DLA Appeal

gemmalouanna

Blakespops wrote: »

looking at the many peoples complaints on here it has to be said that a large number of them seem to at best have selective hearing to the questions asked as the answers given share no relevance to what they have reported to the point at all.

I think this is a rather biased way of looking at it - don't forget people come on this forum to vent frustration at DLA decisions/doctors reports so to say a large number have selective hearing is not a very accurate reflection because of course people don't come on here saying "the EMP did a great report for me and I got what I wanted" etc... We only hear the negatives really.

Trasthmatic

So what you are saying is that the medically trained people who assess you know nothing about your illness. I think you may well be the one who is confused. I'm asthmatic (as you may have guessed from my user name). Do I think that I know more about asthma than my own GP? Hell no, I'm not that arrogant. If you are an ME specialist I will bow down to your superior knowledge.
As to your statements about the the accuracy of decisions, go look at the DLA fears vote on the Disability and Dosh forum. Over 50% of people happy with their award. And bearing in mind that most people happy with there award would never have logged on to this forum in the first place I'd say its pretty encouraging.
You may feel that you have been mistreated by DLA and for all I know you probably were. However its wrong and blantant scaremongering to state that medical professionals are lie-ing and have been instructed to lie in order to deny people benefit when you have no proof. Can you imagine how such scare tactics may affect the mentally ill?

gemmalouanna

Trasthmatic wrote: »

go look at the DLA fears vote on the Disability and Dosh forum. Over 50% of people happy with their award. And bearing in mind that most people happy with there award would never have logged on to this forum in the first place I'd say its pretty encouraging.

Kind of what I meant too

Blakespops

Trasthmatic wrote: »

go look at the DLA fears vote on the Disability and Dosh forum. Over 50% of people happy with their award. And bearing in mind that most people happy with there award would never have logged on to this forum in the first place I'd say its pretty encouraging.
You may feel that you have been mistreated by DLA and for all I know you probably were. However its wrong and blantant scaremongering to state that medical professionals are lie-ing and have been instructed to lie in order to deny people benefit when you have no proof. Can you imagine how such scare tactics may affect the mentally ill?

one point of the vote you over look, some of and neither could quote the amount will only be happy after they had to endure the appeal process or have it reviewed. I personally have yet to answer the question as am awaiting the outcome before I would be able to give a true answer.

As for me feeling I was mistreated by DLA...... I feel like I have not been treated with dignity and respect by one of their agents last year when I was refused the medical simply for being in a wheelchair as I was a "fire risk" and the fact that they have explained it away but never appologised. maybe sorry would go a long way. As for the award so far I am just pointing out that the things they say I can do are incorrect not only in my opinion but also in the opinion of the medical people who tend to me more than the 10 minutes the doctor they sent to do the EMP report that they seem to have placed more weight on.

jennymw

Trasthmatic wrote: »

So what you are saying is that the medically trained people who assess you know nothing about your illness. I think you may well be the one who is confused. I'm asthmatic (as you may have guessed from my user name). Do I think that I know more about asthma than my own GP? Hell no, I'm not that arrogant. If you are an ME specialist I will bow down to your superior knowledge." end quote

Yep i do. It's not arrogance. It's what my own GP said."You probably know more about your condition than i do." GPs are what is said on the tin... GENERAL practitioners...not specialists in any condition. We've already established from your own posts that these same UNSPECIALISED GPS are part of the pool of doctors sent to examine people claiming DLA. Once again, what is your view? That we are examined by GPs with GENERAL PRACTICE KNOWLEDGE or disability specialists? Your argument is extremely inconsistent. ALso i would point you to the fact that the medical profession is actually officially recognising that those with chronic diseases know more about those diseases than the qualified medics treating them...it's called the Expert Patient Programme...look it up.

quoting you again"As to your statements about the the accuracy of decisions, go look at the DLA fears vote on the Disability and Dosh forum. Over 50% of people happy with their award." end quote

A small poll on a small forum you think is more factual than actual DWP figures that 70% yes 70% of decisions are WRONG according to independent tribunals. If you think a small survey of a handfull of people voting on a forum is a more objective indication of the incompetence and bias at least 70% suffer from going through the DLA process then i would suggest you look a little more objectively at sources of evidence; it's like preferring the comments of a biased historian to a sample of real evidence found at the scene of a historical event.

you again: "And bearing in mind that most people happy with there award would never have logged on to this forum in the first place I'd say its pretty encouraging.
You may feel that you have been mistreated by DLA and for all I know you probably were. However its wrong and blantant scaremongering to state that medical professionals are lie-ing and have been instructed to lie in order to deny people benefit when you have no proof. Can you imagine how such scare tactics may affect the mentally ill?

It is not scaremongering. I am telling you MY personal experiences and certain FACTUAL information with proof which is that 70% of appeals tribuanals are successful...this means at LEAST 70% of initial decisions that go against the claimant are WRONG! I did not say specifically that this is because all doctors lie...some doctors do lie they are human beings like everyone else...but a system which on its OWN FIGURES gets 70% of its decisions wrong is at the very least founded on incompetence and a lack of care of the claimant by putting them through the extra stress of having to appeal what they should already be in receipt of.

Don't try to *silence* me by stating i am using scare tactics. I have been through two EMP assessments - how many have you had?

Trasthmatic

jennymw wrote: »

Trasthmatic wrote: »

I'll ask again, do you really think that medical professionals will purposely lie about peoples conditions in order to deny them a benefit?
quote]

Do you honestly think Doctors are some kind of super-race who are incapable of lying or of falsifying evidence if and when it suits them?

It is people who hold these views who make it difficult for people to challenge anyone "professional" because they are assumed to be better than anyone else...if you check the news you will find a policeman has been accused of raping a victim of rape and telling her "no-one will believe you because i am a policeman."

WHy have you got so much blind trust in the medical profession? Do you know my mum was tortured by one of them...when she was giving birth to my brother, she heard the midwives say he was a "transverse lie"; the doctor who they called told them he wanted to see her push before he did anything and he left her for agony for AN HOUR pushing impotently because transverse lie means lie across the womb with neither head nor legs presenting so it was PHYSICALLY IMPOSSIBLE for her to give birth. This was almost thirty years ago now when the litigation culture was unheard of. The midwives should have helped my mum and reported the doctor for unprofessional conduct...they didn't. If it had come to court, do you think the midwives would have backed my mum or the doctor they work with?

Doctors can and do lie; they are human beings like the rest of us. Most of their mistakes are down to sheer incompetence and lack of proper training however.

WHy and how you cannot comprehend that people being paid by the very authority they are answerable to is a blatant conflict of interest i do not understand.

Can a small minority of doctors be dishonest? Of course they can. The difference here is that you and others are stating that all the visiting doctors are dishonest. Thats a big difference.
Also DLA do not directly pay the doctors who assess people. They use a third party to employ the doctors. Atos origin are the ones who pay not DLA. Please try to get your facts right. Seeing as less than 10% of all DLA decisions go to appeal your statement about 70% of all decisions been wrong is wrong itself.
Personally I find your mention of a totally unrelated rape case in this forum to be highly distasteful so I think its easier if we just agree to disagree.

jennymw

Trasthmatic wrote: »

jennymw wrote: »

Can a small minority of doctors be dishonest? Of course they can. The difference here is that you and others are stating that all the visiting doctors are dishonest. Thats a big difference.
Also DLA do not directly pay the doctors who assess people. They use a third party to employ the doctors. Atos origin are the ones who pay not DLA. Please try to get your facts right. Seeing as less than 10% of all DLA decisions go to appeal your statement about 70% of all decisions been wrong is wrong itself.
Personally I find your mention of a totally unrelated rape case in this forum to be highly distasteful so I think its easier if we just agree to disagree.

Can you point to ONE place i have said ALL doctors are dishonest? Nope. Didn't think you could. Get your facts right please.

DWP pay ATos...who employ the doctors. I'm surprised you think that is NOT being paid by DWP...where else does the money come from (as i think you yourself argued in one of your earlier posts).

The reasons some decisions don't get as far as being appealled is because sick people do not have the energy to fight for their rights; this is why 50% of decisions (approx) are turned down...it's not that 50% of people aren't entitled...it just puts people off claiming.

The story in the news about the policeman is to show that blind trust of those in authority encourages abuses...those in authority who are abusing that trust rely on people like yourself stating with such incredulity that oh my goodness you can't mean adoctor would lie can you????

far from discouraging people to apply, I ALWAYS tell people to fight for their benefits and stand up for their rights...even though it might feel that they don't have the strength.

sunshine71

hi everyone, i can see a fairly heated debate going on here with lots of interesting points

so Blakespops hows the appeal going,

i work as an office manager in a company that helps disabled people back into work and study and i have to say that your experience of the DLA system is far too common,

i have had to help a lot of people fill in that horrible form, i have had to sit with a lot of people as they are examined by doctors sent by the DWP and had to help far too many people claim what they are entitled to from the government and local councils

i feel that the system is outdated and ill epuipped to help the people who need it

my personal opinion of the doctors who come from the DWP to examine people........ well the last one came to see a woman who was in crisis due to her disability and when i asked him what he knew about chonic pain and her specific illnesses he had to admit he wasn't particularly qualified in those areas as he was a gynaecologist

its a well known fact amongst professionals who help people fill in those forms that a very high percentage get turned down the first time or given a minimal payment, it seems as though to make them go away with the little gift they have been given

having been through this system myself as a disabled person i wish i could go to the DWP offices and jump up and down and make them change their system so there are set guidelines not a decision dependant solely on the mood/temperament of the person making the decision

i now know the system and how to speak the language they speak in their own documents and can use their own system against them, i would advise anyone to seek professional help (DAG, CAB) with these people otherwise they will screw you over, leave you wrung out and feeling worse than you ever thought you could about yourself

and just as a thought if you dont know your body better than someone sat on the other side of a desk then you really aren't paying attention

wisbech_lad

3_cheeky_princesses wrote: »

We are in a similar situation. My husband foot was run over by a fork lift truck at work a few months back. It crushed every bone in his foot and it couldnt be fully repaired.

He cant walk or stand on it, it is still in a cast and is agony majority of the time even almost 5 months on! The surgeon has put in the report his foot will never be fully mended and he will always having walking impairments.

We got the higher rate of mobility from DLA as he can barely walk 5 metres and then can stumble and fall but nothing for the care component! :rolleyes:

So they acknowledge he cant walk or get about but dont think he will need help with anything like cooking his meals, getting him to the loo, washing & dressing him etc etc :mad:

As said its like they dont read our forms. It is a joke. We have appealed and still waiting to hear.

Hope both your appeals go thro and good luck.

Oof, that is terrible. Just a thought - would it be better to amputate and get an artificial foot? I know people with prosthetic legs who can get about reasonably well, and certainly without pain.

cyclonebri1

Blakespops, a word of warning regarding your condition from someone that was in asimilar vposition a couple of years ago. You do right to worry about the 50:50 nchance of no improovement.

I had a similar degenerative condition, acute back pain that put me off my feet every few weeks and that ruled my life from day to day. After tests it was made clear that the condition would get worse if not treated by surgery I needed the opp to realign 3 vertibrae by spacing and cageing these then bone grafting them solid. I too was given the predicted success rates at 25% chance of no improovement, 5% chance it could be worse and 1% chance of further complications. As I had private med insurance with my job I opted for the £12500 opp.

Well guess what?, I became a 1%er. Not only was my condition not improoved but the surgeon said it was the worst case he had done, took an hour longer than expected and resulted to damage to the nerves of my right leg giving me a dropped foot. I had no issues in this respect before.

It eventually finished me at work after a series of related complications.

Should I have had the operation?, I don't think I had a real option. If I could do a rerun?, I really don't know what I would do.

Think long and hard.;)