DLA suggestions needed

clemmatis

I didn't post before because I can't give any informed advice on supercession v. applying again. But I did want to say, yes, try a private psychiatrist, even though they cost you a fortune. And get expert help in wording your DLA etc. forms. And getting in touch with MPs can work.

Muttleythefrog

carolannie wrote: »

I read through it!

I can't offer any help, but I agree with you, there isn't much help out there for mental health. You have to fight for it and when you are so very ill, you can't do it.

There must be many people out there who give up and suffer in silence

Or end up costing the health service more, through self harm, drink/drug abuse etc!
Just because the health service can't off the help that people need!

All too true it seems. The system is just not geared up for the idea that people may not act in expected ways in relation to their health because of their health... and it fails to appreciate people may not get services or treatments that would be expected or they should get. Perhaps a medical for DLA as default would ruffle the sands up a bit.

Muttleythefrog

Morglin wrote: »

I can make a few suggestions:

1) Try Googling "welfare rights (your area)", as councils/charities run many that can be very effective, and they often have a lesser workload, although with all the cuts, many of them are shutting down.

2) Look at net sites about DLA

This site gives more info on criteria and has a good reputation:

http://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/forum?func=latest
(Some bits are free, some are chargeable - about £20 per year).


This site is free:
http://www.benefitsnow.co.uk/

3) Make sure you have the full support of any GP and/or consultants you see, and that they will supply full reports. DLA is difficult to get without this.

And, yes, make a fresh claim. Make sure that you give plenty of information and supply plenty of medical backup.

Lin

Thanks Lin. I think I'm going to have to see my GP more.. I have to get her to chase up what is happening anyway... time just vanishes as I wait for other people to do what they're supposed to. But it is looking like cancelling my claim and starting afresh is going to be best way forward here... to force a new completion of application form and GP report. I'll be dropping the mob. low rate I get but then my mobility has gone through the floor since I started getting it..lol.. the care needs that make going out realistic aren't met. There's no scientific measure of how improved my state will be for the fact the current claim ceases... but it has got to be significant at least in the short term.

I'm thinking cancel current claim. Re-apply.. although seeking 3rd party help will the form might be a problem. This is not something that is easy for me. People come to me for help... it doesn't work the other way around..lol... and CAB experience was not good.

Plant energies into seeing GP and pre-empting the request for GP report from DWP with document that gives strong indication as to what she should be putting in the various sections. Hopefully she'll do this.

Assuming I get no award then look at psychiatric report done privately. Get that and appeal without the baggage of 3rd party. Weigh up at the time the value of me attending an appeal - since the statistics may conceal the fact that some claimants are not a good representation of their reality in such an environment.

There is a tiny chance some mental health worker or team may take responsibility for me at some point during this and be an available source of factual report. If I hold my breath I will suffocate..lol.. after 2 years assume this will never happen.

Muttleythefrog

Booked a GP appointment.. time for celebrations. Next available 1st July.... but yes... this year!

tempested

Muttleythefrog wrote: »

I'm thinking cancel current claim. Re-apply.. although seeking 3rd party help will the form might be a problem. This is not something that is easy for me. People come to me for help... it doesn't work the other way around..lol... and CAB experience was not good.

Plant energies into seeing GP and pre-empting the request for GP report from DWP with document that gives strong indication as to what she should be putting in the various sections. Hopefully she'll do this.

There is a tiny chance some mental health worker or team may take responsibility for me at some point during this and be an available source of factual report. If I hold my breath I will suffocate..lol.. after 2 years assume this will never happen.

Yes, CAB are not what they used to be. I personally wouldn't ask anybody to help with the forms. I too have had experience of CAB, DIAL, Age UK and a charity that takes cases from Social Services. All were a complete washout. The DLA application forms they filled out either appeared to have been filled out in record time with loads missing off them, to those that told a pack of lies! All went in the rubbish bin and I did my own.

Seeing your GP? Another hit or miss situation. All depends on what he/she puts on your records, how they interpret the information when filling out the DWP report at a later date and how good the decision maker is in considering it. The other side to the coin is that what you tell the GP will end up as 3rd hand evidence from the GP to the DWP and would be qualified as to 'the patient has explained..... and told me .......' Not much different than what you would put in the claim form!

As for mental health reps - I would imagine that you will either get better on your own, or take the easy way out, before that happens! I gave up the hope of seeing someone, like I did a few years ago, many months ago. It was the private counsellor, paid by the NHS - referred to by my GP, that told me that I was a 'prime candidate for DLA'!! Yeah look what happened when I claimed??

Is there any real point in putting myself through all of that again? I somehow doubt it.

Muttleythefrog

tempested wrote: »

It was the private counsellor, paid by the NHS - referred to by my GP, that told me that I was a 'prime candidate for DLA'!! Yeah look what happened when I claimed??

lol.. bizarre that it was same for me... NHS BSA private counsellor said I'd get DLA and if used properly it'd potentially even make continuing work possible... of course she died, I got sacked and I still fight for DLA..lol. Sometimes you have to laugh otherwise you might die with a horrible expression on your face.

But what you say about 3rd parties helping you with things like form I can only agree. My background, my current knowledge and the very nature of my health problems make this sort of help a hiding to nothing even if they were more competent than I was (and I'd arrogantly suggest few will be even if they had the time to properly look at my circumstances to fill in the form comprehensively and not in haphazard simplistic terms). My experience though was same... I provided all the information necessary and yet key points were missing in her drafted documents... and I queried things she had put and she seemed unsure as to whether it was sensible to put them in or not. She offered no useful advice and communicated as if I was some moron who'd randomly stumbled onto her agenda. Basically I inherited her as a problem... and I spent 6 years working alongside incompetent junior lawyers... her leaving out the customer feedback form was exactly the final insult I deserved since this is exactly the sort of thing I know junior solicitors do when things go wrong..lol.

Mrs_Supersaver_1

Hi muttley,

I don't know very much re: dla and mental helth claim, but have a friend who uses a Mental Health Forum, you may get more help and support than on this thread here at Benefits.
www.mentalhealthforum.net
Good luck

Muttleythefrog

Just an update for those that were interested. Was in receipt of DLA LRM after being turned down for DLA but having small success at hideous tribunal where I spent time arguing with the GP on panel and being threatened by him. Appeal to upper tier on point of law failed.

Decided best course of action was to engineer situation where I had supportive GP and mental health specialist and make a new application rather than ask for supercession. Coached GP and psychiatrist in case they were contacted. Made new application beginning Nov 2011 (it took many months) using ATOS WCA report extracts, previous psychiatrist report and CPN report as supporting evidence. They contacted my psychiatrist for report. Today received notification of decision on re-applying for DLA in November... so it has taken 3.5 months. Awarded LRM and MRC for 5 years (although obviously that may be cut short by introduction of PIP). The award of middle rate care vindicates my disgust and frustration at this 2.5 year battle to get an appropriate decision on entitlement.

I have to say it has been the worst episode of my personal life and I pity anyone who doesn't share the obsessive nature, manipulative qualities and intellectual skills that I feel have been necessary for me to get some justice in my case. I've had a GP who failed to complete the factual report properly (who even denied completing such a form and then facing direct evidence acknowledging that he'd not completed it properly but refusing to do anything about that due to 'practice policies'), I've had to face threats from a GP at an independent tribunal (while the judge hid his face and acted like he was ready for a holiday), I've had to perservere with hopeless medical professionals and a hopeless CAB rep for my appeal, take prescription drugs that have caused me more harm (and actually added additional care needs to my application) than good, and worst of all had to wake every day with DLA literally at the top of my list of things to do. Finally I can move to the second thing on my list... ESA reassessment...lol.

I have requested copy of the psychiatrist factual report.

Thankyou to those who offered support and advice.

Anubis_2

Muttley, I would strongly advise getting a copy of all evidence used in making the decision from the DLA. I am so pleased to hear you have the award you deserve. Perseverance does pay off, all props to you!

Muttleythefrog

Anubis wrote: »

Muttley, I would strongly advise getting a copy of all evidence used in making the decision from the DLA. I am so pleased to hear you have the award you deserve. Perseverance does pay off, all props to you!

Thankyou. I was a little surprised to see them state that the evidence used was my completed application form and psychiatric report (which they indicated about 2 weeks before decision that they had requested)... suggesting all supporting evidence I sent in was not used. Perhaps they felt it was 'out of date'. I also had to smile at the 5 year award as "treatment may change how much help you need"..lol.. what treatment.. I'm officially coming off the last drug which I was only taking to get access to a psychiatrist... there are no other treatment options... if the claim form was properly studied any idiot would realise there was no way I was going to continue getting this drug prescribed due to the dramatic side effects (mind you those effects along with personal care needs seem to have been completely rejected). Hopefully I'll get a copy of the psychiatrist factual report soon... might be useful to my ongoing ESA reassessment..lol.