Good afternoon everyone,
I have been following these posts for quite sometime and am waiting on a dla claim to be decided.
I have seen some users being given priority due to their current circumstances and earlier today there were some very choice posts, which surprised me, anyway I just wanted to give you all an insight on how things may be processed.
DLA receive thousands of claims a day, as do many departments within the benefit system and local authorities, hb, ctax etc.
There seems to be a huge increase in claims, hence the timescales.
To process claims fairly they are dealt with in date order, this is the easiest and fairest way to process.
Sometimes when it gets to a decision maker they may write for further information which they feel is required for the claim.
If some one believes they are in hardship they can ask for their claim to be processed quicker based on their circumstances. This will be determined by a dm as to whether it is a priority.
If there is a terminal illness claim these are dealt with as a priority and quite quickly, obviously because of the nature of the claim.
Finally, the customer service staff taking the calls, yes some may be abrupt and some rude which may not be acceptable but they are dealing with you all as the first point of call and they are not dm's and can only give the very basics and yes it may not be the same every time, because it is probably changing on a daily basis.
Please don't give up on your claims they will be dealt with but it will take time and if you are not successful/ or do not agree with the award the you can request a mandatory reconsideration.
This will also take some time due to the fact of the amount of claims being received, it has a knock on effect for MR's.
I hope that I have not offended anyone, as I have found that you are all supportive of one another, it is hard for you all.
Thanks