Dla Nightmare!

zzzLazyDaisy

Many years ago a welfare benefits adviser in Manchester told me that the DLA office for their region was so understaffed that virtually all claims were rejected, and only the ones that were appealed got looked at properly.

But filling in these forms is such a traumatic and demoralising experience for many people - and those who are the most ill and need the most help are the very ones least likely to be able to put up a fight for their rights. So many people simply do not appeal.

[Deleted User]

krisskross wrote: »

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.

The problem is that on forums like this you only usually read about peoples BAD experiences of benefits like DLA,people who have no problems with it tend not to post along the lines of"I get my DLA renewed everytime on time and no questions asked"
So on forums like this its not necessary to say that the criteria for DLA has/is changing when clearly its not

scooby1001

There is a couple of things i would like to say about DLA. I can see both sides of the coin. My ex husband got a "life-time" award in 1997 for high rate mobility which he is no really intitled now but they have never reviewed it once since so he just accepts the money. If they reviewed it he would lose it now cos it is 10 years on and he no longer has the problems.

I get dla so does my daughter for a variety of problems, one of mine being scito-affective disorder. I received a "Indefinate" award in 2003 and my daughter received one for 7 years, ending the day before her 16th birthday. Because of all the bad publicity of people getting taken to court for dla fraud i constantly worry that they think i am cheating the system even though i have had 3 medicals from the dla in the last 6 years and my award has remained unchaged. Anyway this year i decided that the goverment was sending spies out and watching me night and day and bugging my home. I sent a letter to dla saying i did not want to claim it anymore, and asked them to stop it. Instead of taking me at my word/letter they contacted my doctor/specialist who explained it was part of my conditon and i should still be receiving it. A really lovely man from the dla rang me and kindly explained that he had looked into it and they were not going to stop the money because it was not in my best interests. He understood my worry and even said he was drawn to my letter because "people don't write in saying they don't want dla anymore" and said the fact that i had had 3 reviews in 6 years on an indefinate award was out og order and he was going to make sure it did not happen again. I even did the same with my daughters award and they did not stop that either. So in my experience they have been great. I just wanted to put a more postivite side of dla. As someone else said we always hear the bad not the good.

GlasweJen

sometimes i wonder about DLA because i got my first 2 awards no bother but they're being sticky over my 3rd one even though i'm worse than ever

SuziQ

scooby it's interesting that you were worried about your own award-which clearly you do need-whilst your ex husband just carries on collecting his award when he clearly knows he isn't entitled. He could be reviewed or reported anytime-if reported he may find himself in trouble.
krisskross-I inderstand entirely what you are saying.That was why I had decided not to appeal should me son's application fail. I prayed about it and left it up to the Lord!

I do wonder what will happen with benefits with the current crunch going on though. Can our economy really afford this massive welfare bill? If they scrap all these benefits then loads of people who have become reliant on them are going to be in dire straits.

Verianna

Honestly I agree with Suzi, that as hard as it is the best thing to do is to NOT become reliant on DLA payments and the additional monies that comes with it.

With our recent DLA entitlement we have received a very comfortable £196 per week rise in our income, how on earth do you not become reliant on that?! It scares the living daylights out of me what happens when it comes to renewal time and if the entitlement changes

We are trying our hardest to not work it into our 'proper' budget too much.

jobbingmusician

As someone who used to run an advice centre (like a CAB), although I am not an adviser myself, perhaps I could contribute. All the points I am going to make have also been made by other people, but it might be helpful to join them together.

1. I think it is fair to say that the advisers I used to manage believed that nearly all DLA claims are refused nowadays. This seems to be regardless of merit, and is patently unfair.

2. AFAIK (and my information is about a year out of date) most DLA appeals are successful. BUT you have a far greater chance of success with your appeal if you involve someone like a CAB or welfare rights adviser - someone who is used to (as another poster put it) the Kafkaesque world of DLA - someone who speaks their language.

3. Appeal NOW - the timescale for appeal is fairly limited. (I would advise everyone on this thread who feels they have been refused or downgraded unfairly to appeal).

4. Anyone who really HAS to fill in their DLA form themselves - base your answers on what happens on one of your worst days.

HTH - JM

zzzLazyDaisy

scooby1001 wrote: »

There is a couple of things i would like to say about DLA. I can see both sides of the coin. My ex husband got a "life-time" award in 1997 for high rate mobility which he is no really intitled now but they have never reviewed it once since so he just accepts the money. If they reviewed it he would lose it now cos it is 10 years on and he no longer has the problems..

He has a legal duty to report any changes in his condition. You say knows he is no longer entitled to the money, but continues to claim it. That is fraud.

I am sorry that you worry so much about your own award when you are so obviously entitled to it. It is a pity your OH isn't as honest.

Sorry this sounds harsh, but I know so many people who are in dire straits because of ill health, but can't face the struggle of appealing, so they just accept the decision to refuse them DLA even though they genuinely meet the criteria.

scooby1001

My ex husband thinks that he IS intitled to the money which is why he does not report a change BUT i know he is not. There in lies the problem. If i bring it up i am just trying to be nasty to him and trying to lose him money etc. The annoying thing to me(it is his problem if he gets into trouble at a later date) is that his award has never been looked at and mine which in essence is the same "life-time"(his) and "indefinate" (mine) has been reviewed 3 times with 3 medicals in 6 years. I have had my condition for 30 years so things are not going to suddenly change. The stress of each review does not help my condion(in fact it makes it worse) and you wonder if the money is worth it in the long run.

krisskross

jobbingmusician wrote: »

.4. Anyone who really HAS to fill in their DLA form themselves - base your answers on what happens on one of your worst days.

HTH - JM

This is not honest.