DLA form giving me a headache

[Isabeller]

Aaaaagh I have got to finish this bloody thing.

I am absolutely struggling to concentrate or write another sentence.

I feel so bloody unreasonable I am reaching for any distraction or excuse to waste time.

I need more mental stamina. I usually don’t even swear. Hmm quite therapeutic getting all that out.

Please vote. A vote in any direction will encourage me to get on with it. As the Youtubers say “Give this video ten thousand likes and I’ll make another one”.

Give me 10 votes of any sort and I’ll answer another bloody question.

(Kid’s DLA renewal in case your wondering)

Aaaaaagh again 😫

Come on, crack on with it! has anything changed since the last submission? If not, then is it not just a copy and paste job? (Sorry, never done renewals, only supported initial application as SENCo)

Come on you can do it! Just keep repeating the bleeding obvious in every box if you have to.

Can you get any help with it, maybe benefits advice office to check it. They're quite complex

Get help from CAB or something. These forms are set up to have you wonder what the “right” answer is, and disability isn’t really like that. You have my sympathy. Do you keep copies of old forms? Copy and paste. I have literally photocopied old forms and cut out and pasted with prit stik. Life’s too important to be messing with those forms. Good luck

Quite right. Bloody annoyingly previous form not available (because Covid) but managed to retrieve about 100 pages of supporting evidence thank goodness.

10/10 comment Soontobe60

Brain seizing up. Will do another bloody question.

please excuse swearing, it seems to be helping

DLA forms are the pits. I did COCs for my twins in July which was awesome because I only had to fill in the night bit, they got upgraded and extended by 3 years each - next one now not due for 2.5 years, and the other not for 7.5 years!

I find it best to type loads of waffle for each question in a Word doc, then edit and copy out the finished answers. Then I have a saved copy of the form and I don’t waffle on the form.

cerebra.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/dla-guide-jan20-low-res.pdf

Have you not got the new form ? They sent me a new one which is much shorter due to covid !

also I don’t think you need so many pages of extra information.
I literally write the form send 2 prices of evidence from professionals and 1 day diary :)

They are so depressing and hard to do, keep going!

The new forms are not shorter my sons renewal is due in April and the form is the same.

Just sent my sons off, it was soul destroying as usual. Im worried too because I had no evidence this time. He doesn't have an EHCP so hasn't been in school, so no SENCO reports.. Paediatrician appointments cancelled as not urgent. Very anxious wait ahead.

I get so upset doing them each time. I feel guilty saying 'ds can't do this' etc.... I do photocopy each one though so when it comes to renewal I can pretty much copy as needed, makes it a bit easier.

God those forms are awful. I found typing easier than having to find and reprint a certain page because I ballsed it up.

The most depressing pile of paperwork I have ever done. It must have sounded really crap because we got a reply surprisingly fast and I had forgotten to add the drs page.

Good luck OP my sons is due too I been putting it off.

Good luck. I need to do my son's form but keep putting it off.

Whattheactual2021 I don’t think the form I was sent is particularly simpler than previously, still 70+ multipart questions, reports from all professionals, EHCP etc. etc.

I heard through our local support organisation that at various times in the last year arrangements have been changed eg extensions and simplified paperwork but then it went back to the original system apparently and when I phoned I was told there’s now a 6 week extension for processing (sounds like major backlog).

I’m at the stage of filling in lost dates of appointments and things like child benefit reference number and ‘do you want to say any more about...?’

4 more down 8 to go.

Try the Cerebra guide. I found it very helpful cerebra.org.uk/download/disability-living-allowance-dla-guide/

Aww that's shite. Try and photograph this one if you can't photocopy it and then next time you can just add in new reports and changes

I feel your pain. Spent new year doing my daughter’s renewal. Hated every second! Agree with pp - if no changes then copy and paste from last time. I always type out the lists of consultants, medications etc as well and add them in.
Ours was turned round really quickly - no change in rate (phew!)
Come on OP it’s a crap job but you can do it!!

Good luck OP, they are awful things (filling in my DC’s left me in tears!) Do check out the Cerebra guide PPs have linked to - absolutely invaluable. And remember you can appeal if you don’t get what you need (they rely on people not doing this)

You are all helping so much. I had absolutely run out of steam. I am going to crack this tonight.

Cerebra link really helpful, thank you 💐💐💐

4 more down 4 to go.

It really is horrible isn’t it.

“Is it bad, is it really bad, is it far worse than any typical child the same age, how bad is it exactly, how often is it that bad, how long does this difficult thing take, and that one and that one, how difficult is it for your child to communicate with other people, how bad are they at school, how bad are they at home...
behave without thinking about dangers, aggressive, destructive, harm, distress, difficulty making friends...
How bad is their life, your life, how bad a parent are you?”

Why wouldn’t this form make me feel tearful even though we need this help, if it wasn’t there I don’t know how we’d manage, we are lucky to live somewhere that help exists.

Think I’ll go and worry about Covid for a few minutes as light relief.

@MinnieJackson

Aww that's shite. Try and photograph this one if you can't photocopy it and then next time you can just add in new reports and changes

Yes, do this! For over 20 years I've been doing these for my son (now migrated over to PIP). I have copies of all of them so at each renewal I had a base to copy/add to. They're horrible to do. I tend to do them over 3 days - spread the agony 😂

I don't think there's anything worse than the DLA form. Although, photocopying the b loody thing and all accompany docs is pretty grim too.
It's soul destroying.