Been turned down for DLA

24skins

pipkin71 wrote: »

I've not seen the child DLA forms, so have no idea how hard they are.

I know some people would perhaps struggle, but surely not everyone.

Agree with the last part of your comment.

I haven't said anywhere that everyone would struggle, I've said that IMO new claimants should seek advice before attempting to fill out the forms.

I've always filled out my son's forms myself - both pre and post my professional experience - and plenty of other people manage fine, but generally I found when reading over the forms of claimants that had been turned down for DLA that they'd filled them out either incorrectly or insufficiently.

TickledPink_2

A friend has had the same problem. After a 15 week wait for a decision, it came through today ... NOTHING. Not a penny. This despite the fact that she has a clearly diagnosed degenerative spinal disc disease which isn't going to get any better and will get worse as she gets older.

The standard decision letter she received stated that she could:

Sit and get up off a chair unaided
Get in and out of bed unaided
Pick up things safely unaided

etc ... etc ... None of which are true. She even has to have her 6 year old daughter wash her legs for her when she's in the shower because she can't bend over and do them herself. She's even on 18 tablets a day, mostly painkillers and all but one are on the highest possible dose. So needless to say we weren't impressed.

But then again we had similar problems. My wife suffers from anxiety/stress induced seizures and blackouts. It took us months to get them to give what I felt was close to her full entitlement. The best one was when they decided that she was only entitled to low rate care because she "doesn't suffer from seizures and blackouts", while at the same time she was only entitled to low rate mobility because she "DOES suffer from seizures and blackouts."


Oh ... and to make matters worse, the friend's father has exactly the same condition, only higher up the spine. He gets full whack!

It really makes you wonder if the decision makers are crack addicts picked up randomly off the streets and given jobs with the DWP.

uolypool

Hi I got a copy of the drs report that they requested and It had been filled in by a gp that I have never even seen:mad: .From what I can see he has just confirmed what I have and then put lines through the other questions and on question 5 it asks about treatment and meds and all he has put is "unable to tolerate oral iron" not a mention about the 20 odd tablets that I take each and every day:mad:.It was like reading about someone elseand to be totally honest I can see why they turned my application for DLA down as it didn't support my claim form at all .:mad:

formaldehyde_perfume

This makes me worried about my DLA application. I am registered at a surgery that I've been at since age 3 (now 22) apart from the 3 years I was at uni, I've seen the doctor I am registered with about 3 times in my entire life. The doctor I make a point of seeing if it's anything to do with an ongoing condition is someone I feel I can talk to, she listens, suggests approprate and sensible advice etc etc. On advice from CAB I put her down as my GP contact, and I've told her I'm applying for DLA and ESA (although I don't think she understands the difference) but I've never really discussed my day to day life with her so with the best will in the world she will have to answer 'unkown' to most stuff. I'm seeing her on Tuesday but there's already a list as long as my arm of things I need to talk to her about and I know they hate it when you bombard them with stuff. URGH. These things are so mind boggling.

TOBRUK

uolypool wrote: »

Hi I got a copy of the drs report that they requested and It had been filled in by a gp that I have never even seen:mad: .From what I can see he has just confirmed what I have and then put lines through the other questions and on question 5 it asks about treatment and meds and all he has put is "unable to tolerate oral iron" not a mention about the 20 odd tablets that I take each and every day:mad:.It was like reading about someone elseand to be totally honest I can see why they turned my application for DLA down as it didn't support my claim form at all .:mad:

Was your GP aware that you had applied for DLA and he/she may be contacted? I would make an appointment with your GP and take this report in with you. Explain that you believe that you have been turned down as a result of the GP report - which does not give a true picture of your situation. Your GP will see if the wrong information was written on the report. Ask if they would write another report in support of your claim (explaining that the report which had been sent previous was wrong) and enclose it with a letter asking for reconsideration.

formaldehyde_perfume wrote: »

This makes me worried about my DLA application. I am registered at a surgery that I've been at since age 3 (now 22) apart from the 3 years I was at uni, I've seen the doctor I am registered with about 3 times in my entire life. The doctor I make a point of seeing if it's anything to do with an ongoing condition is someone I feel I can talk to, she listens, suggests approprate and sensible advice etc etc. On advice from CAB I put her down as my GP contact, and I've told her I'm applying for DLA and ESA (although I don't think she understands the difference) but I've never really discussed my day to day life with her so with the best will in the world she will have to answer 'unkown' to most stuff. I'm seeing her on Tuesday but there's already a list as long as my arm of things I need to talk to her about and I know they hate it when you bombard them with stuff. URGH. These things are so mind boggling.

Well, you have done the right thing in keeping your GP informed and also by making a further appointment to discuss it further. All you need to do is express your worry that she may not know the full picture of your difficulties with every day life. There is nothing wrong in writing your difficulties down and showing it to her and even leaving this with her in case she needs to refer to it.

gingerbread45

Sometimes it can be something as simple as wording the claim differently. "Margaret needs continuous and constant assistance with going up and down stairs to prevent injury and to ensure safety, can come across better than "Margaret has to have help going up and down the stairs". Even the most perfectly worded claim can be refused though, its just all very unfair sometimes x

uolypool

TOBRUK wrote: »

Was your GP aware that you had applied for DLA and he/she may be contacted? I would make an appointment with your GP and take this report in with you. Explain that you believe that you have been turned down as a result of the GP report - which does not give a true picture of your situation. Your GP will see if the wrong information was written on the report. Ask if they would write another report in support of your claim (explaining that the report which had been sent previous was wrong) and enclose it with a letter asking for reconsideration.



The Gp that I see knew I was appliying for DLA but the form went to the gp whom I have been registered with .Even though I put the gp I see down on the application form.The mind boggles sometimes

MrsManda

uolypool wrote: »

The Gp that I see knew I was appliying for DLA but the form went to the gp whom I have been registered with .Even though I put the gp I see down on the application form.The mind boggles sometimes

Forms always go to the GP you are registered with, it's meant to be a way of ensuring there is one person who gets to see everything. So even though you'll have put a particular name on your form, once the request got to your GP practice it'd have been open by the receptionist/secretary/whoever and placed in the pigeonhole/on the desk of whoever you are registered with.

If you are not happy with the person you are registered with and always see another doctor it may be worth asking if you can transfer your registered doctor.

sueturnersmith

MrsManda wrote: »

Forms always go to the GP you are registered with, it's meant to be a way of ensuring there is one person who gets to see everything. So even though you'll have put a particular name on your form, once the request got to your GP practice it'd have been open by the receptionist/secretary/whoever and placed in the pigeonhole/on the desk of whoever you are registered with.

If you are not happy with the person you are registered with and always see another doctor it may be worth asking if you can transfer your registered doctor.

I was also refused DLA after a GP's report. The request was sent to my GP, but he was on two week's leave, and was completed by another GP whom I had not seen for seven years - well before I became ill!

I have sent a note by my own GP which confirms that I have severe mobility difficulties, and am waiting for a reconsideration.

seggy1

sueturnersmith wrote: »

i was also refused dla after a gp's report. The request was sent to my gp, but he was on two week's leave, and was completed by another gp whom i had not seen for seven years - well before i became ill!

I have sent a note by my own gp which confirms that i have severe mobility difficulties, and am waiting for a reconsideration.

always tell the doctor you are going to apply but finnish at that never ever fill out the form yourself always get a welfare rites if you have one or if not citizens advice or dial so please never get anyone else and you say on the form your worst case because there dont allow for good days all though their say their do arthur