DLA hospital stays

Yuki60

Hi,

Am a bit confused over something someone from DWP said to my daughter on the phone the other day and hope someone has some info i can give her. She has been on lowest care and mobility for around two years. However, a year ago she went into hospital after developing a blood disorder. streptococcal strain a (I know that's not spelt right ) Due to this disorder which was cleared up after a few weeks she developed and still has; a large clot in her pelvis around 4 inches in length, clots throughout her legs, pulmonary embolism's in both lungs. This was critical and they were very worried for her but she pulled through. She has been injecting herself heparin for nearly a year now and they say its all they can do but that eventually she will hopefully recover. They said it can take up to 5 years to get better from this. She can't walk or move because of the pain throughout her body and because of her breathlessness with the embolisms she can hardly do anything indoors either. She is very very poorly with this and of course there's always the weekly ambulance to the hospital if a clot moves in case it goes to her heart. She goes to a & e and is let go a couple of hours later after blood tests. I told her she should at the very least be on middle care and mobility if not higher. She does have a local nurse come to see her once a week. After sending in the change of circumstance form she got a call from DLA saying that they advised her not to go through with a change of claim as she spends so much time in hospital and might get less money than she gets now (Even though she's on the lowest now). She has stayed strong and said that she wanted to go ahead and that she couldn't understand she could get less when she was so ill. She has to explain the hospital thing in a letter to them and is really confused. She only spent a long time in hospital a year ago when she first got this condition. All the times since has been when she has collapsed when a clot moves. Even then its just a ride to a and e for a couple of hours and she doesn't get admitted. Does anyone have any advice or know what this is about? They say its to do with all new claims. I am really annoyed. She is only 30, nearly died and is still critically ill. There just happens to be nothing they can do in hospital and we have to wait and hope it all clears up.

Thanks

Richie-from-the-Boro

Be careful what you are doing Yuki60 .. .. preferably get the CAB or whoever to give you independent advice on this. Unless your daughter has a DS1500 agreed DLA, Housing Benefit, Carers Allowance etc can be affected under the 28 day linking rule, read this then come back with questions !

What you will need is a calendar with precisely which days / nights / hours your daughter was in hospital over the whole year of her in / out hospital treatment. To help your understanding :

- if the state pays £xxx amount of money per year to your daughter
- and she is in hospital for half that year
- then the state is paying twice
- they're paying the hospital to replace what the hospital pay to care for your daughter
- and simultaneously paying your daughter money direct which she is not entitled to because the hospital pay for her care

Best of luck !

Yuki60

Have just spoken to her again. She initially contracted the disorder 12 months ago and her initial stay in hospital was 6 weeks. The only other stay she has had in hospital was for 2 weeks 8 months ago. Since then she hasn't had any stays in hospital just ambulances to a & e when she leaves a couple of hours later. It does say they don't count first and last days so they can't count those. So does the fact that when she initially contracted it and spent 6 weeks in with the 2 weeks 3 months later mean that they can take away or not higher her dla even though she hasn't had any stays since?

Was also wondering why they are asking how many times she's been in hospital in the past 2 years when she only got this disorder a year ago. She had been in hospital a couple of times the previous year but nothing to do with this disorder. We're both totally confused. Bloke across the road has a limp and concretes his own garden, goes to disneyworld every year, personally lumps around concrete blocks and yet got highest care and mobility without a question. My daughter is seriously ill and might not get a penny because she spent 6 weeks in hospital a year ago.

GlasweJen

They link time spent in hospital within a month of each other, so even if it's not continuous it can be linked and treated as a day (or part of a day).

Seek advice.