Appealing at decision with DLA

[michymama]

Hi, I have posted on here before and received very helpful informtaion, sorry but need your help agagin.
DS,5, has recently been diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy and so I applied for Disability. We had a letter the other day saying he had been awarded Mobility but not Care. The sent me out a booklet explaining about DLA for children and my son meets all the criteria for the Care! I have spoken to DLA again and have decided to appeal. I have written a letter explaining as best as I can DS's needs on a daily basis.
Just wondered if anybody else had been through this process.

did you use the Cerebra guide? www.cerebra.org.uk/parent_support/DLA_guide.htm - it's amazing as it tells you what criteria you need to meet to get the awards. I follow it to the letter! it's a horrible process as you need to be really negative and also the final decision seems to be more about how you fill in the form and who reads it than your child's needs. It is not a fair process. .

I didn't have any help filling out the first form but have just sat and wrote a letter saying why I wish to appeal and have used the criteria as stated on the leaflet they sent out to me.
DH meets every one apart from the communicating with other people. We get up in the night with him because his legs hurt, he cannot go to the toilet by himself of feed himself. I have to dress him.
I only have till 23rd March to appeal so hopefully will get the letter of tomorrow.

haha !! yes DS. DH has huge problems communicating, he's antisocial

Also contact your local contact a family person or mencap great with helping with forms. If no luck with this appeal go to tribunal its the next step, I had to do it with my Autistic son. Fight all the way your never end up worse off.

toria x

Yep, Tribunal is actually less stressful than the form itself, in that they actually listen to you! You can never tell if they read the forms. One of J's decision letters said that he had no needs greater than any other child his age ...which is why his Statement is for 37.5 hours a week and he has a dx of autism.

He now gets high rate for both DLA components.