DLA Tribunal

[Marnie]

I have finally had a date come through for the tribunal, but it's 6th June, 20 miles away and at 3.20pm!!

 

My community legal advice guy is trying to get a postponement to allow more time for his paperwork to be completed.

 

My question is do I have to take my son with me, the cla guy is basically saying I should.

 

My son gets quite upset and sad if he is being talked about in general let alone all I assume will be asked at this.

 

He can't go that day anyway as he has an event through the school, I never had any paperwork for this until yesterday, and I have also been invited to go with him.

 

I feel every hurdle on this "journey" has been made as bad as it can to make me give up.

 

When I sent the GL24 off I had a letter telling me it was too late, they hadn't noted the extra two weeks allowed for a written statement!

 

I sent back the forms for an oral hearing after that was sorted and then had a letter telling me I had struck out, that I had sent the form back too late, I then had to wrote and sent copies of the letter with the date on from them and telling them when I had posted it.

 

I then had a letter telling me a tribunal could be had, and another form to send back, I made sure I got a posting certificate for that one! That was last week and yesterday I get a date for just over a fortnight! Can't believe it.

[darky]

No you don't need to take your child with you. I was really nervous about this tribunal, but actually it was fine. I think they have an idea of the result before you enter the room. That was my view anyway. In our case, they asked general questions and put forward scenarios and when I was not giving them the right info, they kept re-directing me as to what they wanted me to say. There was a lot of "what if?" and I told them it was impossible to pre-empt hypothetical questions, in scenario's that were not likely to happen!! For example "what would happen if you didn't get up to her at night" I said, well I do! They kept saying what if what if, and I said ok, she would probably go into the bathroom, make a nice cocktail of bathroom products in the bath, play with the toilet water and possibly electricute herself on a plug socket due to the fact she likes to stick things in them and has smashed 3 off the wall climbing on them!

 

In the end, they sent us out and after less time than it took for me to use the toilet they called us in and said "we believe you, you are awarded high rate care and high rate mobility from now until 2010" I was relieved to hear the words we believe you, but I was thinking, surely evidence is better than how convincing someone sounds

[freedom]

hi there i went to DLA appeal it was over in 2 minutes they had read the paper work and evidence before i went so when i got in there the clerk said to sit down and all will be fine they won't eat you lol

 

had a massive file of paper work i sent then so i couls fight back and got in there they asked me to sit down and said you have been awarded high rare living A and low Dis till emlyn is 12 then we will look again at it OMG SHOCK I SAID NOTHING

 

then they told me it was going to be back dated 13 months OMG BIGGER SHOCK

 

then said they had repremanded the system saying all they had to do was read the medical reports they clearly state it all

 

so i got so wound up over nothing in the end and it was a really friendly hearing

 

but i was told NEVER take the child with you as it clearly is not something that the child needs to attend whats so ever

[Marnie]

Thanks both so much for that, I thought that was the case!

 

My refusal was apparently solely based on a school report. The school won't even recognise he has a problem, the CAMHs people set up a meeting that the Senco was going to attend and she didn't saying she had the wrong date. I believe they are trying to avoid the issue and so does CAMHS, so a report by them was never going to back me up, even though I had gone in prior and had an in depth meeting about it all.

Edited May 22, 2008 by Marnie

[Marnie]

Disaster!!

 

The tribunal are adamant they will not reschedule, seems they will make a decision regardless of me being there or not, plus my legal guy has received no evidence back from anywhere to support my claim.

[Marnie]

Thank goodness, a result after asking again and explaining circumstances properly they will relist.

 

I also called the doctors as the cla had received no reply to his letter for medical evidence, they said they hadn't received it. So now that has been sorted and also CAMHS contacted for a report. So fingers crossed it will all be done in time so I have a fair chance of success.