DLA refused...All Because of Schhol Report...and i hadn't even sent in Part 2 yet!!!

[TheRealMrsF]

Absolutely furious this morning- have been working on part 2 of leighs DLA forms...admittidly since JANUARY!!!!

They have written a few times to 'prompt' me...but at no point was i told that if i didn't get my forms in then a decision would be made purely on reports etc.

So...i was absolutely shocked to learn today that ...based on the schools thoughts on whether he has needs (which ofcourse we know what the school thinks of my son)...that he has not been awarded DLA

I am too 'issed off to type more now.... have asked for copies of the report etc ...and have said i will be requesting a 'Reconsideration'

Has anyone else ever had a decision made before they sent in part 2....I mean, what's the effing point of asking you to spend days on end desccribing your child...which is very distressing to do...if they just consider what the schooletc have said.

I really could take this better if it WAS based on MY DESCRIPTION. But to learn that it's cos the school say he can communicate and socialise ...well...that's not what they said last week at his IEP meeting.

MrsF

On the part of the form that asks you which third party you want to be contacted to tell DWP about Leigh's difficulties, did you put his teacher/headteacher?

MrsF

no MandM..... I PUT THE PAED...just that on the forms it now asks you to state the school...just annoyed cos they only have him 30 hours a week.... i have him the other 61...if you count 7am-8pm as the 'normal day '.... that being 91 hours he is awake and needing some care or other

Yes, definitely ask them to "look again" as they call it and within whatever the time frame is or you're buggered. Good luck, must have been very annoying to get that in the post!

Definitely ask for it to be reconsidered. They've made a decision without even having all of the relevant information!

I sent ds2's section 1 back at the end of last month and got a phone call earlier this week asking where section 2 was. Eeek!

It seems very unfair that they take the word of the school (who, as you say, only see him for 30-odd hours a week) over the word of the people who care for him for a far greater number of hours. Grrr!

Have you got a copy of his latest IEP to add to the reconsideration/appeal? It will be good evidence that he does have difficulties at school.

sorry to hear about DLA i had similar with Bethans form the welfare rights worker did part one then started part two he then left his job and promised he woulds finish part two, anyway some time later i phoned the dla to check progress to be told they had not got section two,lady told me not to worry cos money would be backdated,so it didnt matter how long i took welfare rights bloke said he had sent it and so i spent time doing section two, not difficult as adapted her twins DLA form, phoned DLA to let them know i would be sending in the part two to be told well actually bethans case has been closed, but i could reapply on a new date stamped form SO i wrote a letter of complaint and got a phone call from one of the DM which was very useful as i was able to explain not only about Bethans autism but also her twin and her brothers autism and how difficult i can be as a family, i took the opportunity to point out that sending me new forms every year was stupid as beth is a child with autism and she will always have autism, anyway the desion maker woman gave me her name and told me to send it to her and she would make a decision within a week, {sorry this is a bit long winded} and sure enough i got a reply super quick she got high rate everything from aged eight until 16, so i guess you should write and complain , get a named person explain about the difficulties of managing so many needs and see how you get on. and if you got this far well done

and ALWAYS send it recorded delivery.

THankyou OnlyJoking ...

not longwinded by my standards!!!

So....the decisionmaker you spoke to....was she interested in the fact that you had more than 1 with autism etc...as i feel strongly that because i have my own (what i believe to be)ASD issues (i get DLA for myself)....AND i have 1 son with ADHD and Asperger's...and the son i am making this claim for has aspergers.....and then there is alex who is a carbon copy of my eldest son at the same age...so i believe he is ASD too.....our family is so complex. I don't know where one starts and teh other ends if you know what i mean.

I have a letter this week from the psychologist we saw recently (to social services) requesting they support us...so would that help...though it is not specifically to do with leigh.

basically ...the way i feel is that if i were a parent of just 1 child...and that child was autistic...then i'd be managing better...but i have 3 ...and i am sure in time all 3 will be diagnosed.

also last month my own psychologist left...my mental health social worker left (i have a new one again..so have to start all over again)....so i fel that the rug has been pulled out from under my feet.

so ..onlyjoking....thanks...maybe i should see this as just a hiccup...and if like i think you said...they will listen to the complex situation we have in our home...then maybe all will turn out ok.

(i am still seething...as school have nothing to do with his 'bedtime' routines/medication...as as i understood DLA care can be awarded even if only for 'night care'...eg.; Leigh has MELATONIN...I have to administer it at the right time to ensure timely sleep etc...)

Hi Mrs F sorry to hear your nightmare with the bloody DLA, is there any way you could get your paed or CP to comment on the form, we sent our DLA to dd's paed who put that ASD was a life long mental illness and got mobility and higher rate care straight off and only to be reviewed 4 years later. I have been told your are more likely to get the higher rate care if the child needs supervision at night on a regular basis (dd is also on melatonin). IMO the older the child is the wider the gap becomes compared to a nt child.

Hi Mrs F. OK, positive head on. The reason they've made the decision without your input is because of the delay in sending pt2. They've just tidied up their paperwork, I guess, and dealt with outstanding claims. So there should be no problem with asking for a reconsideration based on the contents of pt2. I'm told that it's best to include your own reports from the professionals involved in your child because that way you get to vet them before they're sent off and ask for rewording. And yes, include the current IEP and anything that refers to problem areas that might back up your case.

Sorry that it was so disappointing to get the rejection letter. Really feel for you - I'm waiting for a decision on my claim and have to go for IB/Carer's Allowance meeting at the jobcentre this morning, so in theory I could end up with less than I started if they decide I don't need the IB any more. Oh, what jollity!

Good luck with the reconsideration.

Best of luck for this morning, Karen. I hate the way they give with one hand and then snatch it all back with the other. Grrrr!