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Original poster

Odd find, secret DLA allowance....

197 replies

sooperdooper · 19/05/2012 10:27

I live with my DP, we're getting married later this year

I was just doing some tidying up, and sorting out a pile of paperwork/letters etc on the kitchen table, putting stuff in the pile to shred/file away etc

And I've found a letter, to DP from the DLA, about Disability Living Allowance, that he's getting nearky £400 a month on a higher rate care & lower rate mobility allowance - which I had no idea about whatsoever? Confused

I wasn't snooping, just sorting through what was important and what could be thrown away, it wasn't in an envelope, just in with other letters on the table

I know his in his family there is a medical history if disabilities - his brother has spina biffida & learning difficulties, and his sister has spina biffida but works normally although I know she does suffer a lot of pain sometimes & has had so many ops over the years to enable to her now live a fairly normal life

But he has never, ever told me her receives DLA, it's so strange and I just don't know what to think

He's at work today and then going to a friends tonight from work, I won't really see him until tomorrow, but this is just so odd

I don't even know what advise I'm looking for really, guess I'm just confused

OP posts:
HecateTrivia · 19/05/2012 11:26

The reality is that they don't check every claim. They don't contact every professional. They do go on the information contained in the forms so it isn't a certainty that they would check. In the packs they say that they MAY contact people IF they need more information. That is changing now, of course, and more checks are being done, but it isn't beyond the realms of possibility that someone could fill in a form and have it passed without anyone contacting a doctor.

saggarmakersbottomknocker · 19/05/2012 11:27

Could he have claimed in the past sooper? Some years ago the DWP did make lifetime awards (they're not so common now) but if your circumstances change then you are supposed to tell them otherwise it's fraud.

Original poster
sooperdooper · 19/05/2012 11:28

I've known him for 5 years - he did have some counselling for some mild mental health issues a couple of years ago, but you don't get mobility allowance for mental health issues

OP posts:
Original poster
sooperdooper · 19/05/2012 11:30

I guess his parent could've been claiming for him when he was younger

OP posts:
Original poster
sooperdooper · 19/05/2012 11:30

It says the claim is valid until 2014

OP posts:
SerialKipper · 19/05/2012 11:30

Well don't panic yet.

The DWP are not the most accurate folk in the world. The letter was sent to his parents, where someone with the same surname is probably getting precisely this award, DP was living there until recently, and he left the letter out where you might see it.

So I'd put fuck-up by the DWP quite high on the list of possibilities.

Whatnamethistime · 19/05/2012 11:31

One question - would higher rate dla not be more than £400 per month?

AmberLeaf · 19/05/2012 11:31

but you don't get mobility allowance for mental health issues

Erm yes actually you can do!

Original poster
sooperdooper · 19/05/2012 11:31

It's a lot of extra money to have coming in as well, not to have told me about, whatever the reason for it is, it's not normal not to have told me

OP posts:
perceptionreality · 19/05/2012 11:31

Unless you have a lifetime award you do have to renew your claims periodically and fill in the enormous form (which is not designed to help you get the award in any respect). If you look on the SN board you will see the hoops people have to jump though to get this benefit...

It does sound odd though - you must raise it with him.

HecateTrivia · 19/05/2012 11:31

You might if they were severe enough to make you a danger to yourself outside or needing support when outside, if you have severe mental impairment/behavioural problems, etc

here

But you are supposed to inform them if your needs change.

countingto10 · 19/05/2012 11:32

I think you possibly could get mobility for mental health if for example you suffered extreme panic attacks relating to your condition.

For lower mobility I think it is if you need help getting around in unfamiliar places eg. My nephew has severe mental health issues and gets DLA - he struggles to function on a day to day basis in all expects of his life.

But you would notice if your DP needed this sort of help......

DPrince · 19/05/2012 11:32

wouldn't he have mentioned that they were trying to but £400 in his bank?

Original poster
sooperdooper · 19/05/2012 11:32

Amberleaf - do you? Sorry, I thought it was worded differently for mental health problems, my aunty is bipolar, I thought it would be worded differently as it's not specifically a mobility issue

OP posts:
perceptionreality · 19/05/2012 11:33

When I was hospitalised for my mental health issues my psychiatrist was saying that I should claim DLA, but I didn't because I was determined to get better (and luckily I did)

Is it possible he could have been very ill in the past with something like scizophrenia and got a lifetime award?

Original poster
sooperdooper · 19/05/2012 11:34

Sorry, I didn't mean you didn't get DLA for mental health issues, I just didn't think it thourgh about being listed as mobility

Anyway, there's no way that he has severe ennough mental health issues to be claiming DLA for that

OP posts:
Original poster
sooperdooper · 19/05/2012 11:36

No, I don't think he couldn't been severely mentally unwell enough in the past for that to be the reason, I've got history of mental health issues in my family and recently had a family member who was hospitalised - he didn't really know much about it when I discussed it with him at the time

OP posts:
AmberLeaf · 19/05/2012 11:36

Is it possible he could have been very ill in the past with something like scizophrenia and got a lifetime award?

Thats the sort of thing I was thinking.

3littlefrogs · 19/05/2012 11:37

I would go with the suggestion that it is his brother's claim/paperwork and there has been a mistake. He is going to be very upset if you suggest he is guilty of fraud before he has a chance to explain.

Surely he wouldn't leave it onthe kitchen table if he had something to hide?

If his brother is entitled to, and receiving DLA, that would be my first assumption, that it was a computer error or similar.

Olympia2012 · 19/05/2012 11:39

Does the £400 show up anywhere on bank statements?

Could there also be a secret bank account?

HecateTrivia · 19/05/2012 11:40

Even a 'lifetime award' must be forfited if you not longer meet the criteria, I think (that's my understanding anyway). afaik, a lifetime award doesn't mean you still get it if your condition improves, it just means they don't expect your condition to improve. And it's not anyway, because his has been awarded until 2014

Original poster
sooperdooper · 19/05/2012 11:41

I'm not going to accuse him of anything, I'm keeping an open mind until I talk to him, I'm just going to say I found it when I was tidying up and what's it all about?

I agree, if he was into some kind of organised benefit fraud, he wouldn't be daft enough to leave the letter confirming it on the kitchen table

And as I said, given the circumstances with his brother & sister, he's the last person in the world I could imagine trying to defraud the system like this

OP posts:
SerialKipper · 19/05/2012 11:42

Also, if the letter is dated April (and I can tell you from experience it can take a week to be delivered) and it went to a different address, he probably hasn't had it for long.

And no I don't think this is Come Home Now stuff. Anymore than finding a possible error in your tax return. It's important, and does have to be dealt with. But it will keep till you have time to sit down and unravel it properly (and if it's a DWP error it's likely to need substantial unravelling).

Original poster
sooperdooper · 19/05/2012 11:42

Olympia, I don't have access to his personal bank account, we have seperate accounts and a joint ones for bills/savings, I don't know any details for her personal account and neither does he for mine

OP posts:
HecateTrivia · 19/05/2012 11:43

There's every possibility it's an error. But don't assume that because there are people in the family with genuine need that this means someone is incapable of thinking ooh, I'll have a piece of that. After all, if they're that way inclined - who's going to know better than them how to fill in those forms?

But, there's every chance it's a gigantic cockup and he's left the form on the table so he doesn't forget to sort it out.