Budget - tougher for DLA claimants

Indie_Kid

Breast_Cancer_Survivor wrote: »

If you have a form of autism incredibly difficult as you have problems with communication.

Exactly. At times I can't say what it is I wnt to say. In my head I know what I want to say; but can't.

Plus, as someone with multiple complex rare conditions, explaining them is going to take ages.

Trasthmatic

WhiteHorse wrote: »

easy wrote: »

Actually this really does happen, and more frequently than the public appreciates. Claimants have even been assaulted.

But nowhere near the numbers of doctors and civil servants who are assualted or abused everyday by claimants.

Trasthmatic

sh1305 wrote: »

Exactly. At times I can't say what it is I wnt to say. In my head I know what I want to say; but can't.

Plus, as someone with multiple complex rare conditions, explaining them is going to take ages.

And someone with otseoarthritis, cancer, epilepsy, brittle asthma, specific back pain etc etc etc will be able to explain in minutes. But hey, lets not look on the brightside.
Nobody knows what the medical will entail. Nobody knows how it will link in with the qualifying criteria. Nobody knows because it hasnt been decided yet. Thats why the government isnt applying this till 2013.
We already have a medical assessment process for DLA. It's been around since 1992. It runs in tandem with information provided by the claimant and provides a part of the evidence used by the decision maker. Nobody has to exlain a complex condition in a few minutes to a doctor who makes a decision on their claim now, so it's pretty unlikely they'll have to do it in the future IMO.
The worry and scaremongering on this forum will never cease to amaze me.

Indie_Kid

Trasthmatic wrote: »

Nobody has to exlain a complex condition in a few minutes to a doctor who makes a decision on their claim now, so it's pretty unlikely they'll have to do it in the future IMO.
The worry and scaremongering on this forum will never cease to amaze me.

Except they would:
I got told by medical services (who didn't even send me for a medical assessment) that I shouldn't have the issues I do. Almost everyone with this condition has the same problem.

Brightness

I'm not even going to think about this until the time comes, it's just not worth it and believe me, I have been through the mill with the system. I had just been awarded full DLA after having a doctor come out to my house and review my MRI scan reports, consultant reports and examine me thoroughly when I got called in for an IB assessment. The doctor prodded and poked me, made me cry in pain and ignored everything I told him. Next thing I know is that I get a letter saying that my IB was being stopped.

I contacted CAB who helped me appeal, this took six months and when I went into the appeal room. I wasn't even thorugh the door when I had the head of the tribunal, a doctor and another member of the panel apologising to me and saying that my IB should never have been stopped. They couldn't believe that the DLA dept and the IB dept do not communicate with each other and were furious.

I too would like nothing better than to work instead of claiming benefits. I trained hard for four long years working all hours to qualify for my job but can no longer do it. I tried retraining for three other jobs but within days I was either in hospital or flat on my back in bed at home after having a doctor out to administer pain relieving injections.

At the mo I have DLA awarded indefinitely and I just hope that they take things like MRI's and consultants reports into account before calling us in for medicals. Not going to worry myself stupid yet though, will do that when the time comes :beer:

Trasthmatic

sh1305 wrote: »

Except they would:
I got told by medical services (who didn't even send me for a medical assessment) that I shouldn't have the issues I do. Almost everyone with this condition has the same problem.

Sorry but I fail to understand what this has to do with the unknown process of medical assessment thats 3 years away?

Indie_Kid

Brightness wrote: »

At the mo I have DLA awarded indefinitely and I just hope that they take things like MRI's and consultants reports into account before calling us in for medicals. Not going to worry myself stupid yet though, will do that when the time comes :beer:

MRIs don't prove what care / mobility needs you have.

jennie-jack

i have had to have two medicals in the past to get dla. infact both claims had a medical as i struggled to get my points across.

the first an atos doc, completly dismissed most of what i said. said i dont fall, steady but slow and managed to get to the interview. i didnt think getting there meant you automatically fail. i got the claim on reconsideration after i fell down the steps and dislocated my knee tearing my acl.

i then got another medical on my renewal in october AND a doctor came to my house who was lovely, a gp, spojke to me like a normal human being even offerred bits of advice which was helpful. it helps that he stood me up to walk and i went blue and was sat straight back down but his report was honest and helpful and i got my clain indefinatly.

i think people have every right to worry about needing this as you never know who you will get and wht they will right. i would hope that having already had an independant medical that my claim would be ok but im going to try not to worry about it now.

Vicky123

sh1305 wrote: »

And this means he knows everything about every disability how?

I think we can be fairly certain that he had no idea of how much people depend on DLA for a disabled child.
How on earth could a family function with the type of commitments they had and a severely disabled child without independent wealth, how much did the P.M. have to argue with the authorities?

deeplyblue

easy wrote: »

Oh I bl%%dy give up !!!

There are a number of people on this thread who just won't look at this in a rational, sensible way at all.

OK, you have decided that you are all going to be pushed into a room, with a chap who is going to bark instructions at you, refuse to listen to a word you say, dismiss you from the room, and then write a report which says you are fit as a fiddle, and don't deserve anything.

Here's an account from someone with several problems including Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome which means none of her joints are held together properly. She also has epilepsy and other health issues.

Here is part of her story about claiming state benefits:

The first and last office face to face I had was in a building with one door which was clearly the entrance in the position furthest from the car park. On getting to that door, it was locked with a sign on it saying to go to another door which was right back by the car park disguised as a fire exit.

There was no ramp for wheelchair users, a locked lift, no reception and a steep flight of stairs. I sat on the floor and used my mobile to call around until I got the number for reception to ask for the lift.

In the reception area they had I think five chairs for over 20 people. All appointments were running late. I sat on the floor which they tried to discourage me from doing. I ignored them, and then a lot of other people followed suit.

When I got into the office, I was told to stay standing. The effort of it caused my hip to dislocate and I lost bladder continence and slowly crumpled to the ground with my urine trickling down my leg.

The doctor had not taken his eyes off his paperwork and was snappish and dismissive. I crawled into a chair and dislocated a shoulder in the process. I ended up sobbing. I then told him that I understood he had to be stressed with processing so many cases but that I really needed to be treated with a little compassion.

That was the first time he looked at me like a human. He apologised to me, asked if we could start again and called someone in to get me a drink and something to clean up with. He them wrote a recommendation that I should never have an all work test in a centre again.

My first and last home visit was for my DLA. This took about 5 minutes and ended with a very scared doctor. When you do not listen to a patient who tells you exactly how not to touch her, do not then ignore her and pull her arm roughly upwards to prove there is no EDS. Especially do not do that when she has a witness. A multiple dislocation sounds and looks really nasty, especially if you are the person who caused it.

(http://www.bbc.co.uk/ouch/messageboards/F2322273?thread=7467661&latest=1#p95851049)

My own experience includes seeing a form where the doctor (who had visited the claimant at home) wrote under "other factors", "has lots of books, magazines etc." - which was hardly a clear medical judgement. Perhaps he thought that only the claimant - and not family members - could have put books on shelves. Perhaps being able to read excludes disability.

ATOS, who now handle ESA medical assessments, are a private company hired by the DWP to do a job. The public face of that job is to assess medical needs. The private face is to cut the bills for benefits. Like the mortgage brokers of a few years ago, the people doing the work on the ground have targets to meet - in their case, how many people they got off benefits.

Remember the Child Support Agency? Find the soft targets, hit them hard and you clock up another success for your team. It's not about justice.

db