DLA renewal and Carers Allowance

[yamum]

I wonder if anyone can help me.

My dd has received DLA for higher rate care since she was about 2. She's now 14. I got the renewal letter around September/October (possibly earlier) and filled it in sent it back and got a letter saying they'd received it.

I haven't heard anything else since then from them but I got a letter today from Carers Allowance saying that the DLA was due to stop and so was the Carers Allowance. Does this mean that DLA have made a decision and passed it on to CA but I haven't got the letter informing me yet? Has anyone else had this? I think both claims are due to run out at the end of December.

I've tried phoning CA but the line is closed and I can't get through to DLA, but I'm currently trying.

When does the award expire?

I got a letter a few weeks before saying carers would stop at the expiry date but if it was extended it would automatically renew.

At the moment they are making dla decisions rediculously last minute (ours was the day before it was due to expire!). If you phone at bang on 9am you can normally get straight through to them (after the normal press 742 to talk to a human palaver!) and they told me a week before you can ask for it to be marked urgent if a decision hasn’t been made - don’t know if it helps at all but worth a try!

Thank you @sirzy that's really helpful. I think it must be due to run out on the 28th December as that's when the CA letter says CA is going to stop.

I panicked a bit as they've never left it this late to renew before but if I can't get through today, I'll try first thing tomorrow morning.

Same position here, I sent back the renewal forms in sept but I'm still waiting to hear if DD has been awarded it again. I cannot get through on the phone, was on hold for 30 mins today but then had to give up because I had stuff to do. Seriously wondering if anyone is manning the phones. My DD's award runs out in a few weeks.

It takes forever getting through on the phone (usually over an hour!) but it's worth trying to hold on to speak to someone. I got a very unclear letter but when I rang they cleared it up.

I did actually get through today. I was on the phone for a total of an hour and a half but I was cut off 3 times in the process.

The person who I dealt with said the award didn't run out until the 22nd December so they have up to that date to make a decision and if I haven't heard anything, I can ring on the 23rd (they said they'd be open, but I'm finding hard to believe they'll have full staff on in the run up to Xmas or over the Xmas holidays if I can't get through).

I've renewed twice before and this is the first time that they've cut it so fine. I don't know if this is how they're dealing with it going forward or if it's a backlog due to covid.

And as if the whole process isn't stressful enough!

I called today and I was told they are assessing renewals from August right now, I sent mine in in September so it won’t be assessed for at least another 4 weeks. He said he should be assessed in time before it expires and to send any other documents in if I have them.

There’s is definitely a backlog they are doing the renewals sent in August right now.