Benefits are confusing! This is the first time I’ve ever had to try and claim a benefit. My respiratory nurse says I need the mobility component of DLA, I picked up a form from the Jobcentre Plus and now I’m totally confused.
There is a form with yes or no answers “can I get disability living allowance” however; you answer “yes” or “no” as relevant to their questions. I’ve answered no to being terminally ill and not having visual impairment etc ……
(6) Do you ever have difficulty, need prompting or need help with your personal care? It then says they can’t consider “other general household domestic tasks”!
How do you get the care component if you have trouble making your bed, vacuuming etc but they exclude this from the question? I live on my own and have no family!
Is disability living allowance not used for these purposes? How do you get home help? Oh and “You will only get DLA when you have needed help for three months.” I need help this is why I’m applying for it, but according to this form I don’t quality!!
I’m MRC 4 and have a heart condition, can’t walk around a supermarket, get things delivered, can’t walk in town etc …. I don’t understand it at all. I’ve paid national insurance and tax all my life and they won’t give me a benefit I need!
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Stitch is right, the CAB or AgeUK 0800 169 8787 will help you with the form. Here on the helpline, we advise everyone to get help with form completion because they are so laborious and very confusing.
Good advice above witty. Don't be overwhelmed by these forms - enlist the help of a benefits expert. As mentioned CAB or Age uk. There is also Welfare Rights, DIAL and BLF. They fill these forms out every day and it will take so much stress away from you.
Hi, I'm afraid you don't get anything to help with cleaning, just for personal care, meaning your body, washing, dressing etc. I did leave a previous reply about this but I don't know where it's gone, or if it was deleted? Don't know why it would be though. Anyway, I mentioned "wellbeing", having your surroundings clean is essential for our wellbeing, not to mention our health, but unfortunately this isn't taken into account by DLA/PIP. I really don't see the point of being clean ourselves if our surroundings aren't. I use some of my award to have a cleaner an hour a week and I know others do too and to me, it's money well spent. I'd rather cut down elsewhere than not have my cleaner. Libby
Applying for DLA is a nightmare, the 40 page form takes ages to complete and you MUST put everything in about the way you are, what you can and cannot manage to do, and be very specific about health issues. If you don't tell them, they don't know so cannot assess what level of allowance to give, if any. A lot of first time applicants fail because they've not filled the form in fully.
What I suggest is to download the form and have a good look at it :- nidirect.gov.uk/apply-for-d... - you want the DLA 1A form and notes. Don't print it off, you are able to fill this in on your own computer. If you don't have the Adobe Reader software to be able to open the PDF files you can get it for free by following the link "Help with PDF files" on the same page.
As suggested, contact the Citizens Advice Bureau :- citizensadvice.org.uk/burea... , DIAL :- scope.org.uk/dial , Welfare Rights :- welfarerights.net/home.php , or Age UK (formally Age Concern and Help the Aged) :- ageuk.org.uk/ - all can offer advice, some can help with filling forms in. The British Lung Foundation (BLF, this site) have a helpline to advise on benefits but can't fill the forms in for you - you can call them for a chat about it all on 03000 030 555
When you apply you have so many weeks in which to complete and return the form. Although they send a paper copy in the post, you can use the electronic version on your own computer as filling that is probably easier for many as you can edit it as many times as you like, and will give a neat printed copy at the end. You still have to print it out to submit a paper copy. Jobcentre Plus can give some help, but they'll usually claim they don't have the staff to help filling the forms in.
You could also contact the Adult Services team at Kent County Council :- kent.gov.uk/adult_social_se... , Adult Services can go over a lot of things to help you at home. In particular, complete their needs assessment at :- kent.gov.uk/adult_social_se... - this can lead on to them visiting you at home and perhaps assigning someone to help you with your DLA application, but not all councils do that.
As and when you are starting to fill the form in, advise your doctor too. The DWP will contact them for a report and a high percentage of applications are affected because these are either not sent in, or are sent late by the GP.
Be prepared for the process taking months. A high percentage of first time applications will fail and you would have to appeal to progress further. My first application was in early 2009 and got right to tribunal stage, where I failed because I'd managed to get there on my own! My 2nd application started in June 2012, was turned down, appealed, had ATOS appointed Doctor assess me, awarded low rate care component in Nov 2012 and am now awaiting news of a further appeal for the mobility component, which may go to a tribunal hearing.
When you are considering the questions on the form you need to consider how you are on a bad day, worst case scenario. There's no use saying you can manage something unless you can manage it every day, if there are times when you struggle to get dressed then you need to be putting that on the form. The 'decision maker' who reads your form does not know you and only has what is on the form to go by to make their assessment. If you don't tell them, they don't know and they assume that you are able to cope unless you say otherwise.
Confusion with all forms finding help is good advice that I have used myself, do not be afraid to ask or explain how life is changed the it's alright I will cope outlook will not describe the difficulties, be honest with yourself before filling in a form that asks how the condition affects life as often we have adapted without realizing as change can happen slowly in well managed cases where we do not notice how we are struggling.
But yes, as long as you're clean and only eat out of tins you've just opened, not the ones with green furry stuff in, they really don't care if you're walking through a foot thick carpet of dust.
ah, I did notice something that I thought had changed - they did at one time say that cooking a meal meant from scratch and not reheating but the last lot I saw, I did think that had changed
So is it now that you have the ability to throw something in the microwave and that counts as being able to feed yourself?
Nope - Have a read at the information in this blog: blf.healthunlocked.com/blog... - and look for the part I highlighted in bold - Cannot prepare a main meal for himself:
Thank you so much everyone, to me it beggars belief that people with a lung condition are able to live with dust!
I will keep you informed, I'm going to Age UK on Monday.
i have been filling in dla forms for years now for ppl with lots of different medical issues from mobility problems, asperger autism and even a form for someone who was on medication for an undiagnosed illness i have always had sucess on first application without having to appeal i have just sent off the latest form on behalf of my husband filled in with the guidlines i use which are all the questions in the dla form are always asked twice at least just in a different way make sure you identify these and answer them the same but use different wording i.e walking outdoors and moving about in the home. Also fill in form as you would on your worst day and as a guide write a chronilogical diary of that day as a reference before you fill in any medical form i hope this helps as i said this recipe has always worked for me i will post result of my husbands claim as soon as i know
This is my first time on here,i have just rang about help with my fuel payment,i am on PIP and ESA registered disabled with COPD and 62,i was told i wasnt entitled to any help but i can t afford to have the heating on most of the time,is there anyone that can put me in the right direction. Sue
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