DLA advise?

[KatyMac]

As DD is getting a bit better - do I withdraw my claim for DLA, or do I say I wanted it from such & such a date until such & such a date?

Hello, with DLA it is best to wait and see if the change is actually a change and not just a short term change and then a return to how it was. When reporting a change make sure you feel (you know your child) that the change is significantly different and unlikely (you feel) to return to how things were before. I would keep a diary and look at your old form and just compare all the details of then and now and then decide whether you are going to report a change. Don't rush this as it is important to get the details right. Good that you feel DD is improving.

Agree with Spino

Good news though Katie

You can only have it if the condition is anticipated to last at least a further 6 months so I guess they'll say you can't have it now.

Shame but I've just had the award I applied for at the same time as you. Low rate mobility and middle rate care. I'd love to be able to say we don't need it because her AS has gone away.

Perhaps you should have a think about how much you are still having to give her in support etc because you may still qualify if she's still having some difficulties. Just because her sight is returning doesn't mean that all the stress and upset has gone or that you are having to spend less time supporting her.

They may be asking for info from the professionals too who will let them know what's going on without you contacting them at all. I'd be tempted to wait for an award and then ring them with the change of circumstances.

I hadn't done anything about this as the professionals at the meeting said they wouldn't support my claim.....so I assumed the claim would 'die'

I just got a very large sum of money in my bank account.....I rang & it's DLA

So I will be on the phone to them this am to offer send it back, as DD is so much better

At least I know you lot I write a good form

I phoned; I've been awarded low rate mobility & medium rate care

They are sending me a change of circumstances form to fill in; the lady on the form said to take professional advise before filling anything in.

I think I will bank it all, then when I see the specialist on 31st August we will fill in the form & return the money we aren't entitled to.

Does that make sense?

bank it, do the form after consultants appointment, and wait and see if they ask for it back.

That's it isn't it

I won't have anything I'm not entitled too - I couldn't do that

I think you can reasonably feel entitled to the money which covers the period when she was blind so I don't think you need to return the whole amount unless they ask for it and you can't be bothered to fight. You still had to do all the things to claimed on the form it just wasn't permanent.

There is no way I could keep it all

I have a letter from the professionals meeting which I can use to put with the form they are sending me, I reckon until mid june(ish)

That seems reasonable. You have had to put in lots of extra care to you are not claiming anything you're not entitled to IMHO.

I do wonder if it's an all or nothing type benefit so if I am not claiming for 6 months plus I cant have any

I know I was the person who brought that up at the beginning of the thread but I wonder what the rationale behind it is. It could be that they refuse to process claims for conditions which would be present for less than 6 months in order to keep the workload manageable. To be fair you did believe it was likely to be a problem for more than 6 months so that's fine. They have already processed your claim so they may be happy for you to keep it for the period when she couldn't see.

As long as you give them all the relevant information I think you can rely on them to make a decision. The rules can be ridiculously complicated so I'd just put it on one side and wait and see if it were me.

I think it is a legal thing, Al1son. Under the law, a condition can only be a 'disability' if it is long-lasting. You can't be temporarily 'disabled' (legally, not in reality), but you can be temporarily 'incapacitated'. As the benefit is Disability Living Allowance, they can't accept claims for a short-term condition. Otherwise, people could claim DLA for say, the recovery after a hysterectomy, or whatever.

Having said all that, at the time of the claim, Katymac's DD met the criteria. She had been affected for more than 3 months, and it was reasonably expected to continue for another 6 months.

That makes sense Lougle.

I think it's one of those times you just have to tell them and let them decide what they want back, if anything.

I admire your honesty Katymac. Many people would have taken what they could and kept quiet.

No - I am almost pathologically honest

I reckon DD was ill for about 3 months (17 weeks) maybe a scrap longer then has spent the rest of the time recovering - talking like this we forget she is still poorly

If due to admin/processing they paid me more than that (& I was sure they weren't going to reclaim it) I would pass that extra on to a charity - I even have one in mind. But I have a feeling I won't get that much.....

If it wasn't for the fact that we are stony broke because of all the time I have had off work we wouldn't keep much at all

Well it's hard

If I accept it is a psychological disorder then the actual physical 'not seeing' has gone but she is still dealing the psychological effects of 'not seeing' & she still thinks she can't see.

If I maintain it is a physiological disorder then the actual physical 'not seeing' has gone but she is still dealing the psychological effects of 'not seeing' & she still thinks she can't see.

Does it matter? Probably not; but she still thinks she can't see even though I think she can

Confused? you will be

It's odd isn't it an ophthalmologist diagnosed a psychological condition.

He has undiagnosed it, without seeing her, based on my reports given to him by a Parent Support Advisor at a meeting I wasn't allowed to attend.

I think my daughter has a psychological condition now, but he no longer thinks she does and the psychologist was never sure she had one in the first place.

Ok so if she is still having issues has the amount of time you need to devote to helping and supporting her reduced significantly?

DLA is about how much support you need not what the disability is. If she still needs the same level of support surely you're still entitled to the DLA?

Tricky

I'm not sure the amount of time we watch/care for her but it does affect the level - so when walking on the road we still hold her hand/arm and guide but not as tightly

We still get up & check her at night as often but with less expectation of a major issue

The 121 at school is ending because of ophthalmologist's decision how DD will deal with that in September I don't know

Why not go back to what you wrote on the form and see how much, if any, no longer applies. You might be surprised at how much you are still doing.

If you are still putting in the extra care above that which a child without her difficulties would need you needn't feel bad about taking the DLA.

I think you need to hold fire for bit and wait until you have a clearer idea of what your future holds. You can still put a change of circumstances form in once things have settled down and see what they come up with then.

Don't let your desire to be honest make you lose something you are still entitled to.

I guess I will re-read

I have had a long read of the form & it's complicated

I know think DD has the psychological condidtion she was diagnosed with origionally - which is what is written on the form.

I still do everything I said I did on the form but the anticipation with which I do them is slightly different iyswim

The form I have been given is dated & timed (like the origional form) so if I wait until I see the specialist again it will be out of date

So I will ring them and ask them what I should do