Hello
As I have only been a sufferer since March this year and I am still in full time employement, am I able to put a claim in for DLA. I do suffer on certain days during every week at the moment and do suffer with lots of pain in my hands and pain in feet. especially on days when flare ups occur which so far is every week, ie help getting dressed, someone driving me to work, help with cooking etc.
Hi Debbie50. Yes you can apply for DLA whether you are working or not. It is a tax free payment to help with things you cannot do like employing a cleaner to do the heavy housework (which is what I use it for). You have to be unable to walk 50 yards, need either 12 or 24 hours assistance with washing, dressing etc and unable to cook yourself a basic hot meal each day. When you fill the form in which is horrendous and runs to 42 pages (!), fill it in using the worst possible day for you. You may get the mobility portion either lower or higher allowance. Don't be disappointed if you don't get the care portion as it is very difficult to obtain unless you have a full time carer.
Worth a go at applying for both and see how you get on. Any help needed, let me know. LavendarLady xx
I didnt get it either(DLA)
I. had help filling in the form as the ra makes my handwriting bad..I suspect that if you are able to struggle to work as you and I are doing they assume you are quite well?.. but we know that isnt always the case.
I can walk but it is difficult, I cant reach to do up zips on clothing. I can struggle to get socks on.. and prepare veg etc. I have stair rails and bath board but was turned down.. my mum said the mistake I may have made was to carry one working?. maybe penalised for working?, its a difficult one?.. my hourly rate isnt too bad,,, so as I arent well enough to work fulltime, I work part time.. but after a couple of sleeplessness nights this week and painful joints and the dreaded sicky feeling after codeine and other pain killer taking today.. this weekend couldnt come soon enough! x
Hi everyone. It doesn't make any difference whether you can work or not - whether ft or pt. What does matter is what I said above - can you walk more than 50 yards without assistance, can you cook yourself one hot meal a day without assistance, can you dress, wash, bathe etc without assistance and a host of other questions as to what you can and can't do. Do you need walking sticks, wheelchair etc. I got the higher mobility allowance as couldn't walk 10 yards without someone being with me. As i could manage to wash dress, cook etc I did not get the care portion of the DLA. But the mobility portion leads onto a blue badge. In CAB we are used to dealing with these forms and your local CAB will help. If turned down you must ask them for the reasons. From that, you can appeal and have 28 days to do so. Again the CAB will help with the forms. If you are turned down, don't wait, go straight to your local CAB for help. You will get an appt with the Welfare benefits adviser who will be able to help. Best advice - don't give up. LavendarLady xx
This is the one question that I can give a decent answer to. I was recently made redundant from my Welfare Benefits advisor post, but have to say that I would never have completed my own application. Please don't complete your own form: always get an advisor to do it. LavendarLady has given decent advice in that Citizens Advice can do this fo you, and they have a fund to take you to appeal, if needs be. However, if you live in an area with it's own disabled association (very few of them left, following a Conservative government!), then I would advise you to visit them instead. Best of luck x
It is difficult for us to suggest a course of action without knowing all the specific details, but in theory, it sounds like you could consider making a claim. Citizen's Advice Bureau, DIAL UK and local advocacy organisations (a list of local advocacy organisations in England and Wales can be found at Advocacy for Action, or on the Scottish Independent Advocacy Alliance website for Scotland) are all good sources of advice and should be able to support you with helping to write your application. Crucially, they can also help you with challenging a decision if your claim is initially rejected.
Anecdotally we are hearing more stories of NRAS members being moved from higher rates of DLA to lower rates, and of people being denied DLA altogether. So do please be prepared to challenge the initial decision and make full use of local advocacy resources in your area.
In exceptional circumstances, NRAS does sometimes write statements of support - although this is only in rare situations where we feel we can add some expertise outside of the otherwise comprehensive support offered by CAB, DIAL UK and other local advocacy organisations.
Also, NRAS offers a very good guide to filling out the forms. I don't know if it's available on-line but I got my copy by calling the helpline. It is RA specific and helped me complete my successful DLA claim form.
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