Help with loss of DLA and Careers allowance

overtired

Hi
I wonder if anyone can help me with some advice, my husband has been on DLA for about 4 years, and I have claimed careers allowance for 2 years.
Two months ago we received a letter stating that he is no longer going to receive this, and subsequently I will no longer be his career, they said we can appeal this, and that is exactly what I did, now I have received another letter today saying that this appeal has also failed, and the only other thing left is to take it to a tribunal, and I was told that there is a 9 month waiting list, as of 1/03/11 both our DLA and Careers allowance have been stopped.
I am frantic about the future, you see my husband has a servear mental problem, and also OCD, he has been hospitalised 3 times, the last time he was sectioned because he would not eat, or in the end he would not swallow his own saliva, this was 4 years ago, this is when the hospital told us to claim the DLA benefit.
Since then he has got a lot better in himself, but is still very very fragile, he has a great fear of doctors and hospitals, and avoids them at all cost. He also does not mix with other people, he only talkes to me. The extra money we were getting was helping us to buy extra things that he needs, when he gets distressed he has to throw things away, like clothes and footwear, even furniture.
I have not told him about any of this yet, he is terrified of most things, but when he sees the TV and they say that they are going to make people work, he thinks that they will be coming after him, and make him clean streets, or sign on etc....
I do not know what to do, or where to turn.
When I contacted the DWP in blackpool, the man was very nice and said just write my details down stating why I disagreed with the decision, and it will be reviewed again, that was in the beginning of January, I received the letter today saying that they think my partner can look after himself for a lot of the time through the day and night,and only needs my supervision some of the time, they have taken no notice of anything that I have written.
I phoned the same place up today, and spoke to a woman who said, that, that was all they can do, I will have to take it to a tribunal and I have 1 month to apply to do this, oh and it will take about 9 months before I get a date.
I know my husband, and I know what he can take, and this news will send him over the edge, then it will be 4 years of trying to make him better wasted, he will end up back in hospital again, and he or I cannot go through that again.
So can anyone give me any advice, or guidance, I have nobody to talk this through with.
Sorry for the long thread, but I cannot sleep, and my husband will be waking up soon, with one of his many nightmares, I will have to soothe him and make things better for him, then perhaps catch a bit of sleep before it all starts again.
Oh if he only knew.
Thanks for listening.
N

sjc3

Can you speak with your husbands gp and ask him to write a letter detailing exactly your husbands condition and how this effects both your day to day lives. The more detail and description the better.

I would definately lodge an appeal as soon as possible also. I wish you alot of luck with this and hope things will work out. I noticed how early you were up this morning, you poor thing. Is there anyone, friends or family who can help you both.

It seems like a long shot but as this is effecting your standard of living and effecting yours and your husbands health can you approach your mp and see if he/she can step in. I really dont know if this is in there area but it cant hurt can it.

MrsManda

Have you requested/received a statement of reasons for the decision (including the evidence they used to make the decision)?

When was the last time your husband saw a doctor, social worker, psycharist etc...?

You should lodge the appeal ASAP.
Have you spoken to the benefits advisor to see if you/your husband is claiming everything you can in terms of other benefits?
Is your husband claiming Employment Support Allowance?

Have you spoken to your GP on your own behalf? You need help as well as your husband and your GP may be able to give you constructive advice/refer you to someone who can help.

*hugs*

tod123

As the experts have said that your husband can look after himself for most of the time, then would the most straightforward approach be for the OP to seek employment?

overtired

Thank you for your nice reply, I will go and see my GP, and seek advice off him, he knows about my worries, but he has never seen my husband about his mental health issues, my husband has a absolute fear of GPs and medical people in general, he will not go and see his GP. He has changed GPs twice before, because of things they have said, and to be honest doctors just want to give out tablets so he sleeps 18-19 hours a day, he has whined himself off them, lost weight and feels much better for it, he was showing very small signs of getting better, but I know that this news will send him back down again. Two years ago he had to go for a medical assessment thing that the benefits agency made him go to, (the doctor in charge said he should not have to do this, but he also said he will probably have to go again at some other time in the future, thats the rules). My husband was so traumatised that he stayed in the house for 3 months, and I had to throw ALL his clothes away, at cirtain times of the day , at cirtain bins, something that he had not done for nearly a year before, thats how much things affect him, so I really am worried about telling him about the letter.

Oldernotwiser

Are you saying that your husband receives no medical help or support for his condition?

overtired

Yes that is correct, he is controlling his OCD himself, he has a fear of medical people, what can I do.
I cannot drag him to the doctors, if he was getting really unwell again, I would have to intervene.
I have contacted MIND, and sent them a email, I will see what they can do.
Has anybody else been told that they do not qualify for this benefit anymore, it has just come out of the blue, nothing has changed in our circumstance, if anything he has become more reclusive.
Once he is on the medication, he becomes somber and he has to take 3 other tablets to counteract his medication, the medication ruins your eyesight, and makes you gain weight (6 stone), this then gives you high blood pressure, his last GP was just handing medicine out like sweets, my husband said that he was fed up with his life of constant sleep, and tablets, his GP told him that his blood pressure was too high and he will have to go on a even stronger dose of blood pressure tablets, and don't miss taking any or you will have to go to hospital, from that day he stopped taking his medicine very slowly, and he has never taken the blood pressure tablets, his blood pressure tablets is perfect.
He has changed Doctors to mine, and wont discuss anything about ever getting help again.
I am looking after him and if I thought that I could not cope or he is getting worse, I would contact the hospital myself.

krisskross

overtired wrote: »

Has anybody else been told that they do not qualify for this benefit anymore, it has just come out of the blue, nothing has changed in our circumstance, if anything he has become more reclusive.

Has he attended a medical or had a renewal form to complete? Has his renewal date passed and you hadn't realised? I didn't think DLA stopped out of the blue like this.

eskimo26

tod123 wrote: »

As the experts have said that your husband can look after himself for most of the time, then would the most straightforward approach be for the OP to seek employment?

Lol :rotfl:

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OP can you tell me what this decision was based on? Are we talking about an ATOS medical here or something else?

Wait out of the blue?! Thius doesn't sound right, can someone in the know shed some light on this?

Contact your local MP, i've never heard of this benefit being stopped willy nilly on some self important benefit officer's whim. At the very least I would have thought they would need an ATOS medical, evidence of a change in circumstances, a review of the current evidence, they must have something...

overtired

Hi krisskross
Thanks for the reply, I received a letter from DWP in the first week of January, saying that my husband does not qualify for this benefit and I no longer qualify for the Careers allowance, it said that we had the right to appeal, this is what we did, and I received the decision yesterday saying that they stick with the same decision, and all we have left is to take it to a tribunal and this will take at least 9 months.
I have just emailed MIND and got a automated message saying that they will get back to me in 14 working days?
Thank you

dmg24

overtired wrote: »

Hi krisskross
Thanks for the reply, I received a letter from DWP in the first week of January, saying that my husband does not qualify for this benefit and I no longer qualify for the Careers allowance, it said that we had the right to appeal, this is what we did, and I received the decision yesterday saying that they stick with the same decision, and all we have left is to take it to a tribunal and this will take at least 9 months.
I have just emailed MIND and got a automated message saying that they will get back to me in 14 working days?
Thank you

Did you send back a review form at some point last year? The letter from the DWP would have stated why you no longer qualified. What did it say?