DLA / AA Decision Maker - CLOSED - REFERENCE ONLY

CatherineS

Thanatos wrote: »

lol - I dont know why people assume I am new to this forum - I have been about for a year and a half! (Ok, Ok I never really posted much before this.... )

Ok, on to the serious stuff.... Relapsiong and remitting MS is really hard to make an accurate decision on. I would suggest using the boxes on the forum and the spaces next to the boxes to report both sides of the coin. Then, in the free text space at the bottom, explain how the needs varies and how often. Make a point in the form that your GP does not deal with your MS so will not be able to confirm frequency and suggest they write to your Consultant. Even better, get a letter from your consultant - although you are now short on time - it might be better to send the form in and send a letter from the consultant after...

Either way, explain as much as possible the variations. We are familiar with the condition, so they will be aware of the fact it is subject to short to mid term fluctuations. They just need to know how often and how long. (hard I know!)

Thank you so much Thanatos for taking the time to respond to all these queries! You really have helped a lot of people and we are all supremely grateful (well, I certainly am, and I presume all the others are too).

Sorry, I don't know why I assumed that you were new to the forum! I now realise that you have made loads of posts, (or are most of them on this thread?! :rotfl: )

Chrysalis

Thanatos wrote: »

Hi, actually no, the decisions made do not rely heavily on the diagnosis, but on the needs of the customer. To try explain myself a little clearer here is an example:

Two men travelling in a car have an accident. Both men are left paralysed below the waist. One man looks at this as the end of his life and sits around watching tv. His muscles waste and he is unable to transfer from his wheel chair to the toilet, or bed. He requires someone to help him wash because he has not motivation to do it himself. The other man looks at his predicament as a challenge. He excersises his upper limbs and even takes up wheelchair basket ball. He gets the occupational health in to adapt his bathroom so he can manage himself and is insistant he does anything he can himself without help.

In this senario, both men have an identical diagnosis, however the level of help needed is totally different. As a result of this, one man will be on a different level of DLA to the other irrelevent of the fact they have the same physical problems as each other.

Hope that explains how we look at it a little better. ...and on that basis, if you do not have a diagnosis, it really does not matter providing you have some evidence from a medical proffesional of the needs you have. I myself see about 3 or 4 cases a week where a diagnosis has not yet been decided upon, some short term, some long term.

Hope that helps

You have answered my question many thanks but it seems what you say isnt possible. Since without a diagnosis a medical professional wont write such a letter because if someone like me tells them my needs and they then write the letter it is based on what I tell them. My mum (63) is also actually having the same problem as me she recently has developed mobility problems, hers are very obvious she cant even walk around the flat but unfortenatly her GP has still yet to reach a diagnosis for her and refuses to write her a letter saying he needs to find a diagnosis. As a result she cant get a blue badge or DLA. It might work for caring since a medical professional can witness that but for mobility without a diagnosis the only evidence is the claimant.

Finally another question if I may, on my last claim I got turned down without a medical visit, is this something you would do yourself turn someone down who has no diagnosis without sending a EMP over to their house to asses?

Chrysalis

Thanatos wrote: »

Ok, I was waiting for this one... it a sore point with many Decision makers and appears to be applied inconsistently.

Yes, aids and adaptations can affect your claim. If you need help up the stairs and you have a stair lift, then you dont need help... (NOTE: this is generally, there are exceptions, like people who need help in and out of the chair etc, but in general...)

If you need help getting out of bed but have one of those beds that lift you out of bed then you dont need the help...

Its a sore point, and is open to lots of abuse of the system as well as the system abusing you. So I cant really get involved in it here as it would really be a conflict of interest for me and would give reason for the department to not be too happy about me posting here. Sorry!

Yeah this applied to me, I can walk significantly easier without footwear on than with footwear on. I was told however this doesnt counf and the way I walk without footwear has to be utilised for the assessment. It ignores the fact of life people shouldnt be walking about outside in their socks but it seems that is how the DLA rules work, perhaps they need an update.

altocumulus

Thanatos wrote: »

Sorry!

Not your fault, blame IT guys ....

altocumulus

Thanatos wrote: »

......... but trying to create a form that covers every concievable problem for ever concievable condition is virtually impossible...

Starting only with a blank piece of paper will allow for every eventuality ...

but that would make the assessors' job an awful lot harder ...

vivachavez1978

hello all hope all is well,

bascially i have applied for DLA mobility as I cannot walk anywhere as I have severe chronic asthma .

I have a "barrel chest " and am on the strongest forms of steroids/antibiotics and inhalers,
these are so strong that i now have to go for a bone scan to see whether or not this has set off osteoporosis and I have been referred by my GP to the Professor at Sheffield to see what more can be done to help.
basically whenever I set off to go for example as far as from my car to the asda entrance I start wheezing/coughing and an attack is triggered and lo and behold i am back in A & E on the nebulizer.
i do not smoke/drink and take very precaution to stop this happening .

I mentioned all this in my original claim for DLA and in my appeal letter yet i have to go to appeal ?

in the submission they have provided the rules state that if my mobilty is severely restricted i am entitled ?

I have been assessed by my local council who have agreed and have issued me with a blue badge after seeing my meds and my gp's report.

why are they playing hardball with me when my claim is genuine ?
At the moment I have pneumonia yet again and it has knocked me down another notch .
I cannot do half the things I used to eg I cannot use the dryer or have a shower due to the steam.
I am relying on family and friends to help me get thru daily life .

idbelucky

Hi Thanatos, first let me say thank you for being here to answer all our questions. I am 52 and have suffered with rheumatoid arthritis for the last 6 years also I had a heart attack 7 years ago which has left me with angina on exertion. I have recently been awarded low rate care, which I think is a suitable award for my needs at this time. This has been awarded for a indefinite period but the letter also stated that they might contact me from time to time to check whether my award is still correct. My question is how long is it likely to be before they contact me and would I need to fill out a new claim form?
Many thanks in advance.

Thanatos

TheWhiteButterfly wrote: »

your a star thankyou thanatos, what i did today was phoned dla up and spoke to a lovely lady who was getting annoyed at the banging at the background lol, think they were having work done in the offices lmao, anyhow i spoke to her about the additional stuff/people i had and she kindly took names and addresses down, she said that she was suprised i had not been awarded/not awarded yet as it had been 15 weeks, but she did say that if i was awarded it was going to be backdated so if i didnt mind waiting and i did get awarded i would have a lovely sum of money which she expected would help out enourmously which it would, just thought never asked the nice lady if i wasnt awarded and i went for an appeal and won would it still be from the first date which is 1st august?

didnt know i could requested copies of reports from various people think i will ask for that on monday cos that would make life easier for dla if i chase these people up, and i think i will also if im allowed to, is get my new physios to do a report for me and my Psychiatrist and my doctor who is heavily involved and from the start to do a letter too, that would help dla very much if i can do that cos i have to admit it must be a right pain to ask for various reports only to not get these back very quickly.

thanks again thanatos for your reply you have helped me very much.

Hi, yeah an appeal tribunal would back date it to when you first applied

Thanatos

CatherineS wrote: »

Thank you so much Thanatos for taking the time to respond to all these queries! You really have helped a lot of people and we are all supremely grateful (well, I certainly am, and I presume all the others are too).

Sorry, I don't know why I assumed that you were new to the forum! I now realise that you have made loads of posts, (or are most of them on this thread?! :rotfl: )

Yeah, think i Posted a deal at my local tesco about a year ago and then loads and loads here over the last couple of weeks.

Only figured i would get one or two questions and my PM inbox has filled up I got an email today asking me to empty it! :rotfl:

Thanatos

Chrysalis wrote: »

You have answered my question many thanks but it seems what you say isnt possible. Since without a diagnosis a medical professional wont write such a letter because if someone like me tells them my needs and they then write the letter it is based on what I tell them. My mum (63) is also actually having the same problem as me she recently has developed mobility problems, hers are very obvious she cant even walk around the flat but unfortenatly her GP has still yet to reach a diagnosis for her and refuses to write her a letter saying he needs to find a diagnosis. As a result she cant get a blue badge or DLA. It might work for caring since a medical professional can witness that but for mobility without a diagnosis the only evidence is the claimant.

Finally another question if I may, on my last claim I got turned down without a medical visit, is this something you would do yourself turn someone down who has no diagnosis without sending a EMP over to their house to asses?

Obviously I cant speak for all doctors and all conditions, but most conditions have symptoms that doctors can report on even if a diagnosis is not yet established... We get a number of reports with doctors writing no diagnosis yet in the medical condition box.

Like I said though, some doctors are great, others seem to think their lives would be a lot easier if us sick people didnt keep bothering them!