DLA Question

whitevanwoman

dmg24 wrote: »

I would love to know who MSE Fran is! :rotfl:

It is possible to exit the tax credits system. You just need to write them a letter stating that you wish to do so.

You do not have to take specialist advice to claim DLA, though some people feel it helps. Many claimants are successful when they have completed the application form themselves.

I think with the current tax credits system you could take all the advice in the world, and there is still a possibility of them getting it wrong. Also, very few people post on the sticky at the top of the board, it is best to do a search and, if your question has not been answered, start a new thread.

I was just trying to help. I guess I should have added the disclaimer "in my humble opinion and in my experience".

When you go to the tax credits page, the number of replies to the sticky at the top of the page is far greater than other threads and (although I haven't read all posts in all threads) it does seem that people stop there first. Until I have read all the posts in all the threads in that topic I can't say that I am right - it was just an observation.

This is the link to the page if you want to check it out yourself :
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.html?f=139

I obviously made a mistake calling Fran "MSE Fran" - here is her "useful links" page http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=708669
I assumed that because she was able to post stickys and close threads she was "officially" endorsed by MSE. Still I guess I am only human.

In my experience, I know people who have had huge problems exiting the tax credit system. Letters go "astray" in the post even when registered, and then there is normally a huge backlog of correspondence, which means that by the time their letter is actioned, if ever, the computer system has already generated an overpayment on the grounds on non-receipt of annual review and so a dispute regarding an overpayment has to be submitted. In my case, my dispute started in 2005 and is still ongoing.

Now, I know I might be lying or exaggerating here, and obviously there will be some people for whom the tax credit system works perfectly. However there are also people for whom the tax credit system has been a total nightmare and caused huge problems. If you don't believe me, do check out the forum in the website I mentioned above - I won't repeat the address in case it's deemed as advertising and my post is removed.

As for applying for DLA, yes, it is possible to submit a successful DLA claim without getting advice from anyone. However, bearing in mind that the claim form (from memory and I might be wrong here) is about 20 pages long, and requires accurate written answers, not just ticks in the box, anyone who struggles with literacy, or whose condition or medication makes it difficult for them to both provide accurate information, concentrate fully and physically complete the form, would certainly BENEFIT from having specialist advice.

I will chose my words more carefully in future when posting.

gemmalouanna

Old_Git wrote: »

can someone work and still claim DLA .Is the a maximum number off hours they can work .Does it make any difference if its medium or low rate

Yes you can work. DLA do consider the job done and if it fits with symptoms of disability when making decisions but having the income itself doesn't affect claiming the benefit.

DX2

andy78 wrote: »

I would love to hear some thoughts.

Why are you spamming the benefit board?