DWP - right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing

50Twuncle

GlasweJen wrote: »

MP is useless, when I called her at the start of this her advisor told me it's ok as I would get paid DLA during the appeal stage if I didn't get my MR.

My replies to complaints have all been basically "we got another decision maker to look and can't change the decision" and not addressing the actual complaint (rude staff, incompetent medical assessment that's now being investigated by the persons governing body, basic medical errors that a child can spot, delays in processing etc).

They have until Wednesday to ask for the tribunals statement of reasons so on Thursday they are going to hear me. I'm at the stage where I want to involve the ombudsman as I'm being fobbed off and I still don't have my DLA file.

I went through this, 10 years ago - when I originally applied for DLA.
Incompetence at every stage - home assessment - I was told :
1. Max Care and Max Mobility
Then after a month or so.....
2. No Care and No Mobility

I appealed - and was ignored

I asked my local DWP office to send me EVERYTHING that they had on me (my DLA file ?????) - under the FOI act they do not have to give you ANYTHING on yourself as the applicant - but I was sent a huge pack through the post - which shocked me (it cost over £5 in postage, so was BIG) - But I read it through and based on what I had read - I used my Lib Dem MP - He was brilliant - he managed to sort out the whole mess within a fortnight - I ended up with Mid care - which at the time was fair but now my mobiliity has deteriorated to the point where I am basically immobile (So will not be happy with any less than max mobility) - so am waiting for my PIP to need applying for at which point the fun will start again ??
I will take it ALL the way if I run into ANY incompetence !!

GlasweJen

50Twuncle wrote: »

I went through this, 10 years ago - when I originally applied for DLA.
Incompetence at every stage - home assessment - I was told :
1. Max Care and Max Mobility
Then after a month or so.....
2. No Care and No Mobility

I appealed - and was ignored

I asked my local DWP office to send me EVERYTHING that they had on me (my DLA file ?????) - under the FOI act they do not have to give you ANYTHING on yourself as the applicant - but I was sent a huge pack through the post - which shocked me (it cost over £5 in postage, so was BIG) - But I read it through and based on what I had read - I used my Lib Dem MP - He was brilliant - he managed to sort out the whole mess within a fortnight - I ended up with Mid care - which at the time was fair but now my mobiliity has deteriorated to the point where I am basically immobile (So will not be happy with any less than max mobility) - so am waiting for my PIP to need applying for at which point the fun will start again ??
I will take it ALL the way if I run into ANY incompetence !!

The tribunal doctor actually said she was shocked it got this far and explained to the judge that there's no way I could climb stairs as its obvious to anyone with eyes that my legs are wasting despite hours of physio every week.

50Twuncle

GlasweJen wrote: »

The tribunal doctor actually said she was shocked it got this far and explained to the judge that there's no way I could climb stairs as its obvious to anyone with eyes that my legs are wasting despite hours of physio every week.

Let me get this right - You have won the tribunal but still are having to go through the Ombudsman ?
Why ?
Is it to obtain "clarity" or to try to get an official apology for your treatment ?
Also - a silly question - but how do they expect you to get around ?
Crawling like a baby - perhaps ?

GlasweJen

I'm going through the ombudsman because of the treatment, as far as I'm concerned this should all have been picked up at the mandatory reconsideration. That and they appear to have posted my entire DLA file to someone else and they don't know who that could be but they won't apologise or send another.

Apparently paraplegics can walk up stairs as long as they use the hand rail, good trick if you can manage it.

50Twuncle

GlasweJen wrote: »

I'm going through the ombudsman because of the treatment, as far as I'm concerned this should all have been picked up at the mandatory reconsideration. That and they appear to have posted my entire DLA file to someone else and they don't know who that could be but they won't apologise or send another.

Apparently paraplegics can walk up stairs as long as they use the hand rail, good trick if you can manage it.

So what have they awarded you ?
ie) What levels of living and mobility ?

GlasweJen

Standard daily living, enhanced getting around. I was previously on DLA middle care high mobility so essentially I've stayed the same but with 6 months stress thrown into the mix.

50Twuncle

GlasweJen wrote: »

Standard daily living, enhanced getting around. I was previously on DLA middle care high mobility so essentially I've stayed the same but with 6 months stress thrown into the mix.

OK So - are you now looking for financial retribution or just an apology ?

50Twuncle

Incidentally - when I check https://www.gov.uk/pip-checker to see when PIP will affect me - they have removed the "LOCATION" page - which was after the "Date of Birth" page - it just tells me :"You can be contacted any time after 13 July 2015 to claim PIP. This includes if you have a long-term award of DLA or an indefinite award with no end date.
Not everyone will be contacted to claim PIP right away. You’ll continue to get DLA until DWP writes to you about when it will end."

This Implies to me - that DWP don't have a clue what they are doing anymore and those of us still on "indefinite award" DLA will remain on DLA for a very long time !!

50Twuncle

Jen - can you please confirm whether you are "mobile" with braces/splints or not ?
If so - how "mobile" are you
I am assuming that, otherwise - you are not able to move at all ?
Also - did your GP fully support your application for PIP ?
The reason for these questions - is that I do use braces - but (increasingly) - the pain is still there and even using them - I am limited to perhaps going to the front door
Without them - I am immobile !!

GlasweJen

I can just about stand up on crutches but I couldn't then walk, it takes everything to hold myself in place. At home I have a fixed hoist in the bedroom and a portable one to pick me up off the floor when I black out, if I'm not in bed or on the sofa I'm in one of a few wheelchairs.

They are supposed to assess you as if you're using your mobility aid so if you have prosthetics it's with them on. They'd assess you with braces so you'd need to highlight that even with braces it's sore and you're not able to manage much without pain and needing to have long rests. One of the things is "reliably", if your fire alarm went off can you get up on a whim and go shut it up?

For some reason physical disabilities are really taking a pounding in this area, at the tribunal everyone who went past me was either on crutches or had a white stick or a guide dog. Myself and one other person in a wheelchair were stuck on the ground floor as the lift was out of order.