DLA Middle rate now awarded - am i being unreasonable to be pissed off?

[cordysmum]

DD has epilepsy, hypermobility and global developmental delay. She is now 3 and 1 month and has had these issues since she was 4 months old.

We claimed DLA when she was just 1 as we were soo confused and bewildered by process but got awarded higher rate care.

We have now found out via online banking that DD has now been awarded middle rate care and both DH and i are fuming and really upset having just spent a week on shared hols with family and DD having seizures for most of the week.

DD is now on more medicine, has more complicated and serious seizures, has more monitors on her at night, has more mobility aids and loads more medical professionals on her case than in first application for DLA.

Sorry for the long moan but just really upset and tired of fucing begging for money. We didnt choose this lifestyle for f*k sake!!!! sorry if i offend just need to offload and maybe now have a cry

Middle rate and high rate are exactly the same except for high rate the care is also needed at night. So if you are up in core night hours (see cerebra guide which tells you how often and for how long you have to be up) you should ask for a review / appeal. Lots of people get bumped up if they complain - increasingly DWP are seeing if they can get away with it.

We have just reapplied for DD for the third time, she has always got high rate on the basis that when she is ok I may not need to do so much at night but when she is at risk of being ill (which is life threatening in her case)it is constant therefore constant supervision iyswim. She now has seizures, learning difficulties and bladder incontinence to add but I am suspicious we will get offered middle to start with. Can see why you are cross.

Does anyone know does it affect anything else to be on middle not high rate (tax credits, carers?). Cerebra worker came out this time and applied for mobility so for us the money may be similar even if on middle but for you it won't so I would definately appeal, also cerebra are great for advice on it all as are contact a family.

Don't take it personally. The DLA form processors get only 7-10/min per case, and the checklist they use is deliberately badly designed somehow rather confusing. So just ask for 'reconsideration (less paperwork than an appeal) and you'll probably get bumped up straight away cos they'll give someone 15-20min to actually read what you wrote.

Does anyone know does it affect anything else to be on middle not high rate (tax credits, carers?).

used2 as far as I know, if you have a child in receipt of High Rate Care DLA and you are in receipt of Child Tax Credits, you get an extra element paid. This element would stop if the childs DLA was reduced to MRC CTC Rates

I don't know anything about Working Tax Credits though.

Carers Allowance is paid as long as you child receives Middle or High Rate Care DLA. Carers Allowance

cordysmum I really hope you appeal and get the DLA back to the higher rate. Good luck.

Thanks, the child tax credit would affect us then I think(tax credits confuse the life out of me). So stressful this reapplying thing. My DD's condition is lifelong and her learning difficulties,seizures etc are new since the first two applications but I still suspect this will happen to us too. Good luck OP let us know how you get on.

Just as a side comment - re Tax Credits - I was told that DLA doesn't count as income for calculating CTC or WTC but Carer's Allowance does count.

So depending on what your joint income is you may lose some money if the CA pushes your income over a limit.

Hope this helps anyone who didn't know it already!

Remember that unless you are up for 20 minutes at a time at night it is not counted. So if you say you get up for 15 minutes a time for 12 times every night they will put you down as having slept soundly all night which is clearly beyond ludicrous. So add up all the minutes and put it as one go (or make sure that you make the shorted 20 mins iyswim).

That was something useful a SW told me!

Saintly it will be interesting to see how they judge my DS2s renewal than as it is totally variable. Sometimes I'm up all night - if it is windy or raining as he doesn't like the noise.

Sometimes I get 5 hours sleep. He is a late sleeper and an early riser.

How can they/I predict the weather?

Ah well, all I can do is wait. (Sorry to OP for mini-hijack of thread)