Can we get child DLA?

filigree_2

I'm sorry you have to go through this, my son developed epilepsy when he was three and it was a very hard time for all of us.

I saw the hospital Medical Social Worker extremely helpful, he had plentiful blank forms and he helped me fill one in from cover to cover. It's useful to use the earliest dated form you can get your hands on, because if the application is approved the DLA will be backdated to the day the form was date stamped.
Part of the form asks for a statement from someone who knows the child well, you might consider asking the nursery staff because they see him for hours every day and have the best hands on knowledge of his needs. The form asks for several referees, I think you can get the Health Visitor's name in there somewhere as well!

Put ALL your son's health problems down. I knew someone who thought they only had to describe the main illness and this is not the case, you should put down every darn symptom you can think of. My son has mild asthma which isn't enough to get DLA on its own, but it is part of the bigger picture so I do include it.

Remember you can and should include social and spiritual needs as well as his food and medical care. If he needs an adult helper to take him to Sunday School for instance, you should put that on the form. Our children are entitled to enjoy themselves just as much as they need medicine and safe food.

You could try local support groups, I don't know what's available but you could try the Epilepsy Action who have some local groups, they can also send you lots of information leaflets. website here http://www.epilepsy.org.uk

There is also a nationwide charity called Contact-A-Family who support the parents of all children with special needs. website here: http://www.cafamily.org.uk/. I found that they didn't seem to have many epilepsy families, but they can offer general advice on caring for a special child.

If you think your consultant is unhelpful, ask if the hospital has a Sapphire Nurse - they have extra training in helping patients with epilepsy. Sadly there isn't enough funding to go round (isn't that always the case) so not all hospitals have one.

If you or your partner are unable to work you could apply for Carers Allowance if you have a child who gets DLA. If you are on Income Support you would get an enhanced IS payment so it's worth a try. If you work, having a disabled child can entitle you to a little extra WTC so you should notify them if your claim for DLA is successful.

Before I fill the page with waffle, one other tip is to apply to the council for a Radar Key for disabled toilets. If your little lad is too vulnerable to use the toilet alone, it is so much easier to take him into a disabled facility.

Please pm me if you have anything you'd like to ask.

sohall

Hi there,

As far as i am aware the sooner you apply the better. my son has autistic spectrum, ADHD and is very challenging too. I was not aware until 12months ago that i could recieve a benefit, but with the help of the school, the gp and the paediatrician i gained just ove £200.00 a month which enabled me to cut down my working hours to care for him as it was impossible to find a child minder before and after school. Appeals can be a hassle but they are worth while. As i have a background in health i can also appriciate the consultant wishing to wait before a diagnosis is made, this will be due to his combination of problems.

I wish you all the best, keep pushing with the claim and i am sure you will not be dissapointed.

joolee_2

sorry to hear about yuor sons problems. yes put down everything you can think of and if you want help to complete the form go to SSD or CAB who have trained people to help to get the best of a claim. if you dont think the decision on the claim is right ask for a welfare rights officer from Social Services to take the claim to appeal.

penrith

Just wanted to flag this one up again to let you all know that I did apply for DLA for my son. We got the letter today and we've been awarded, what i think is a fair rate. :j

So a big THANK YOU to all those who have advised me on this, especially Ted_Hutchinson - top advice, as ever. Obviously not having a clear diagnosis didn't make any difference after all (just as you said, despite my doubts). Also thanks for the PMs and advice from "others" (i assume you want to stay anonymous as you PM'd me?). Followed all your advice on getting extra evidence, making sure GP & consultants were aware of my DLA claim, spent a lot of time filling the forms in a detailed way, kept copies of the forms, went to welfare rights place for advice etc etc

This is going to make a real difference to Kyle's (and our!!) life. Whilst parents do what we can for our kids whatever our finances, having abit of financial help does help.

Have already provisionally looked into cutting my hours down, claiming CA and spending more time with my son - which i what i really want to do.

Thanks again folks.