DLA should I claim?

[TheDevilWearsPrimark]

Ds just got his ASD Diagnosis and my special needs health visitor has told me I can claim.

I'm a single mother on a reasonable salary with savings and we manage okay at the moment.

I do wonder if I should claim and then use the money for local charities for SN so the money can go to good causes or if I shouldn't bother at all, or maybe put it into savings for DS as we don't know what the future holds.

Sorry it's just an odd moral issue for me.

DLA is a sod to claim for and many people get turned down initially.

You have been advised that DLA can be claimed for so I would put in such a claim. That is what it is there for.

You can put it aside for your DS in a savings account.

Thanks.

I have the forms it's phonebook sized, eep

Our SN HV said she can come to help me fill it out

One thing my HV actually told me to 'ham up' our claim.

I dunnp if I'm happy doing so.

TDWP I think your HV probably means be brutal but truthful. Some people dont like to say the horrible bits about their children's problems but this is necessary for a successful claim. I would definitely put it into an accessible savings account if I were you may need it later on.

Its good to have someone with experience to fill it out because they know the key words the DLA are looking for.

My experience of the DLA form is confined to reading about it here and in my real life circle of friends who have completed it. They have to write about their very worse day, you've seen how detailed it is. These are awful forms to fill in. Many claims as well get turned down initially.

Do seek independent advice regarding the completion of this form. Cerebra are good, certainly use your SN HV too. Also look at MN previous threads on here re completion of DLA forms.

Good luck with your claim.

The language used on such forms is very important, you certainly need the counsel of someone who has completed many such forms.

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Ooh yes, I hate it when people advise hamming it up etc. The liars/ exaggeraters make it harder for genuine people to win their cases (can you tell I'm bitter , 1 Tribunal later, which was won but took months to get sorted)

Have to say thought that the advice on here about concentrating on the difficulties is important. Agree with the others about the importance of using the right language.

I think the problem is that our instinct is to be positive, so she's tried to prepare you for having to be negative by saying 'ham it up'.

Good luck with your claim.

If it helps, the DLA is for your DS, not you, so you would probably feel guiltier if you didn't claim!

Sorry that was DD as I was in the loo.

'Brutal but truthful[' sounds right to me.

As an examle I needed a taxi to get DS into preschool then a taxi back after he almost hung himself on the rope swing in the garden. A couple of days later I ended up in A& E after he threw a mortar brick at my head and I had to pay a private babysitter.

definitely claim it!
The advice I was given on here is to pretend you are writing about someone elses child as it is really difficult and upsetting to document all the things your child cannot do.
As previous poster mentioned, there is a wonderful guide to completing dla forms here

www.cerebra.org.uk/parent_support/DLA_guide.htm

Definitely follow the cerebra guide step by step. Give yourself a good month and plenty wine to get through it I could manage about two sections per week then I just lost the will and gave up until another really bad day with DS then got all fired up again!

Thankyou.

I have requested a copy of the cerebra guide and will ask my HV to come over and help me.

It's scary even thinking about it.