dla child query x

mum2three3

hi just need some advice really i have put in a claim for dla for my child as she jas an eye problem she is on 3 different drops a day in her eye which cannot all be done at once takes me an hour a time four times a day she is at school where they administer medication too 2 times a day she is under a opthamologist and had an operation back in november 12 to remove lumps from her eye lids and alao frained she still suffers from infections constantly she has corneal scarring and 3 other problems what is the likely hood if any she will get it she does need more care as after i have put the drops in she gets blurred vision i habe to make sure all the rime she has no soap after she uaes bathroom i have to bathe her as she cant have any soap in her eyes causes bad reactions. any help would be great she sees a specialist every 1-3 months and has medication every day specialiat said its likely she will be like this for many years to come. thanks

mum2three3

thanks the form was very confusing and its been going on for past 2 1/2 years but only just lookes into claiming dla well put claim in 2 weeks ago so wait a little longer x

FBaby

Horseunderwater wrote: »

She should get the mid rate care component I would think and possibly the low rate mobility as she needs help and so long as you said all that and what her care and mobility needs are - she should get it. If not then appeal it straight away.

You are joking! Surely all this is just part of being a parent? How is a couple of £100 going to help with putting drop in one eye?

Is it a case now that parenthood is only seen as what one needs to do when a child is perfectly healthy and as soon as they need minor additional care, one expects to be paid for it?

My daughter had an operation on her eye that required regular eye drops. It was difficult because she hated it with a passion. 5 years on, she still suffers from problems, but she has learnt to adjust and live with it. It didn't cross our mind a second to claim any benefits for it.

What is going to be next? Parents who need to spend more time with their children to help them with homework claiming some form of benefits because that care requirement takes them away from other responsibilities? Or maybe a benefit for gifted children who need to be taken all over the country to compete, taking them away from other duties? After all, they need additional care and mental support to cope with the pressure!

Horseunderwater

FBaby wrote: »

You are joking! Surely all this is just part of being a parent?

Since I AM JOKING - delete the quote and then no one will be any the wiser will they. Benefit basher united is your new name BTW

nannytone_2

how o;d is the child?
id it a physical problem with her eye or does she have sight problems too?
the administering of eye frops is something that is an additional need, but bathing a child is something that every parent does.
i am blind and get low rate DLA and really cant see why the OP's child has needs that would warrent a higher award, if any award at all based on the information given

mum2three3

my daughter is 5 yrs she has gone blind at the bottom part of her left eye. hence the corneal scarring bit she has it in both eyes but the left eye is a lot eorse if u read i did mention shehas 3 other problems aswell.

nannytone_2

apart from the eye drops, you havent mentioned what other additional care needs that she has over and above any chilld of the same age. it is those care and mobility needs that will be the decudung factor in any DLA claim.
they are interested in her sight with both eyes combined, not seperately. people that have no sight at all in one eye are still able to drive, so it is assumed that sight loss in one eye is not a significant issue.

FBaby

I am not a benefit basher, I just am annoyed when people look at claiming DLA when they don't require additional funds to deal with specific health issues. There are so many disabled people who struggle every day because they can't afford equipment and the professional care they really need yet others want to claim for providing a bit of additional care than the norm, which many parents do every day for various reasons.

Now of course, my response was on the basis of what OP stated in her first message, that is, the additional care is to put drops in the eye and prevent child from getting soap in their eyes (don't all parents do this regardless of eye condition?).

Now, if it appears that child is suffering from some blindness. If that affects their every day life, and they could benefit from equipment to cope better, it is a complete different situation, but it is not the one OP mentioned initially.

kingfisherblue

mum2three3 wrote: »

hi just need some advice really i have put in a claim for dla for my child as she jas an eye problem she is on 3 different drops a day in her eye which cannot all be done at once takes me an hour a time four times a day she is at school where they administer medication too 2 times a day she is under a opthamologist and had an operation back in november 12 to remove lumps from her eye lids and alao frained she still suffers from infections constantly she has corneal scarring and 3 other problems what is the likely hood if any she will get it she does need more care as after i have put the drops in she gets blurred vision i habe to make sure all the rime she has no soap after she uaes bathroom i have to bathe her as she cant have any soap in her eyes causes bad reactions. any help would be great she sees a specialist every 1-3 months and has medication every day specialiat said its likely she will be like this for many years to come. thanks

Do you mean that your daughter has four hours a day of having eye drops put in at home, plus two hours at school? Or two hours at home and two hours at school? Are two hours of her school day really taken up just with putting in eye drops?

For DLA, the problem has to have lasted for three months so far, and be expected to last at least another six months (I'm not sure if that time scale altered to another nine months, but someone who does know will be able to confirm the correct time period). The specialist has said that its likely she will be like this for many years to come - but you don't say what is likely to be 'like this'. Do you mean medication on a daily basis, or do you mean having three types of eye drops? Have you asked the specialist if there is an alternative to having three types of eyedrops, so that there is only one type to use each day? Have you asked for advice on how to reduce the occurence of infections?

What are the care needs that arise due to the other three conditions mentioned in the OP? Some conditions needs little or no additional care (one of my sons is colour blind, for example, and whilst it is a condition and he will never be cured, he doesn't need any additional care as a result of having this condition).

DLA is not awarded for the name of the condition, but for the care needs that arise from it, and those care neeeds should be above those reasonably expected for a child of the same age. As a child grows, they would be expected to become more able at managing their own care in most cases. You mention that your child is at school, so presumably she is at least four years old. At that age, parents do need to look after their child far more than a much older child, but an older child would be expected to learn how to cope with their condition (depending on what the care needs are and whether the child has another condition, such as a learning disability). So, as an example, a diabetic child will need more care to manage their diabetes when they are younger, but as they grow, they would be expected to learn how to check sugar levels and how to inject insulin themselves (although I do realise that a diabetic can have hypos, or other care needs that arise from complications of diabetes).

mum2three3

when she is at home on school holidays and weekends i have yo spend an hour a time with the eye drops as i have to dress her eye firstly which takes around 20mins then to input 3 seperate drops at school they dont dress her eye as this would take alot of time up she misses her morning and afternoon breaks. she has had this problem for past 2 1/2 years she is 5yrs old. the specialst said it will be like this for many years and will have to take medication and also seeing the specialist at the hospital he has cut her down from 6 medications a day to 3 which are steriods and to keep her eye moist as it does noy produce a film everytime she blink. i have asked why does she need so much but he says she needs it her eye glands on her iris are blocked and infected and they are tring to treat it best they can she had operation to remove lumps and drain fluid from her eye lids caused scarring on her eye and she still geta lumps he is thinking of reffering her to specialist eye hospital in london everytime i put dropa in she cant see and have to keep her lying down or sat down as she cant see and then 10mins later give her another eye drop and again 10min later as they cant be given alltogether i have taken her to eye casulty numerous times past 6 months as her eye is so red and inflammed she cant see out of it she has gone blind at bottom of her eye and for a five yr old girl its not what we want to be doing and keeping her off school everytime it gets bad which is frquently just after some advice as i am using my phone to write this sorry for spellin mistakes.

shedboy94

Benefit Britain at it's best.
I bathe my children........and give 1 of them an inhaler morning and night......should I claim? It doesn't cost me anything but because I have to spent a bit of additional time administering an inhaler should I be getting extra money?