DLA Wait Times Part 9 (2023)

[Lostatsea10]

Thought it was time for a new thread :)

Just curious if you’ve been given a reason why your blue badge application is taking so long?
I completely agree someone hasn’t even bothered to read through your forms/evidence properly.

@Supermom92 lcwra is really had to claim, unless your severely ill, they will make u fight for it, believe me

does anyone have any advice on these please? 😊

@Symmz doubt they will back date it to April last year without good reason as to why its taking u so long

Just curious if you’ve been given a reason why your blue badge application is taking so long?
I completely agree someone hasn’t even bothered to read through your forms/evidence properly.

The blue badge debacle is a perfect example of why I'm raging about public services. It's not even something that would cost them anything and yet they have to make it into a never-ending battle. I have a chronic health condition limiting my mobility for which there's no cure. Used to be manageable but deteriorated after two bouts of Covid so applied for the badge. Medical evidence sent as requested, the same day they asked for it (one month post-application). Chased up sometime later. They claimed they hadn't received it. I sent it again. And repeat, and repeat. After around 6 months of this I raised a formal complaint. Took Council two months to investigate it. Complaint fully upheld - they admitted they had received all of the evidence they'd requested 6 months earlier when they first asked for it and claimed they had some kind of "IT problem", allegedly. They then requested yet more information from my GP, which they were promptly sent, explaining exactly why I meet the criteria. This evidence was also ignored, no response for over a month. Chased up. "Yes we're looking at it". Then an email just before Christmas saying application declined, with no explanation. Complaint then sent back to the Council asking why they still haven't issued it.

Then in January when they finally answered me they said they needed detail from the GP of what treatment I am having. They had never requested this so no idea why they declined the application for not receiving something they'd not even asked for. It was pointed out to them that this is an incurable condition and there is no treatment! Then in Feb I received a letter saying "blue badge update" at the top but blank: literally a blank letter with my name at the top and "yours sincerely" at the bottom and blank space in between. GP surgery has tried chasing them as well to ask what other evidence they could possibly need, no response. Chased Council up yet again this week asking why still it hasn't been issued...

It seems to be like this for every single process with every single public body to get any kind of even very basic assistance of any kind, even for stuff like this which should be a straightforward administrative process and costs them nothing. And for me - being autistic and having ADHD on top of my physical health issues that cause mobility problems - it is impossible to manage all of this. It is overwhelming trying to do this and care for my children and fight for support for them as a lone parent and work full time. And I am as a result of no badge practically housebound so have to pay nannies or ask favours of friends if my children need to go anywhere like school or clubs.

It's a disgrace how disabled people are treated. They're quite happy to take a large chunk of my salary every month for tax but when you actually need any type of help from the services that is meant to pay for the answer is always "no." And then "how can we waste hundreds of hours of your time?". I can't help but think it's deliberate at this point.

@SleepingRedSnowBootsAndThePea all public services are the f#*kin same, everything is a constant battle 😫

I understand underfunding and understaffing etc - who isn't in that situation at work atm?! - but this stuff is sheer incompetence. They are actually making more work for themselves by having to "reassess" stuff they didn't do properly first time, deal with complaints etc. So it's their own fault they are behind with their work because if they did it properly in the first place they wouldn't be: they'd have far less work to do.

That’s absolutely disgusting I can’t believe they would string you along like that all whilst messing you and your GP around constantly with rubbish back and forth B/S excuses/lies over the space of months and months it’s sickening. I really hope with DLA and the blue badge they reconsider their utterly incompetent decisions for yourself and your children. It really does sound like you need a break. We’ve only just applied for DLA for our child, issues with care and mobility due to a range of conditions but some things I read on here are really awful.

@RainbowsTulipsChocolate thank you. Again sorry everyone for ranting here about not directly related issues but I've just had enough of it all. It feels like all of these "services" are deliberately doing this, otherwise how could the answer always be "no" even when you send all of the evidence they request, spend hours collating all of the reports from professionals with a covering letter and labelled appendices and then still, the same old story. They say raise a complaint, do this, do that. And I do. And then that is ignored as well. I have a full time job and disabled children who also don't sleep, when am I meant to be doing this? The answer is usually between midnight and 3am, in between wakeups from the children and their meltdowns. I'm on my knees now after years of this and no respite ever and funding everything myself, no help whatsoever and the answer is still always "no".

It's good to have a place to talk about it. And sorry again. I think everyone has a breaking point and I'm pretty close to mine now.

I hope you have better luck @RainbowsTulipsChocolate and everyone else.

I suppose some people might think I deserve it for having children when I'm not well myself. But in my defence my chronic health issue causing the mobility issues was under control long-term when I had them. It was a bit restrictive but manageable, certainly not in housebound territory. I didn't know I had autism or ADHD, those were diagnosed while I was pregnant with my second child. And at that time I had a husband, a very long-term relationship. Both in very secure careers, our own home.

So I'd not anticipated lone parenting or Covid trashing my health or being diagnosed with the other conditions or the prospect my children might inherit those because I didn't know I had them myself. Nor did I know that said husband would vanish when they were babies. So yeah, the best laid plans and all that. Yet I still try, I work (from home obviously!), I earn a really good salary and pay lots of tax and we get no help at all. It all feels so very unfair. If they stopped taking so much of our money as tax I could afford to pay for the support we all need myself. But they want to have it both ways: to take the money but refuse us any state services either. 😔

@Symmz I'm nor sure and don't think there's a time scale. I've seen posts on a Facebook group asking the same. Some are days, some are weeks, some are months.

@SleepingRedSnowBootsAndThePea vent all you want. I think it will help get it off your chest

I'm surprised you need to fight so hard with your council over the Blue badge. Disgusting and unjustified

Please don't think any of think you'd shouldn't of had children due to your ill health. I sure don't think that and I'm sure lots of others don't think that

@SleepingRedSnowBootsAndThePea It’s totally understandable you just want one small thing to go ‘your way’ for once as it feels like everything is getting on top of you. I totally agree everyone has their breaking point and as someone else said I can’t see how you can be refused/declined/turned down for the very little help you have requested. I genuinely believe someone has made a mistake with your form and that has to be fixed. I don’t know anything about the MR process but I do wish you luck with it. You keep venting I’m sure some more of us will join in. Also, I absolutely don’t have anything negative to say about you or your decision to have children, I was actually thinking they are lucky to have you and are likely proud of you (if too young then one day!)

Thank you so much. 🥺😭 I hope they might be one day when they're old enough to understand. At the moment I am instead consumed by guilt that I can't be the mother I wanted to me, not enough time with them, having to pay other people to do the things I wanted to do with them. It's an immense sadness that will never go away I don't think but I hope that when they grow up they'll think it was good enough and their childhood was happy despite all of this.

*be, not me

@SleepingRedSnowBootsAndThePea you might not be the mum you wanted to be but that’s because things are different from how you expected them to be not because you aren’t doing everything your children need, that to me is a wonderful mum. It’s so hard, some days I think I’ve failed mine but really our continuous efforts don’t go unnoticed. Sending a virtual glass with some chocolate 🍷🍫

That's very true: we can only play the cards we are dealt and do the best that we can with them. Mum guilt is the worst but I hope that for all of us, our fighting for our children to get the help they need will show them how loved they are. It's so hard to sustain it all isn't it, but they do know on some level. My two made up a song a while ago about how I'm the best mummy in the world so I try to remember that when I feel like I'm failing. Chocolate and wine is a very good plan! If non-sleeping small people ever go to sleep. Thank you, you've made me feel a bit better. 🍷🍫

@SleepingRedSnowBootsAndThePea
its very clear from ur posts how much u love your children. So anyone that thinks because u have a disability u shouldn’t have had children they are stupid! It sounds like u have a really tough time but keep fighting mumma and hopefully it will all come right in the end and u and ur children will get what u r entitled to! And u can get a well deserved rest! I really hope things turn a corner for u and people start pulling their fingers out! Take care x

Thank you very much. Can’t believe I missed this entitlement. Thought it was earnings based!

This is same as me my sons ends on the 28th, got a letter from carers saying it's due to end soon, I thought that was because dla had informed them it wasn't getting renewed, so by the sounds of it that's just standard? X

My sons is also the 28th yeah I rang and they said it was a standard letter.. ours is not even with the dm yet.. stressful

Well that's a bit of relief lol... I thought that meant they made there decision and it's a no lol xx

@Lisakel @Boymom10 mine finishes on the 31st .. where are you guys from if you don’t mind me asking? .. also I’m guessing I’ll receive that letter from carers soon if you guys have! .. please let me know when you find out the outcome from Dla then I shouldn’t be to long after 😬 xxx

@Brown2010 im South wales yeah I’m going to ring maybe Thursday as I rang Friday afternoon 😳 so I will update

@Boymom10 I’m from Northamptonshire .. thank you so much! .. fingers crossed 🤞🏻 xxx