DLA Doctor visit.......what should I expect?

joyciebird

home visits are requested by decision makers in situations such as where claim forms and medical evidence are contradictory, its not a plot to catch people out, far from it.

Claretsbonkers

LoopyLinz wrote: »

Hi All

Just looking for some advice really. I have received a letter today telling me that a doctor will visit next Thursday. I have applied for DLA as I suffer from Rheumatoid Arthritis and am currently off work (have been since beginning of November)

Can anyone tell me what I should expect from this visit?

Thanks
Linz xoxox

Be very careful what you say i would advise you to tape it I had my medical and it appears that the DR may have lied my OT as gone ballistic she is appealing the decision his report is certainly not me he is talking about.

ttlowton

This thread is from March 2009 why bring it up now?

T.

moonbeam2007

caela wrote: »

Hiya,

I have been attempting to claim DLA for mental health disorders, including obsessive compulsive disorder and depression and a knee condition (chondromalacia patalla? spelling!) which has been gong on for over two years (but apparently isn't chronic!).
Anyway, since I have not seen a doctor about my mental health for a long time now, since I was last hospitalised and told there was nothing much else to help me, DLA decided to send a doctor round to get more information. Fair enough. (In addition, I had previously claimed from hospital, w. doctors notes and a mental health nurse signature, but apparently it is not kept for over two years?)
Anyway, since it took me various visits to the GP to actually determine what was wrong with my knees, I was unable provide the dla doc with my diagnosis /treatment/ doc notes at the time, what luck.
So this doc who comes round wants to find out about the whole shabang. All the time before he arrives, I was flustered cleaning and when he gets here, I have just finished washing and walk out, still not fully prepared and jump to see my boyfriend has let him in and he is standing in the hallway. I sit to talk with him, all the while, looking away and trying to tidy around him. However, he does not seem to notice, since he is not a mental health professional. Furthermore, he even writes in his report, apparently to prove my knees are fine, that I bend down several times to pick up my cat. Yeah... but this does show I was distracted as I did this while talking to him, because I was nervous, i.e. OCD/anxiety?!
Anyway, my claim is not looking good already, I am not receiving any treatment for anything or do I have a proper diagnosis for my knee (yet) apart from 'wear and tear'.
He asks various questions, what is my daily routine, what car do I drive (manual/automatic?) how far do I drive it, blah blah blah.
I am asked to sit on the couch where he examines my knees. My right knee grinds when I move it, this can physically be felt and heard. He does not notice this and says my knees are fine. He asks how long can I walk before it hurts and I say as long as I am walking, it is affecting me, so one step lol. He writes I can walk just fine for up to 800m without discomfort (without asking to see me walk, just seeing me walk around my flat all of about five feet on a flat, even surface). Admittedly, I do look fine when I walk but that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt and I have adapted the way I walk to compensate for my knees, which is not very noticeable. I had to leave my job because my knees were so bad and had to pay high parking/taxi fares to get to work because I couldn't walk the one mile there.
The doctor, however, disagreed. He also said I had no signs of mental health problems. He might have made this assumption on the fact that he asked me misleading questions and omitted various pieces of information from the report (as I believe; I requested the report). He asked about help going to bed at night. I said if I go to bed early, it would be approx. 2am (I had to be at work for 9am and was late daily because of this). Reasons= I clean before going to bed and have to arrange things in certain orders, check locks and doors, check fire threat, blah blah blah wash all dishes, etc. I get up several times to use the toilet even if I don't need to as I can't sleep without knowing I've been. Get up to re-check things. Get drink of water and tissue for bedside table as cannot sleep without knowing they're there. All in all, have very disrupted sleep. He omits this entire information from his report. Instead of being late and not sleeping, I drive a manual car to work a mile away and come home to watch tv.
He asks (in reference to my mental health I presume and not my knees!) precisely WHAT tv do I watch? No, exactly which programs? Comedy, news, drama? Right... so what would I be expected to say to prove I have OCD? I watch 'How Clean is Your House'? is that what I was supposed to say? Or come across sheer crazy and tell him I only watch the static, no channels at all. I mean, honestly. I watch tv, whatevers on I said and he makes me say certain genres or types of programs which I feel is putting words in my mouth cos literally, I just watch whatever. Sometimes, I'm not even watching tv, it's not even on, but I'm still staring at it.
So anyway, they based the whole case on this report, this guy who has seen me for ten minutes, without barely looking up at me to make eye contact and avoiding any conversation apart from asking his questions and looking down at his paper. I think I asked him if he'd like a tea about a hundred times, I felt so awkward!
So now I have to go to tribunal appeal stage to prove I am disabled. And no, you cannot tell from what type of tv I watch, unfortunately, if I have mental health problems or not, or else I could diagnose myself with freeview, which would be very convenient.
Anyway, grr... doctor's visit! Be careful how you act, it's not conspiracy theory, it's human nature that you want to act your best and portray yourself in the best light, hiding your disabilities etc. but that is just what makes you look like you're faking it when a doc sits opposite you and thinks you're just fine n dandy cos you got so good at fooling everyone.

You want to claim DLA for OCD?

moonbeam2007

ttlowton wrote: »

This thread is from March 2009 why bring it up now?

T.

How odd I replied as it was right at the top someone has replied to it yesterday it seems and made it appear at the top :rotfl:

Well am sure the advice given can help someone else

caela_2

moonbeam2007 wrote: »

You want to claim DLA for OCD?

Is there a problem with that?

caela_2

black_paw wrote: »

caela sorry to hear how bad it all went for you. but are you getting help for the tribunal ? CAB/DIAL/local health group ? they will come with you and speak for you and give very good advice for you, like get your doctor to write a report for you . ( if you get on well with him that is ) ect

Hiya,

Didn't get any help for the tribunal (oddly enough, I couldn't access the help because my sleep pattern is crazy and my mental health means I'm far too disorganised) but I went to the tribunal by myself and won so happy about that. Annoyingly however, they seem to want to go through it all again this year so I have stepped it up a notch asking them to provide direct quotes from my application form supporting their reasons for denying my DLA and reminding them I won at the tribunal stage last year and thought I had finally rest my case. We'll see how this ones goes shall we?

caela_2

moonbeam2007 wrote: »

You want to claim DLA for OCD?

Btw, not 'want' to claim, but have successfully claimed and am currently claiming.