Dla Nightmare!

munch40

HELP!
My husband has been on high rate dla for both mobility & care components for the last 6 years & i have received carers allowance during this time too.
After reapplying back in May we have now been told that he has been dropped to low rate & i will receive no carers allowance at all.
His circumstances haven,t even changed, if anything his condition is worse than that of 6 years ago!
Not only that , we will no longer be entitled to a motability vehicle. We will be loosing over £600 a month income.
HALF OUR MORTGAGE REPAYMENT!

We have put in an appeal & have been told we will have to wait 11 weeks befor we even get any paperwork from the DLA!
I am terrified that we will have lost our home by then!
Has anyone else been in a similar nightmare that just seems to get more overwhelming by the day?!!!

peediedj

munch40 wrote: »

HELP!
My husband has been on high rate dla for both mobility & care components for the last 6 years & i have received carers allowance during this time too.
After reapplying back in May we have now been told that he has been dropped to low rate & i will receive no carers allowance at all.
His circumstances haven,t even changed, if anything his condition is worse than that of 6 years ago!
Not only that , we will no longer be entitled to a motability vehicle. We will be loosing over £600 a month income.
HALF OUR MORTGAGE REPAYMENT!

We have put in an appeal & have been told we will have to wait 11 weeks befor we even get any paperwork from the DLA!
I am terrified that we will have lost our home by then!
Has anyone else been in a similar nightmare that just seems to get more overwhelming by the day?!!!

reading this doesnt give me much hope i posted my dla renewal 4 weeks ago and they just wrote to my gp for a report

foxxymynx

get in touch with your local welfare rights officer they will help u

SomeBozo

£600 a month income.
HALF OUR MORTGAGE REPAYMENT!

How much is your mortgage?
bOZO

krisskross

I think the criteria for disability benefits are being tightened as more and more people apply. Plus as there have been a few cases of fraudulent claims for large amounts this must make the decision makers look very carefully at forms that perhaps would just have been rubber stamped a few years ago.

[Deleted User]

krisskross wrote: »

I think the criteria for disability benefits are being tightened as more and more people apply. Plus as there have been a few cases of fraudulent claims for large amounts this must make the decision makers look very carefully at forms that perhaps would just have been rubber stamped a few years ago.

I`m sorry but this is just scaremongering,fraud at all levels has gone on for years,but its doesnt change the way DMs make their decisions and no criteria for DLA has been changed whatsoever

SuziQ

The uncertainty of DLA makes it sensible not to rely on it too much. I know from personal experience that the award-plus the extra tax credits you recieve-are a sizeable amount of money,and I try to work my budget out without it as much as possible as I fear it being taken away-after I have gotten used to having it!

I understand what you are saying woodbine,but more and more people seem to be posting that their award has been downgraded or removed-when often the specialist/GP haven't even been contacted and often what the letter says is contrary to what the persons' submitted form has stated.
I suppose it highlights the importance of getting help filling the form in (I did my sons but did get advice from Cerebra and the Autistic Assoc.)

With regards to your mortgage munch40,speak to your lender NOW. I have found my lender-abbey-to have been really suportive and patient,and I think it has been because we have kept a constant dialogue up with them. They may advise going onto interest only or increasing your term-you will feel much more in control if you speak to them before hitting difficulties paying.Their message to us last week was that in the current climate NO lender really wants to reposess.You have a massive mortgage-was it based on a high income at some point? You haven't said if you work etc-there may be other help you can apply for,maybe your husband would qualify for a different benefit? I'm afraid I don't know enough about the system whereas woodbine and others should be able to help with more information.

krisskross

woodbine wrote: »

I`m sorry but this is just scaremongering,fraud at all levels has gone on for years,but its doesnt change the way DMs make their decisions and no criteria for DLA has been changed whatsoever

OK let me put it another way . Perhaps they are looking for much more proof of a valid claim. I agree fraud has almost certainly gone on for years and it is high time it was tackled and stopped. Perhaps the actual criteria has not been changed but is being interpreted more strictly.

I think most people with experience will agree that it is becoming increasingly difficult to get DLA, therefore it is only right that claims granted in easier times should be scrutinised when renewal time comes.

We all know people with mobility cars from years ago decisions that have had no right to this, nor probably ever have. I certainly do.

Why should I be scaremongering? If people have a valid claim then they should get what they are due, if they haven't then they won't.

SuziQ

krisskross wrote: »

If people have a valid claim then they should get what they are due, if they haven't then they won't.

Should those with valid claims be made to jump through hoops and made to wait months for an appeal though?

I did say when I put my sons claim in that should it fail,I didn't think I could face an appeal etc. I have been ill myself all year and am waiting for surgery,my ex is USELESS at anything like this so it always falls to me. I was so relieved that his claim was all settled within 3 weeks.However someone I have been in contact with on here has a child with much worse problems with Autism than my son-and yet got turned down flat. I gave some advice and she also contacted cerebra,her appeal was sucessful for high rate care and she got it all back dated. Her claim was valid-but the appeal cuased an almighty strain on a family already dealing with a child with dreadful special needs.

zzzLazyDaisy

krisskross wrote: »

If people have a valid claim then they should get what they are due, if they haven't then they won't.

If only the world of DLA benefits were so logical!

My daughter lost her care component of DLA in March having been on mid rate for 8 years. When she saw the DLA doctor she was only home from hospital 2 days after a 6 week stay. She was unable to get out of bed or walk across the room without help. Her weight had dropped from 10 stone to under 6 stone. The DLA doctor confirmed that she has a chronic condition which, given her history was unlikely to change, unless she has a further relapse (ie she would deteriorate further). He confirmed that she needs a high level of care, and this was supported by both my daughter's GP and her specialist.

BUT the EMP then went down the list of boxes and ticked the wrong boxes - indicating that she does not need help with any daily activities (contradicting his own findings elswhere in the report).

It has taken 5 months to unravel the mess. My d haughter has now had her DLA re-instated, and back paid, but nothing can make up for the upset, stress, and debt, all this has caused.

Please, if you don't have personal experience of this kafka-esque system, don't think you *know* what you're talking about - the chances are, you don't.

krisskross

zzzLazyDaisy wrote: »

Please, if you don't have personal experience of this kafka-esque system, don't think you *know* what you're talking about - the chances are, you don't.

I have completed forms for AA for my husband, assisted by specialist wefare people who assured me he was a 'shoo-in' for it.

He wasn't and didn't get it so I do know what it is like to have a valid application refused. However my husband hated the whole procedure, intensely disliked having his limitations pointed out so we have left it. No doubt we could have appealed, gone to a tribunal or whatever it is you do but he truly felt humiliated by the whole procedure so we let it drop.