DLA turned down - don't understand why?!

lyniced

kusadasi040667 wrote: »

What I'm about to say will go down like a lead balloon I know but.......
As much as I think CAB/or similar are fantastic for all the good work they do going the extra mile and often 'saving' people in terrible situations! However on a daily basis within the benefits section customers would state I've been told by Joe Bloggs at CAB that I can claim this or do that etc and yes obviously some customers may have used the CAB title to 'aid' their quest but on a regular basis we would have telephone conversations with CAB staff who would strongly request items that were no longer in use or relevant to the customer resulting in a very unhappy claimant when they found out that they were not entitled to the benefits they had been told and of course I'm not suggesting that this is the case for all their staff ! As we all know some JCP staff don't get it right either!
Years before I worked there I was under the same myth that you should always talk about your worst days re DLA, dmg24 is 100% correct as the problem doing just that is two fold , firstly you lay yourself open to DWP investigatin as there could be a descrepancy in how you have described how your condition affects you esp if it was a better day when you are watched or questioned. Secondly if your worst day is talked about as the norm perhaps it wouldn't tally with the accounts or medical opinions held within DWP.
Again I want to point out that I am not trying to knock CAB in any way at all.They offer a very valuable service I have used them in the past . Unfortunately benefits are complex enough but on top of that they change within themselves so often that if you are not at the daily morning team meetings you are behind . Agree with the advice about contacting BEL they're great & lovely to deal with too. Hope I've not upset too many people with my comments that's is not the intention:o Good luck & fingers crossed for you I'm sure if you follow the good advice given by other members on here that you will be successful with your appeal take care K:)

I agree with a lot of what you said. So many of the clients were there to get what they wanted and yes, I saw many of them limp in and skip out! Many of my colleagues would be frustrated by their antics, but we had to do a job (even though most us weren't paid).

I gave up working there, because my disabilities were becoming too great to deal with, but I'd often come home frustrated by the things I'd seen or heard.

CAB and the like do a fantastic job and the up side was when we know we helped a genuine case and sometimes there were tears of joy (on both sides!)

Indie_Kid

Aputsiaq wrote: »

No you do NOT!!

The DM are not stupid and they know exactly how a lot of medical issue affect people.
When the DM look at 100's of applications from poeple with EDS.....they get a rough idea of what the condition is like for people to live with.

But disabilities are different for evryone.

lyniced

sh1305 wrote: »

But disabilities are different for evryone.

I was told, rightly or wrongly, (and I must state this was over 10 years ago) to write as if it was my worse day. To be honest every day was my worse day and its got worse and worse as the years progressed.

That DLA form is a pig to fill out - it took me 3 weeks to complete it. Thank goodness I don't have to do it again.

tinkerbell28

sh1305 wrote: »

But disabilities are different for evryone.

OFC they are BUT dm's will know roughly what the "average" person with said disability will be like on an "average" day. Over egg it they either won't believe it or it leaves you open to fraud investigations when their record of your disability does not tally up with what you are like most days and with specialists etc.

No doubt about it if I put down my sons worst, worst days they would probably get HRM, I wouldn't do it though as it's wrong. I am sure the forms actually say anyway to fill it on on an average day, not worst case scenario so by signing that delcaration on that it would be lying.

rosysparkle

I also have EDS(H) as well as Crohn's, arthritis and fibromyalgia. When I filled in the DLA forms I explained the help I need on bad days and good days, and attached a diary of two weeks so that the DMs could see just how my illnesses affected me.

ash4becks

rosysparkle wrote: »

I also have EDS(H) as well as Crohn's, arthritis and fibromyalgia. When I filled in the DLA forms I explained the help I need on bad days and good days, and attached a diary of two weeks so that the DMs could see just how my illnesses affected me.

can i ask what rate you got for that and do you think the diary helped you fill in forms but also for the dm

rosysparkle

I got indefinite HRM but no care which I think was accurate at the time; I have just got the forms to request a reassessment of the care component as I have deteriorated over the past year. The diary was invaluable, it helped clarify my thoughts as I was filling in the DLA forms but I think it also showed that I wasn't trying to cheat the system, that I was being honest in explaining what my needs were on a day-to-day basis.

ash4becks

rosysparkle wrote: »

I got indefinite HRM but no care which I think was accurate at the time; I have just got the forms to request a reassessment of the care component as I have deteriorated over the past year. The diary was invaluable, it helped clarify my thoughts as I was filling in the DLA forms but I think it also showed that I wasn't trying to cheat the system, that I was being honest in explaining what my needs were on a day-to-day basis.

iam starting to see how inportant this diary is, iam useless at doing them but think i really need to for this, but think it should be inculded as part of dla claim as standed

oh i forgot to add my friend has everything you have but gets hrc and hrm, i dont no how much of a difference but she has COPD too so think you should have care really but mate said apparently alot of other she knows from online forums in the usa as there are more advanced medically have these condtions and hope you get the dla care

rosysparkle

Just set up a word document on your computer and write about each day, if you have care and/or mobility needs it will be obvious. I did about five pages to cover a fortnight, and I was absolutely honest. Good days, bad days, average days - the goal is to get what you are entitled to rather than what you want.

ash4becks

rosysparkle wrote: »

Just set up a word document on your computer and write about each day, if you have care and/or mobility needs it will be obvious. I did about five pages to cover a fortnight, and I was absolutely honest. Good days, bad days, average days - the goal is to get what you are entitled to rather than what you want.

i would but dont have printer lol