DLA Appeal letter.

blue_haddock

WhiteHorse wrote: »

DLA staff have targets ... or rather, minus targets. A certain percentage of claims are rejected automatically, wether valid or not. They know perfectly well that a lot of people will not pursue it.

whilst that seems a little far fetched i could almost believe it as the person who looked at my case is so far wrong in what they decided it almost makes sense!

Indie_Kid

WhiteHorse wrote: »

DLA staff have targets ... or rather, minus targets. A certain percentage of claims are rejected automatically, wether valid or not. They know perfectly well that a lot of people will not pursue it.

And your source is?

concerned43

Hi sorry its taken so long to get back to you - been a hectic day. Anyway I think the general message in your present reply its that I (ie you) are suffering, it is impacting your life but your getting on with it - hence it was declined. The key words to use are:
Severe discomfort
Extreme pain
Need physical support
Present a danger to myself
Need supervision
Difficulty
Risk of injury
Need help
Need someone to keep an eye on me
Remember they are giving DLA in order for you to get/pay for help and therefore the appeal should point out where you need help (which your current appeal draft does not) anyway had a quick stab at a re-write - please feel free to change/ignore/bin anything you disagree with!
To whom it may Concern,
I am writing to you regarding my recent application for Disability living allowance which you have decided I am not entitled to. You state that you have decided this after looking at the information supplied by myself on the claim form and in the report from my hospital consultant. I really do not see how you can turn me down based on this information as I feel the information given by the consultant verifies the details given in my claim form.
You state that I can walk over fifty metres slowly in an adequate manner however I actually have extreme difficulty walking, I can only walk ?? metres without needing to stop /feel severe discomfort due to the stiffness in my knees and ankles. I am putting myself in danger as I frequently stumble whilst walking due to my stiff legs and require supervision when out walking. The rheumatology report confirms that I have pain in the knees and ankles along with soft tissue swelling.
You state that I do not need help to use kitchen tools or to safely lift and carry however I do have difficulty in using things like knives and carrying pots as due to pain in my hands I find it difficult to get a good grip on things. This I have difficulty in using cutlery and opening packaging due to the pain in my hands. This puts me at severe risk of injury and I need help when undertaking these tasks.
The rheumatology report confirms that I have pain and swelling in the joints of my fingers and also a limited range of movement in my shoulder wrist and elbow.
You state that I need some help to get dressed and undressed however I can get in and out of bed, go to the toilet and wash and dry myself without any help. In the morning when I have been in bed overnight I have great difficulty in getting myself out of bed due to the stiffness and need physical support to get out in stages and support myself on the wall. I require help to
get on and off the toilet due to the stiffness and as I have limited movement in the arms and shoulders wiping myself is both painful and difficult. My house only has a bath and I have great trouble getting into and out of the bath. I have put myself in danger having fallen several times getting out of the bath as my arm gives way when pushing myself up out of the bath.
Again the rheumatologists report confirms both the limited range of movement I have in my arms and hands and also the stiffness that I suffer.
　
　
You state that I can get up and down the stairs and move about indoors without problem. In my claim form I stated that I do have difficulty in getting around inside and have fallen on steps inside my house on several occasions, when this happens I struggle to get up and require physical support. I have no trouble remembering to take my many medications however due to the pain in my hands I often struggle to either pop the pills out of the blister packet or open the child safety lids, as I live on my own I have to do this despite the discomfort I suffer and require someone to keep an eye on me to ensure I can access my pills.
As I have already stated further up this letter and in my claim form I have fallen several times in the home and also when outside the house, this is because my knee gives way without any forewarning. I have also slipped when trying to get out of the bath as my arms give way, thus presenting a danger to myself.
You state that I can sleep comfortably and need no assistance with either changing position or with taking medication. I do in fact need help as I have difficulty in both getting to sleep and also staying asleep due to the pain and tenderness in my joints. I often need to get up and take pain killers which are kept downstairs in a cupboard; this is problematical as I struggle with the stairs and also with getting the pills from their packet. When in bed I struggle to get comfortable as most positions place pressure on my tender joints and I also I find it hard to change position without causing more pain in my joints.
At present I am on Hydroxychloroquine which is the mildest tablets they can give for my arthritis as I have issues with my liver function, the rheumatologists would like to move me onto a stronger drug but cannot due to possibly causing further liver problems (now diagnosed as Hepatitis . I feel that my arthritis is getting worse rather than better and over the past few months my joints have become even more tender and painful than they were previously, also my hands and wrists have become a lot stiffer and so I have even less range of movement in them than before.
I have seen my GP on many occasions regarding my illnesses and he recently signed me off for a period of one week due to the pain and extreme tiredness I was suffering as a result of my illness. My illnesses have also been a major factor in me being diagnosed by my GP as suffering from anxiety and depression. If you need further evidence or infomation please contact my GP who I regularly discuss my conditions with.
After reading this I hope that you can take a further look at both my claim form and also the reports from my rheumatology consultant and come to a suitable decision. I feel that the original decision maker did not give my claim sufficient attention due to the discrepancies between his decision and the information he was given.

blue_haddock

i wish i could thank you more than once as i'd thank you a million times!


As you have pointed out i could do with quite a bit of care and support but because i live alone and because i'm a stubborn so and so i just get on with things despite the pain. It seems if i decided to just give in and give up i'd get awarded something but because i'm trying to live my life as normally as i can i get nothing.

concerned43

no problems..your very welcome. Just remember that the disability team are not mind readers and they will not guess how much support you actually need - its your job to point that out to them. much luck and best wishes - let me know if you need further assistance x

blue_haddock

i will add in those bits tomorrow and get the letter printed off and sent ASAP.

Once again ta very much!

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Oooh, nearly forgot - take each point and put it on a separate line.

Like this, because it will make it easier for someone to read it quickly.

DLA decision makers have lots of claims to deal with in their day, and any effort made by someone to make it easier for them to go tick...tick....tick....tick...tick.... must have a positive effect on them.

And it is easy to tick off bits of evidence for each part if you need to go further.

Not to mention the fact that it's easier for the Tribunal people to understand it as well.

Hope that helps too!

blue_haddock

i did try to write my letter following each point they made on their refusal letter but will try and make it as simple as i can for them!

nitaloztom

Originally Posted by blue_haddock
I often need to get up and take pain killers which are kept downstairs in a cupboard; this is problematical as I struggle with the stairs and also with getting the pills from their packet.


My pharmasist will actually take my tablets out of the foils?? for me and put them into bottles, could you ask yours if they could do the same?
One thing he said though was that he couldnt give me the bigger pill bottles without a child safety top so i have the smaller ones and use pop (pepsi, fants etc) lids.
hope that helps

WhiteHorse

sh1305 wrote:

And your source is?

Whistleblower.

Accidentally 'losing' claims occurs elsewhere too.