DLA wait times 78

[HeartyGuide]

MR- Mandatory Reconsideration
NC- New Claim
COC- Change of Circumstances
SD- Scan Date
LRC- Low Rate Care
MRC- Middle Rate Care
HRC- High Rate Care
LRM- Lower Rate Mobility
HRM- Higher Rate Mobility

All the call handlers are different, as soon as they answer the call you just know if they are going to be helpful or not, i honestly don’t think most of them like saying anything until a decision has been made, there is no reason why it should be going over 30 weeks that is a long enough wait.

@Kittieflies The April claims seem to be all over the place, I’ve seen a few late April MRs with a DM, also some early April ones have already been awarded.
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it’s a letter that supports the night time criteria for high rate care for the mr and also state his mobility need also for his coc

Same date as mine if you can update me if you hear back before me x

I rang this morning to chase COC SD 12/05. Spoke to a lovely man but he said it’s not uncommon for the COC and renewal to be done together. My daughter’s renewal is 19/12! So I could be waiting until then!! I said to him if I had known that then I wouldn’t have bothered with the COC and put myself through this long wait! It’s absolutely ridiculous now. He said it could be done sooner but the COC are taking longer than 25 weeks. I’m so done with it all! I’m hoping to hear back from local MP today as they contacted DWP last week. But nothing was mentioned on today’s call.

Hi does anyone know if an EHCP is good evidence towards getting DLA? We are unable to get reference from school and she was EBSA and has now left that school. Have now enrolled in another school but at time of application wasn't yet on roll.

That’s a joke, with people waiting this long they should be making the award times longer or giving an extension on renewals, they would be quick enough to not give you an award if you didn’t send renewal back in the time frame they ask but can take 30 weeks to make decisions for us😬 my little boys renewal isn’t until March 2027 so just hoping he gets awarded higher as at this rate if I have to do a MR his renewal will be not long after that. Only good thing about you doing the COC is if you are awarded you’ll get the backdate but doesn’t help the stress of waiting this long X

Completely agree. The way they are dealing with all of this is awful! If I didn’t believe my daughter was entitled to more, I wouldn’t even be doing this. The wait times are ridiculous and we are pushed aside if we already have a current award!! X

I gave in and called, 27 weeks today for a COC and it’s not been looked at yet she said the case manager will send a text when a decision has been made, I’m not going to rely on that as I’ve never received a decision text before.

Update.
I got a text message last night around 8pm telling me my child qualifies for DLA and that I don't need to contact them about it, wait for letter... etc.
Unfortunately this doesn't tell me much except that the forms were with the DM all along and the person yesterday was clearly unbothered.
Given my son was already in receipt of DLA, I still need to speak to someone about the decision. Tried ringing this morning but their systems are down and they can't access the records apparently.

I’ve called this morning it’s only part of the system down they was able to tell me that mine hasn’t been looked at yet, it’s supposed to be back up in 2 hours though, congratulations I hope you received the award you was hoping for, keep us updated

Oh thank you so much for letting me know ☺️ it's crazy how unhelpful some of the call handlers can be.
I'll try again after 12 and post another update.

Good luck what rates are you on before?

Ive just rang to say i will be sending more evidence for my twins and to see if i still have time. He said that twin NCs are taking 25+ weeks so i have plenty of time to send in evidence between now and then!

I gave in and called up as for DD2 to access nursery funding she needs to be on receipt of DLA. She was awarded yesterday MRC. New claim SD 27/8. I’m so relieved.

@Moolikeyou have you heard anything yet?

ECHP is excellent to include

WHAT !!! 25+ weeks. How can that be possible. If you think about it. If they looked at a single claim today then pick up the next person's claim then it would be done with in 24hrs of each other. So it being a twin claim shouldn't make that much of a wait.

It is absolutely ridiculous! I asked him a similar question, and he said its because twin ones have to go to the twin team which is roughly taking around 25 weeks.

I've just called- my son's Mr for hrm was declined ( he already gets lrm hrc)I genuinely don't know how much more information I could of provided , he's got a serious heart condition, rare hip condition recent hip surgery, ADHD bilateral hearing loss absence seizures all documented and still can't be awarded, I'm questioning myself that I wasn't assertive enough when the dm called because she asked about time frames for hip surgery recovery and well there's no right or wrong time frame it's how long is a piece of string situation, this can change given how well the procedure went , just feels really shitty , I don't know if I've the energy to go for tribunal.

He was on MRC and LRM. I got through and his award has stayed the same, exactly what I feared would happen. They didn't clearly read through the evidence provided and noted he has the same needs as another 10 year old! Clearly the hospitals are full of 10 year old who sustained injuries whacking themselves in the face on a daily basis. I'm so hurt to hear that just because a child who has ASD can manage to go to mainstream due to his abilities in math has been compared the same as another child his age.. this is a child who has no understanding of danger, who wakes in the middle of the night looking to make snacks and searching for devices and tries to bolt when he hears dogs barking.
I think what happened is that they wanted his award out of the way becuase today was the 30 week deadline.
I am putting in for an MR but im sure after a long wait I'll be told the same thing !
Anyways, I wish everyone good luck from the bottom of my heart and may your children be given the awards they truly deserve 💗

Nope just on hold with them now to chase it again

I'm sorry you didn't get the award you had hoped for, did you write the child has night needs because the child wakes up looking for snacks and devices on the form?
Unfortunately if you did that doesn't equate to night needs, night needs are defined as the child needing care with bodily functions, bodily functions do cover a wide variety of care needs like dysregulation, anxiety, emotions, functions of the brain and nervous system, toilet needs, medication needs but it does not cover snacks and devices, if the child wakes and is unable to go straight back to sleep you would explain what you have to do as the care giver in the night, offer reassurance, put them back to bed, sit with them, help them regulate whilst also supervising to make sure they stay safe, dont leave the house, play with the cooker, fall down stairs, open windows, dangerous, unpredictable behaviour ect ect.. Im only writing this as may help you if you decide to do a MR.

Currently on hold option 4 MR 4/4
I will update the thread once i get through 💫

Hi, yes, I provided substantial evidence and detail which was ignored and rushed to meet their deadline. I only condensed it in my previous post just go give an idea of the things we deal with. The kind of snacks he seeks are instant noodles which he knows how to cook and will go and try to turn on the hobs and boil the kettle. Given his impulsivity, I dread him holding a kettle full of boiled water not just for his own safety but for the safety of his siblings. Even with the device, i exploaned that when he finds them and can't use them becuase they are locked, he whackes himself with it. Takes ages to then treat his bruises with ice and regulate him.
It's very disheartening 😕
I hope you receive good news 🙏

scan date 18/03 DECISION MADE TODAY !
we’ve gone from MRC to HRC and mobility remains at LRM - my coc took exactly 30 weeks !