Stephanie Report post Posted February 7, 2006 Hello I have just been denied DLA because my son can walk and wipe his own backside!!! They have said "I have been declined at the higher rate" because of those factors. There is something about him being able to cook a meal too (he's 4) besides, I can't cook a meal and I'm NT and 34 !!! Crazy! Does this mean I should try to claim at the lower rate now or have they refused me point blank? Should I just give up now or what? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KarenT Report post Posted February 7, 2006 Hello I have just been denied DLA because my son can walk and wipe his own backside!!! They have said "I have been declined at the higher rate" because of those factors. There is something about him being able to cook a meal too (he's 4) besides, I can't cook a meal and I'm NT and 34 !!! Crazy! Does this mean I should try to claim at the lower rate now or have they refused me point blank? Should I just give up now or what? Have another look at the letter. It's a standard for refusing child and adult applications and the cooking a meal part relates to adults. There's only a small paragraph in there that says for children you have to prove that they need substantially more care and supervision than a similar child of the same age, but you have to hunt for it! Ring them up and ask for a written Statement of Reasons. That will give you the exact grounds that your application has been refused and a starting point for how to phrase your request for reconsideration. You can go through it line by line explaining how the assessor has got it wrong, and don't forget that you can submit additional evidence at this stage too - a lot of people think you can't do that till appeal stage but it's not so. Keep at 'em, and good luck. Karen x Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
melly Report post Posted February 7, 2006 My sons was refused just before chrimbo, the long and the short of the statement of reasons was that at 3yrs he does not need substantionally more assistance than any other 3yr old. We requested a statement of reasons - they will try to do this over the phone, saves them having to push the print button! But get it in writting. Then you can ask them to look at it again (we wrote that their failure to request any further info from the listed sources hindered our chances - so they have now requested some info from his nursery). Then you can go from there onto appeal if you have to. When you apply, whilst you would try to pitch it to get one level of award or another they are supposed to look at it and see if you are entitled to DLA at any level. Best of luck Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stephanie Report post Posted February 8, 2006 I phoned them today and gave some poor woman on the end of the phone a real tongue leathering. It hasn't helped my application, or my son, but it sure made me feel better I will try again in a few months, when I actually look at it, my son doesnt need that much more support than any child his age and there are people who need and deserve it more than me (and by appealing I will hold up their applications). I only applied because my Health Visitor insisted, and to be honest, I found the forms really traumatic and dont want to go through that again. Thanks. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jill Report post Posted February 8, 2006 I hope I am not sticking my nose in here, but you say that your child doesn't need any more help than any other 3 year old. You may have other children and be ideally placed to know that this statement is correct, but I'd just like you to stop and consider this again. When I first started filling the DLA in for The Boy I thought that he didn't really need much more help than other 4 year olds, but it's difficult for me to assess properly as he is our only one. However - consider this - there are probably many things that you do in your day to day life that you now take for granted as they have become normal for your family. BUT, if another mum came in (who had an NT child) they might think "Good grief, does she really have to do this EVERY DAY". You see we're odd us humans, once things become part of our daily routine they gradually become the norm and we don't realise they've crept up on us. Things like - What's his sense of danger like? Does he respond immediately to his name? Does he understand verbal commands e.g. stop. Would he understand if you tried to explain why running away from mummy in a crowded area is bad? Will he hold your hand and walk with you when shopping? If he did get separated from you (God Forbid) could he tell a shop assistant his name so they could call for you? Is he still in nappies? Will he entertain himself with a game for short periods of time? Does he sleep through the night? The above are just things off the top of my head - my sister's 3 year old would score very differently to my 4 yr old son if we both answered those questions. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
justamom Report post Posted February 8, 2006 Hi I must say that I agree with Jill, we don't realise how much we do in a day and it becomes part of our daily routine and we just accept it. I have DLA for my son (were awarded it because he has Inflammatory Bowel Disease) and a couple of years later we received a dx of AS. Some days I think I don't deserve to have this other people have far worse conditions than he does, but then there are days when we are having bad time and things are gloomy and full on and I realise that I do deserve it so dont give up!! Those forms are a nightmare to fill but photostat your refusal copy so when you do feel up to reapplying you can add or amend the bits that you did not fill in. best of luck justamom Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mum22boys Report post Posted February 8, 2006 Hi Stephanie, I too have recently been refused DLA for my five and a half year old son. I believe for me it was the school report which i can't prove yet but I will once the copy arrives. I asked the DWP why he was refused and am now undertaking a reconsideration which means I can submit further evidence. I am writing up a detailed daily account over a few days to let them know exactly what I have to do. I have also approached strangers who have witnessed M's tantrums to ask if they consider him a danger to which the answer was yes. they then kindly wrote an account detailing this. We as parents of children that are more demanding should not have to stoop so low as to gather every bit of evidence to prove our life is more difficult. They said m did not require any more help or 1-1 support than a child his age. Absolute rubbish! If that was the case why do I spend all my time preparing him for changes to his routine and checking he isn't electrocuting himself when he has the need to get electrical wires out. Not to mention the lack of communication and the fact he whines and scratches like a dog when talked to by someone he knows. If I was you i would carry on fighting and ask for reconsideration. Submit everything you can think of. Good Luck mum22boys Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MumTee Report post Posted February 9, 2006 I've put my DLA in for reconsideration after a refusal. Citizens advice gave me a bit of help, as did my Portage team. I've gathered evidence comparing my ASD son to my NT daughter at the same age. Also kept sleep diary and various other things. I found some useful resources online too just using google. I think it was the disability alliance? If I can find it again I'll PM you. Also I called everyone who had any experience of my son and got letters of support from all of them to say it was definitely harder to look after him than another 2.5 year old. It's hard work, and not very nice having to focus on the negative, but dont give up - after I posted mine off I was drained, but since its taking them so long to look at it I've 'recharged' and am ready for the appeal that will no doubt have to come next! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KarenT Report post Posted February 9, 2006 The purpose of the DLA form is to prove that your child needs more care and attention than another child of the same age. You can provide all sorts of evidence to show that. I compiled a list of appointments I had to keep over a couple of months, hospital visits for the assessment, support group for myself, osteopath, summer scheme placement etc. These showed the 'extras' that other parents don't have to do for their child but we take for granted. Also, I gave a list of out of school activities J takes part in - football, swimming and karate - and details of how much encouragement he needs to take part, changing, reminding him of the rules, discussions with instructors and advising them on his condition and providing information (I also got them to write reports stating how much more attention he requires than other children they teach in the same age group), assistance with getting changed afterwards. Also the after-effects of emotional overload and transition - that's all part and parcel of taking your child to an hour's footie practice but other parents don't have to do it. One other thing was I spoke to my health visitor about age-appropriate milestones and development. Certain behaviours that applied to J were written off by DWP as 'normal for age' but the HV disagreed so I wrote them all up and offered her name and phone number for further contact if it was necessary. Depending on your circumstnaces there's loads of additional evidence you can give. It's mighty hard work and very time-consuming, but if you look at your case objectively you'll probably find that you do do a lot more for your child than most parents do, so please reconsider and try again. You don't need to go to appeal at this stage, just lodge your intent to request a reconsideration then you can follow with your paperwork after that. Get an appointment with your CAB benefits advisor if at all possible, they are excellent and will be able to tell you if you have a good case. Good luck. Karen x Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
melly Report post Posted February 9, 2006 Stephanie I agree about the form, it is hard work and can be q emotional too. But don't not do it b/c others may or may not be 'more' entitled than you. Everyone has the opportunity to do these forms, and with some help from CAB, or Disability alliance etc it wont have to be so hard next time. So take your time and then when you are ready go for! You prob deserve the extra pennies that could help with a few extras for the little one. Good luck Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stephanie Report post Posted February 9, 2006 Cheers! I only applied as I know someone who gets it for their son who is slightly worse than mine and she gets DLA and CA and it sounded like a lot of money that I could be missing out on. I didn't apply at first as I thought it would label my son "disabled" which I was in fear of. I was so sure that I would get the same just because my son has now been DX'd. I think the schools report may not have helped my application (but then my form was filled out painting the worst possible scenario's etc). It all just seems like so much hassle and heartache - I read all your stories and your children seem to need a lot more care than my son yet you are also getting refused. I may try again next year, I feel too fraudulent to fight it - he is doing so well and other people need it so much more. Good advice about the photocopying though ... forgot to copy the form last time! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
melly Report post Posted February 9, 2006 I too forgot to copy my form, but I rang up and asked them to send me a copy and.....they did! Might be worth getting that, then when you do go again, you'll have it as a reference Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lil_me Report post Posted February 10, 2006 Try your local Welfare Rights, they were a god send for me Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
