Anyone applied for DLA recently?

[Fightingagain]

I had a call confirmimg that they had received a lot of evidence from me but did ds have a diagnosis? Should I be worried about this? Are they going to come out with the old favourite that he doesn't qualify because no dx?

Possibly :(

My Ds has had DLA since he was about 9 (can't remember exactly) and renewed several times. Just renewed this year (age 22) and got turned down. We've really had to fight to have it reinstated. He does have a dx but now he is an adult he doesn't have a regular doctor anymore, because once they are 18 they are on their own.

Just make sure you argue with them if they turn you down.

I applied this year in Feb for my dd who was then 18 months and she didn't and still doesn't have a diagnosis and we got it

The only ds we have so far is behaioural difficulties which is obvously not a dx just a symptom of his difficulties. He does have a sm with 20+ hours support and is now on a reduced timetable as new school are having difficulty managaing him so hopefully that will count for something.

we applied recently without dx. DD has load of problems (such as severe s&l delay, anxiety, waking up countless time each night, no sense of danger, not toilet trained at almost 4). she gets a lot of 1:1 at nursery. EP saw her and suggested special school as her problems are "complex and severe". we sent in tons of reports to back up our claim. you might have guessed it - we got turned down

appeal is ongoing and DD has only recently received a dx (autism). hopefully, this will help.

My ds has 1 dx which in itself would be hard for them to ignore and not give any DLA but its not the disability that causes the most problems. He has challenging behaviour and severe sleep issues. We applied in June time with tons of stuff from various professionals. He was awarded the rate that everyone who works with him said he should get. This was without a dx for the main problems. I honestly think it depends on which decision makers desk it lands on, its really a lottery imo.

They can't turn you down because of a lack of dx surely? Shocking they even asked but then, well, things aren't looking good for people with disabilities in general

I applied for DLA / Attendance allowance for my Mum last month as she has memory loss and she received it despite not having a dx and only on the strength of a phone call to a memory nurse. She hadn't even seen a consultant at that point. It was purely based on care needs as it should be.

Do appeal if they turn you down. It is a much easier process than the initial one but they rely on people becoming too demoralised to fight I think.

I have applied, and expect results mid January. Have dx, they wrote to say they're contacting paediatrician.

As far as I can see, reconsiderations and appeals are just part of the process.

Interestingly though, a friend of mine had her refusal overturned at hearing (Adult DLA) as she pointed out the the person making the decision was not on the correct grade, and therefore not following correct procedure (she is civil servant, different lot but still has same staff gradings etc).

Must ask her how she knew about gradings and procedures. Might come in handy....

Yes almost certainly we have heard from our local carers charity every family who has applied in past 6 months without a dx was turned down initially and had to appeal. So it seems a standard knee jerk reaction to cut costs. Just hold firm and appeal and they will probably back down. Sounds like they have a box to tick.

Poopy that's interesting. One of the complaints I made in my appeal letter was that we appeared to have been dealt with by somebody of the wrong grade.

I was in the then DHSS many years ago, when they were responsible for benefits. The Decision Maker was always EO or above.

What grade is an EO? I'll get my non award letter mid January (allegedly!) so would like to know in advance if I can pull them up due to slip ups of this nature

We have a DX so I wonder what chance we have?

Thing is, Decision Makers are basically just admin people anyway aren't they? I've done it all by Cerebra guidelines, so it'll be interesting to see what happens.

Update - have received letter today to say ds has been awarded middle rate care and lower rate mobility which is what I was hoping for. So relieved I don't have to go through another battle

Well done Fighting! :)

Thanks - can't believe it only took 3 weeks too! Nice to have a bit of Christmas cheer!

fighting middle rate care suggests you may be eligible to claim carers allowance

I have been thinking about carers allowance Zebra. Dh has had to leave his job due to his own ill health and having to be available for ds with school problems etc. (ds is currently on reduced school hours due to his difficulties). Dh now has no income and I have had to go back to work full time to support us all. Would dh qualify do you think?

fighting Check the direct gov website. Your DH can claim Carers allowance if caring for 35 hours a week and earning less than £100 and not studying for 21?? hours a week. He is not in receipt of state pension or other earning replacement ?? Check direct gov for the actual eligibility criteria. You can apply online.
Contact a family (check their website for their tel number) have a good helpline where you can get advice on your own particular financial situation. I have used them in the past and they are very knowlegeable. Also there is a very good website-google Turn2Us-where you can put in your family financial details to check whether you are getting everything you are entitled to.

Thanks Zebra,that's really helpful