles the claimant gives specific instructions that you can deal with it on his behalf.
He would probably get the sack if he went through the claim form with you.
Sorry if it sounds brutal but you really will give yourself an ulcer if you carry on getting stressed with it all.

[Deleted User]

As i understand it as long as your son gives them written permission or verbal over the telephone then they can speak to you about the claim,without his permission now hes over 16 they would be breaking the law,its s simlar situation I have when dealing with benefits etc for my M.I.L.
So next time you phone have your son with you.
As for the appeal/review,if you go straight to appeal its reviewed by another decision maker anyway.

Conor_3

You have no right to any information under the Data Protection Act. The DLA officer was correct in refusing to give you any information.

lilac_lady

You could have been his next door neighbour being nosy so the DLA officer was following the correct procedure. There are ways of telling people without rudeness so if he was rude, report him.

parisjordana

I understand he was doing his job that wasnt my issue it was his manner on the phone but that means for the last two years someone hasnt done their job correctly.....as everytime Iv rang up before they have given me the info as it was me whos filled the forms in for him on his behalf as indicated on the forms....they were hard enough for me to fill in let alone him....on a normal day he says his head is like a washing machine as it is.....I will get my son to ring up and say he gives me permission to do so........I dont mind an officer or assesment person coming around as I have nothing to hide as its all for my sons interest and a bit of money for him as he probably will not be able to keep a job down like others his age....anyway the assesment is a job APPARENTLY that should have been done 2 years ago I just find it all mind boggling the way the system works....

Conor_3

Are you sure it was his manner that was the problem or is it more that you got the hump because he wouldn't give you the information you asked for?

parisjordana

anniehanlon wrote: »

You may have to sit down with your son and teach him how to fill the forms in. Possibly the reason he hasnt got a clue about filling in forms is because you have always done it for him. Your are not doing your son any favours,

You make it sound so easy....if only it was that easy .....

parisjordana

Conor wrote: »

Are you sure it was his manner that was the problem or is it more that you got the hump because he wouldn't give you the information you asked for?

The information wasnt that important conor I think you are barking up the wrong tree here.....

parisjordana

well I just rang up to check that my letter had been recieved

That was my reason for ringing up which surely doesnt warrant the HUMP

zappster1966

A bit of commonsense wouldn't go amiss on both sides.

First off, if a DWP bod gives out information they shouldn't then that individual is liable for prosecution, not the DWP itself. That's why the staff are initially wary when someone phones up asking for information about another adult ... someone who isn't the customer's appointee or attorney/curator bonis. If your boy is incapable of acting on his own behalf when it comes to his finances then you should contact the DLA Unit and ask to become his appointee ... all correspondence will then be addressed to you & all payments will be in your name.

And you'd be amazed how many calls DWP get every year from debt collection agencies & others posing as DWP officers ... it's quite staggering. So the guy had to be careful.

Nevertheless, if your boy had been there at the time all that would've been required was for the DWP person to speak to him & obtain his permission for them to speak to you. It's not exactly complex. And they do even have a wee bit of leeway even if he wasn't there ... provided they can establish who you are, your relationship to the claimant, that you know a bit about the claim itself (when the payments are made, how much they are, the bank account details etc & circumstances by which the claim came to be made.

So. A bit of give & take I reckon.