DLA WAIT TIME THREAD 59

[zoeybrooks45]

Hello everybody, I have made a new thread please put in your scan date, hopefully we hear some good news this month. please be kind and feel free to share scan date, entitlement award and what child is diagnosed with as others in similar position can feel uplifted in these stressful times. 💐
New claims (NC) are taking ‘around’ 20 weeks.
Mandatory Reconsideration (MR) & Change Of Circumstances (COC) between 20-25 weeks approx.
Renewals between 15-20 weeks approx
tribunals: when you disagree with MR and are considered by a court
scan date (SD) date form was scanned on the system and counting weeks for decision
original claim date: date you called up for the forms and you will be backdated
UC : universal credit
DWP: department of work and pensions
DM: decision maker; the person who assesses each claim and awards/decline a case
number for an update 121-4600 0800 121-4600
currently we are in July/August for decisions! xx

A 4th October new claim in England was done yesterday. 9 weeks! They sure got lucky 😂😂

Can’t trust no one these days😂

I just want us all to have a decision as soon as. I just can’t mentally take all these other claims after my date being done😭 it wouldn’t be so bad if it was just one, but it’s multiple. Makes me think my sons has been shoved in a cupboard

I think when she gets hers done we will all be relieved for her as she just gets lied to constantly, it’s not nice and it’s really draining
I’m only at 18 weeks and I feel fed up
I can only imagine how she feels

I’ve long been convinced they are instructed to lie. I laughed when a DM said they like to be completely transparent. It’s taken them all of December to do all of Julys claims that’s madness in itself

Honestly over 3 weeks ago they started the beginning of July and seem to be nowhere near finished🤦🏽‍♀️

@SKB12 yes all July cases have been assigned, the call handlers just make things up as they go along, as I said yesterday they can't see if it's with a DM or not all they can see if it DMs have added notes to a case, just because the call handlers can't see notes they assume nobody is or has looked at it and that's not true. As proved this morning with the lady that's woke up at 3am to back pay she was told yesturday or the day before it's not with a DM.. They could tell you today it's not with a DM and at 4pm or tomorrow you get your decision and back pay. The whole call handling system needs looking at, why are they even there if they just lie and make things up it causes more stress and anxiety to people and then people are calling daily holding onto hope they will say its with a DM... I know you're waiting for your evidence to be scanned on so hopefully that's done today and then you're all set for a decision. @Kc1999x Call back and ask whoever answers the phone that you would like to speak with a manager, don't let them tell you no, say i am in financial hardship ( even if you aren't) say I need my claim looked at urgently and I'm within my right to escalate to a case manager or a manager in your department, id like to speak to them and I will hold. If they say no managers are available and give you some speal about 25 weeks, say with all due respect you answer calls that's your job, I'm requesting you to escalate my call, even say you're sat there with the CAB they are on speaker phone and you're requesting your call escalated. 📞🔊

I have been doubtful as to whether they are being truthful or are genuinely unaware. They don’t know what dates are being worked on without putting you through to a DM. I’m waiting for a call from a team leader and will be raising my concerns. @PositivityRipples do you know if the cases are looked at in Wolverhampton or if they go elsewhere? There are a few of us from West Midlands awaiting decisions and have seen dates beyond ours from elsewhere getting their outcomes.

I wonder why they couldn’t foresee issues with the amount of claims received with July dates. That’s the month getting blamed for the backlog. To just change the timeframe is not a solution!

I don't understand why we don't have the same system as Scotland, done online and seem to all have an outcome within 8 weeks, surely that would be easier than them having to scan every single item on the system

It’s just ridiculous.
Are you calling today?

I’ll attempt to call again after my little one goes to nursery, that’s if it’s a quick pick up my only hour spare then lol

I really feel for all you July people waiting. I'm 02/08 and I am going crazy. I was fine until last week and now can't stop worrying. 🤞🤞Everyone hears very soon and gets what their little ones deserve x

Sd 28.8 nc. End of another week one week closer I suppose, I’m not hopeful that after Xmas they will up the wait times again for
25- to 28 weeks because of Xmas break. At this rate could be 7 months waiting lol
xx

I've just rung for an update nc sd 02/08 the lady said that times have gone up this week to 25 weeks and that it could be some time but she was very nice thankfully

@SKB12 The DWP has about 500 sites in England but about 400 of them are job centres ( no DMs there) the DMs are at the 50 handling centres and 50 corporate hubs in,Newcastle ,Leeds ,Sheffield, Manchester, Birmingham Blackpool, London i think that's all of them. Birmingham deal with all claims that go to the Wolverhampton site, but that's a handling centre, not just DLA claims there. They allocate a certain amount of DMs to DLA but if another handling centre isn't backlogged they allocate DMs from other sites to clear backlogs and they also put DMs in the corporate hubs. The backlog is the HCP ( DWP health care professionals these are the DWP trained doctors and consultants) that DMs liase with to get the correct medical info to award disability claims for DLA and PIP... As stated yesturday the DMs have a thing called a decison maker guide and they have flow charts for each disability so for instance they will put in the flow chart ( autism) it will give them a list of symptoms and how these affect the child.. The DM then inputs symptoms it will then give them a severity spectrum so let's say after putting in symptoms it says on the severe end it will then say who and what they would expect that child to be under for the disability.. So let's say pead, doctor, salt, OT, senco lead ( not just sen) a lead member, EP, EHCP if the DM can say yes evidence for let's say 4 of them they continue the flow chat for needs and care and motability needs listed by parent.. If at any point evidence isn't there it will say, refer to HCP.. They may just need to ask a question or they may need to call or email them and say child doesn't have EP the HCP will say do they have a senco lead if the answer is yes and they are waiting EP the HCP may say they continue the flow chart.. I'm giving a very basic example.. If the child had a brain tumor the DM may need to contact the HCP and say the parent has said the child gets headaches does this coinside with a brain tumor HCP says yes... Ect ect it's very Complex alot more than the examples I'm giving.. Sometimes someone has no evidence but there's evidence from a telephone call to school or doctor to say has the child been referred for assessment are they showing symptoms of autism do you believe they will be diagnosed or they will call the HCP and say to them the child has these symptoms do you think it's autism they are undiagnosed and the HCP may say no i believe that's ADHD ( once on meds for ADHD symptoms improve) so they will give a lower award say MRC for 2 years based on the fact it points more to adhd than autism on renewal if you give evidence of diagnosis your award may go up.. Dla is self assessment it's not based on the disability as such but some disabilities can get better managed with meds, cbt, ect so then the care and mobility needs improve if that makes sense... Such a long ass comment it's hard to explain in typing 🤣 just to conclude the HCP are backlogged affecting DLA and PIP waiting times. Which is why some people are getting awarded sooner than others some DMs can follow the flow chart with little input from HCP and some can't so have to wait for them.

Hey love they went up like a two weeks ago I was told this over a week ago and they saying it the July dates that have sent them right back couldn’t cope with work load. I’m scan date 28.8 and I sent some more evidence in and they said I won’t be having a decision until least the beginning of February now with the way things have gone. First told 15 weeks, then 18, then 25. Madness x

Hi 👋, sd 24/07 nc. My head randomly said I need to ring them today. So just plucked up the courage. I was told a decision was made yesterday. I asked to be put through to someone who could tell me what the decision would be. She's been awarded hrc and lrm. I started crying as soon as I put the phone down. My back payment should come on Tuesday and I can pay for all the bits she needs for the new year to help her. Fingers crossed they finish all the July scan dates this week. Good luck everyone 🤞

No, I was hoping for call with DM, still nothing yet

I don’t think they’re gonna call tbh🤦🏽‍♀️

Congrats🎉

Aww congratulations soooo happy for you and your child

Thank you. It’s a minefield! I am assuming that with MRs they won’t just follow the flow chart alone which could be the reason they are taking so long. I wonder why they ask for evidence to be sent to Wolverhampton if the case will be looked at in Birmingham. This further makes me think we are being affected due to location. I assumed they all went to one building regardless of where people lived. But even then if they are consulting a HCP they are turning over their decisions when faced with a tribunal so that case is being dealt with twice by a DM. I genuinely don’t believe mine has been assigned being first week of August.

Still don’t think mine is assigned either😂
another rubbish weekend wondering😭

This makes a lot of sence. I was reading the guidelines the other day and my son is autistic but they stopped doing the levels now it’s just autistic spectrum disorder. My son was only diagnosed this summer. I went through my evidence and what it shows on there to the guidance, he is between moderate and severe. Some show severe some moderate. Like an example, a 10 year old with autism should sleep through the night but when they have higher level of autism they could find it hard to sleep or stay asleep. Austim may have levels of problems with communication some non verbal severe austim, but some with limited understanding and communication, but communicates wheat they want to talk about, moderate austim. So yes my son has both signs, different parts of him, are between the 2 of them. Hopefully they have enough not to escalate to anyone else. I have send full report, iep big letter from
senco, but yes I totally get what you are saying. X