Dla waiting times

[Suzzie101]

hi! New to this all but I started a new claim for my daughter and it was received and stamped on 30th October, reaching 9 weeks and no response as of yet, any ideas of the waiting time ?

@PotsAndPan that’s fab! the wait is finally over!🎉 can i ask if they were able to backdate your claim?

@NameChanged15729

I sent my form in mid October and it was received 13 November. I’m guessing I still have a bit of a wait on my hands then! Does anybody know if awarded whether it gets backdated to the date you phoned and requested the form or the date they received the claim?

It should be the date you started the claim, which is the date you phoned.

I’m so anxious over them making a decision. I’ve fully prepared myself to have to go to mandatory reconsideration and then appeal. I don’t think it helps that I used a charity to fill in the forms and they were sealed up there and then so I don’t really know what was written.
My dd is three and has a diagnosis of autism and global developmental delay. In the evidence I sent the paediatrician does state that her autism is severe and she is classed as non verbal. My worry is that they didn’t do an ADOS to diagnose her and therefore dla won’t have enough evidence to make the award. In actuality it’s that her autism is so pronounced that it was blatantly obvious and she was diagnosed informally at the first appointment. It was then confirmed by a speech and language therapist and sent to panel.

She is currently being assessed for a statement (in Wales so it’s still currently statutory assessment for now) and the educational psychologist who came to see her said that she cannot foresee her not receiving one. I’ve been really concerned they wouldn’t give her one as she needs constant supervision. The nursery worker has to physically hold her hand to take her from station to station because she doesn’t understand otherwise. I live in fear of her escaping somehow and then not being able to find her.

Thanks Lougle that is helpful to know!

[quote Suzzie101]@PotsAndPan that’s fab! the wait is finally over!🎉 can i ask if they were able to backdate your claim?[/quote]
They backdated to the day they put the claim onto their system, but I had printed the form online not called for it so it may be different if you requested yours by phone. Good luck xx

@PotsAndPan today marks week 9 since they received my claim, currently with the decision maker so could take another 4 weeks, now fearful that they won’t have enough evidence 😩xx

@NameChanged15729

I’m so anxious over them making a decision. I’ve fully prepared myself to have to go to mandatory reconsideration and then appeal. I don’t think it helps that I used a charity to fill in the forms and they were sealed up there and then so I don’t really know what was written. My dd is three and has a diagnosis of autism and global developmental delay. In the evidence I sent the paediatrician does state that her autism is severe and she is classed as non verbal. My worry is that they didn’t do an ADOS to diagnose her and therefore dla won’t have enough evidence to make the award. In actuality it’s that her autism is so pronounced that it was blatantly obvious and she was diagnosed informally at the first appointment. It was then confirmed by a speech and language therapist and sent to panel.

She is currently being assessed for a statement (in Wales so it’s still currently statutory assessment for now) and the educational psychologist who came to see her said that she cannot foresee her not receiving one. I’ve been really concerned they wouldn’t give her one as she needs constant supervision. The nursery worker has to physically hold her hand to take her from station to station because she doesn’t understand otherwise. I live in fear of her escaping somehow and then not being able to find her.

Please dont worry it goes by care needs not diagnosis so you can actually have NO diagnosis and still get dla ! It just goes by the child’s needs and care requirements etc.

Xx

Hi all! I sent off forms for a review for mobility (my son has recently turned 5) they were recieved 28th September...Still waiting now 14 weeks later! I phoned week before Christmas and was advised it's taking up to 17 weeks for claim reviews atm..

@Tiredautismmom i’m just off the phone to them & once again i’ve been told something different and that it’s 16+ week wait 😩😩😩

@Suzzie101 omg! I wish they’d all say the same thing! When I rang the other day they said 10 weeks! 😓 I’m going to call again about 4 as mine has been with decision maker a couple of days so going to see where we are at!

@Pugsnotdrugs101 i’m so annoyed, i got a woman i’ve never had before & she basically down graded me when i spoke 🙄 i said i called last week and was told it was with the decision maker and she nearly laughed and said ‘it’s in their pile so depends when they look at it’ and was told at least 16 weeks😭

Hello, never posted before, I sent my daughter claim form in and it was received on 27th Oct, I last called on the 30th to say its still in the que and they were working on forms received on wek starting 18th of October... I sent extra evidence after the form that they say they never got... so now I don't know if they have enough.. I see t 9 pages pf evidence form various health care pros and the nursery... how much is enough... they refused our last attempt.. I'm starting to wonder if this whole process is worth the worry..

@Robyn81

Hello, never posted before, I sent my daughter claim form in and it was received on 27th Oct, I last called on the 30th to say its still in the que and they were working on forms received on wek starting 18th of October... I sent extra evidence after the form that they say they never got... so now I don't know if they have enough.. I see t 9 pages pf evidence form various health care pros and the nursery... how much is enough... they refused our last attempt.. I'm starting to wonder if this whole process is worth the worry..

Hi Robyn, it really depends what your evidence is and what you have written in the claim form. What they're looking for is that your child needs substantially more care or supervision than a typical child of that age. The younger your child is, the harder it is to show that. So, for example, a newborn with a disability is less likely to be awarded DLA because all newborns require frequent attention in the day time and at night, so it's quite difficult to show that they need far more.

If the evidence you have sent in has objective assessments from professionals that say that the child needs extra support, that will help. If it is 9 pages of 'Mum tells me that....', it won't help at all.

Did you follow any guides for filling in the form? At a young age, I found that saying 'DD1 behaves like . A normal child of her age would behave like . We have to do this to keep her safe, and if we didn't, would happen.', was really clear for them.

@Robyn81 I always, always, send my stuff next day recorded to them. I never trust their advice that you 'do not need a stamp'. That way, I can prove that they got the forms. I always scan the form and the evidence into a PDF file, also, and write on the form '29 documents included' or similar. This time I sent 140 pages of assessments, letters, and reports in, and it all got scanned in to a PDF. Each page of additional evidence needs to have the child's name and Date of birth, or name and Ni. No. on it.

As well as Lougle's excellent advice, I also take a photocopy of the form so that I have a back up copy in case it does go missing and so that I have a record to refer back in case of needing to appeal. It comes in handy at review time too as I can cross-reference when considering which needs have stayed the same and which have changed, makes the renewal faster to complete.

I rang up today as I hadn't heard about DS form and it was actioned on the 31st, maintained at the current rates, and a letter is on its way.

Got other DC's form to do now.

I sent PIP change of circumstances which was received 2nd August. I have just received a text for a telephone appt in 2 weeks time.

I rang up just now, got a lovely lady called sue. She said it’s with a decision maker and I should hear within a week hopefully but she put a note on to say I’d called and to try and hurry it up a little. She was the nicest person I’ve ever spoken to in all the times I’ve rang :)

I put the forms in in September and heard back a few days before christmas.

@Pugsnotdrugs101 i’m not sure i’ve had one nice person yet haha, but that’s fab news fingers crossed for a quick decision 🤞🏻

I know that you can back date carers allowance for three months but I can only be awarded carers allowance if my child receives middle rate DLA, does anyone know what happens if it takes over three months for the DLA to be processed?

does that mean that you loose the carers allowance that you would have been entitled to if the DLA form had been completed sooner ?

@Pugsnotdrugs101 well done, fingers crossed for a speedy decision

@tangledzebra

I know that you can back date carers allowance for three months but I can only be awarded carers allowance if my child receives middle rate DLA, does anyone know what happens if it takes over three months for the DLA to be processed?

does that mean that you loose the carers allowance that you would have been entitled to if the DLA form had been completed sooner ?

They'll backdate to the date of the claim or the date you requested the form, as long as you sent the form in by the deadline quoted.

Thanks @Lougle, I know they backdate DLA to the date received or requested if you did it by phone. Is that the same with carers allowance ? They will backdate to the date of the DLA form? As everything I have read says they will only backdate carers allowance by 3 months.

They should do.

Hi all…
Has anyone heard anything recently?
I rang last week and was told possibly a further 2 weeks wait… form received by them on 8th Nov

Got a letter today dated 26/12/2021
Saying sorry for the wait the claim will be looked at soon as.

I called today and was told they’re starting to look at claims received 25th Oct, so that’s 2 weeks behind me. I expect longer times as my other girls took 13 weeks in 2019 but this is a new claim for my youngest.
The wait is agonising isn’t it

Xx