DLA WAITING TIMES THREAD 66

[zoeybrooks45]

Please feel free to add your scan date and whether it's a new claim/mandatory reconsideration/change of circumstances or renewal.
New claims (NC) - people are being told the wait time has increased to 25 weeks! I would say most are done before this though around the 20 week mark?
Mandatory reconsideration (MC) and Change of circumstances (COC) is around 20-25 weeks.
Renewals tend to be between 15-20 weeks.
If you disagree with the outcome of an MR you can appeal and go to court (tribunal)
Scan date is the date DLA scan your application forms on to their system, if you downloaded your application forms then this will be from when your award will be backdated from. If you called up for forms then the date on those is the date yours will be backdated from.
If successful and claiming universal credit (UC) please update them as this will entitle you to disabled child element adding extra to your award.

MR 01/11
so say with case manager

@Jhunte yes it’s crazy-been nearly a year now overall. 30 weeks for MR. I’ve called numerous times. They were waiting on a report from the school apparently. I chased the school lots and chased DWP too. They just kept saying it’s down to me to keep asking the school. They do have her diagnosis, medical reports etc but school took ages. Do believe they might have sent it off now though. DWP said call back Friday it’s still with case manager. I am fed up with it all! Hope yours gets sorted soon.

OMG 🤦🏻‍♀️

Thank you mine was a coc sent in June 2024 that was declined in October. I am expecting another decline and to have to go to tribunal as I know DWP don't like giving HRM to four year olds but so be it I have been told by GP and OT my child should be eligible and they have supported my claim along with a letter of diagnosis. I hope yours goes well too!

Same for me, COC 13/09!

You are the closest date to me I’ve seen in a while 🤣 NC SD 15.10, they likely received yours not long after you posted it.

mine was with a DM on Friday, just such a long wait and then you question all aspects of the form and if I filled it in right 🫣

A few people have said they think it should be an online system and I totally agree all I keep seeing in the news in how this government wants to reduce the benefits bill (mainly PIP and UC) and just think how much money they could save on staff and out sourcing for call centre agents if we weren't having to all call up so often for updates and staff that scan our documents onto the system if this was all automated/online it would also be better for the environment instead of all this paperwork we're sending at more expense either to them via free post or ourselves. It would speed up things dramatically and save money instead they would prefer to take money off disabled people to make savings.
Anyway sorry for the rant! Good luck to everyone still waiting/fighting!

@TheZippyMintHedgehog fingers crossed for you. The pending payment only appeared this afternoon, I'm dying to know the rate but can't work it out. Hopefully the letter arrives soon.

Hi my son was awarded Hrm and he is 4 after a mr so if you believe your child is eligible keep fighting and don’t give up take them to tribunal if you have to x

Thank you I sure will and I'm glad your boy got what he is entitled to x

@Jhunte @UmElise if you don't mind me asking, what diagnosis does your kids have that make them possibly/entitled to HRM? Is it neurodivergent disability or physical disability? Just asking as my LB will be 4 soon and I believe he should be entitled to some sort of mobility but don't know whether he is entitled or not?

its ok to ask, my son has been diagnosed with GDD, Autism and PICA and has severe sensory difficulties mainly when outside of the home. He has absolutely no sense of danger and has to be supervised 24 hours a day. I already receive DLA high rate care so I put in a COC for HRM. If you believe your child is eligible and have some sort of evidence you should apply for it but under 5's can only get HRM

Autism he is non verbal, no danger awareness. He was awarded hrm under vuw and he is 4 years old. That’s was after I put in a mandatory reconsideration.

My son has also severe sensory difficulties. He has to be strapped in his buggy at all times when outdoors. He will run into the roads or refuse to walk completely. No danger awareness whatsoever

My son the same also non verbal or as I like to think pre verbal ☹️

NC sd 1/11

@Jhunte @UmElise

@Jhunte thanks for the information☺️ good luck with your COC🤞🏽My little one has his follow up for diagnosis in a few weeks, but he's just been prescribed melatonin so he's more than likely being diagnosed with at least Autism. But he will not walk outside, it's like there's too much going on around him and he just lays on the ground or wants carried. Trips that take 5 minutes can take 30/45 minutes because of how he walks and how overwhelmed he gets. Spoke to OT and she advised me to buy him a bigger stroller, which I did but it's a runner stroller and huge so doesn't fit it any car so health visitor is trying to get him a disability stroller. Walking inside he's constantly on his tip toes but his whole body is constantly stiff when walking and anyone with kids that tip toe walk/with autism when I show them a video they say they've never really seen a kid walk like that. I took him to the doctor and she said she doesn't know what it could be, could be sensory but to ask the paediatrician. My LB is the same no sense of danger and needs supervised day and night, I'm having to co sleep with him as he's struggling to sleep and I'm scared of what he could get up to at night as he's always putting things over his head so hoping the melatonin works to help get him to sleep and get him into a better sleeping pattern. Sorry for the rant but honestly the wait for DLA and a diagnosis (I know people wait longer than a year so I'm happy he's atleast got one in that amount of time ) but it's been a long year and even trying to get any advice its like talking to a brick wall and you don't get a proper answer as it's like they don't want to tell you the symptoms are autism symptoms until he's diagnosed.

love the Pre-Verbal i’m going to start using that! 😔 my son is 3 and pre-verbal, it hurts my heart so much i’ve got 6 children he is number 5 his my first Pre-verbal child. only thing he says is “ma” he has major sensory issues,he always wants to be naked 🤦🏻‍♀️ and he watches the same thing on repeat day in day out, he don’t sit still at all. always stimming, he hardly sleeps, no sense of danger always try’s to run off, (but i guess that is kinda normal for his age) his still in nappies no signs of him getting out of them anytime soon. it’s just the night time i find exhausting the waking up every hour and wanting to get up 😂 he has to sleep in my bed with me so i feel him wake up otherwise he’d be roaming the house! i didn’t think he’d be entitled to dla but his heath vistor was like yes he is she filled out the form and sent his ASD referral. so we will see i guess! x

I absolutely know how hard it all is especially when you say it hurts your heart, good luck for you and your little one x

Thank you x

@Jhunte Hi, I’m just following along I have not posted yet but you are the first person that has mentioned their child having PICA!!! And I can not resist, not dla related but I just wanted to see if you had any advice or information as you must know yourself there is not much when it comes to PICA. My daughter has significant PICA amongst other things but all of the challenges we face are nothing compared to PICA (sorry my phone automatically corrects it to caps now) my daughter has a huge amount of professionals involved which I’m extremely grateful for and they all tell me the support is so limited as there is no treatment and when dealing with non verbal children it’s extremely difficult. OT said and I quote “ they do not have the rescources or necessary skills to support children with PICA” and camhs could only work along OT for this specific issue. We have numerous health professionals fighting this on this inside from all angles but we are currently exploring a two step pathway which may get us to gosh as they have a clinic that that can support PICA but I’ve been told it’s a long process and they can also refuse. It’s so hard as only now are they starting to educate the world and even then I have had to explain to people in professional settings what PICA is, she can not attend nursery because of this and seems to be our greatest set back along with literally needing eyes everywhere! And the constant disbelief so you can not trust them with anyone else because they don’t understand they will literally eat anything. I think a lot of people just think ok well my kids eats this or eats that or they think of the usual suspects like grass or hair and really don’t get the severity of everything. My nephew also has autism and was obsessed with eating hair but as I have now learnt there’s a big difference between displaying PICA behaviours (as some pregnant women also do) and actually being diagnosed with it so again this limits people’s understandings and it has to be my hardest explanation. Sorry for the rant I’ve been dying to speak to another PICA parent, hoping you have had a better experience and know of any other support?

it’s hard isn’t it because i hear my other children say “love you mom” and it’s the best feeling in the world like music to my ears! nothing better you can hear as a mother and i crave and pray for him to say them words everyday of my life! the other day he was hugging me and i said “i know you can’t say i love you mom but i feel it son i know you love me and he squeezed me tighter! i literally just cried because for the first time i felt like he kinda understood what i was saying in that moment! he will get there one day and i will hear him say them words ❤️

Ill update everyone tomoz hoping my decision is sorted 🤣

Exactly this, trust me 100% I know how you feel it's the worst feeling ever I just keep hope that one day I'll hear him say them words I also have older children and I just feel so sorry for him x

There is not much help available for PICA at all and I'm in London. It is so misunderstood that the complex communication clinics sent me details for a fussy eater workshop I had to laugh as my kid is far from a fussy eater PICA 'he will eat anything' it's exhausting watching his every move worrying more when outside of the house as least I can keep my floors clean etc can't control other environments. I sorry I am no help im still trying to navigate this x