CHC Retrospective Claim Appeal Refused

Kirium

Hi All, I would like some help and advice regarding a PUPoC Decision Appeal for my late Mother who died after suffering terribly with Parkinsons Disease in March 2017.
Briefly…

My mum was originally discharged from hospital into a care home after suffering a Stroke around Oct 2013.
I applied for CHC funding on the 5th March 2014 I was informed, on the day, it was a slow process to get an answer, but never heard back from them regarding the outcome of the assessment.
(I still have the uncompleted copy I was provided with dated 5/3/14 . The CHC were claiming she was not known to them prior to July 2016!)

So after many weeks I called the social worker who conducted the assessment to chase it up. She informed me she was no longer mums social worker and to contact the local authority.
I contacted L.A on a couple of occasions for mum to be reassessed but never got a call back from them.
Finally, after many phone calls I was informed this had to be requested via mums GP. I contacted them and she was assessed again July 2016 and very promptly awarded the CHC funding Aug 2016.

I explained to the lady doing the assessment that Mum had been in this state for a very long time and was told I would have to put in a retrospective claim. I put in a retrospective claim and was declined, (I had to put a date of which period I was claiming for on the form- so I claimed from 25/4/2015 as this was when Mum was now being hoisted and her health was deteriorating rapidly resulting in her basically being in a cot bed unable to walk, talk, position herself or even motion for attention/assistance).
I appealed against the PUPoC Decision and have recently been turned down again.

I feel Mum would have been eligible for funding in 2014, much sooner to her finally being awarded it. If they had assessed her sooner that would have been very apparent.

My question is, do I have a case, or am I seeing it too emotionally?
I've looked at the MSE do it yourself guide which looks do-able but I'm not sure I can do Mums case justice. As I understand the next step if(when) she gets turned down again is the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman I'm finding the whole process exhausting, which is probably why they do it in the hope that you will most likely "just go away" :mad:

I have looked at using a solicitor but the £1200 I've been quoted is money I haven't got and thats just to see if they'll take the case on

Nual

The whole process seems to be a war of attrition. I tried for my mum and had a similar experience - papers lost, personnel changing, outright lies about her needs. I am very detirmined but gave up in the end as it was exhausting and I needed my energy to concentrate on mum ( she was still alive at the time)and my children. So if you need the money and are prepared to deal with all the trickery and frustration , go for it , but you will need amazing stamina and for a good chunk of your life to be tied up, for possibly nothing in the end.