When I gave up work in august last year due to the fibromyalgia and polyarthralgia I applied for DLA. While waiting to hear I was put onto ESA, I got the medical assessment done for that and my money went up last week. I got a letter this morning telling me I am getting the low rate care component of dla but not entitled to anything for the other component, thing is its been 5/6 months since applying for dla and things for me are far worse than they were back in august. Should I tell them this or just leave things as they are incase I'm pushing my luck. I know how hard it is to get dla and was gobsmacked this morning to find out I am getting something. Could anyone also tell me what getting dla entitles you to and does getting only for one component and not the two make a difference.
Take care all
hugs kitty
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kittyfisher
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First of all ESA and DLA are 2 entirely different benefits. You didn't say if you are in the ESA support or ESA WRAG. I assume you are in ESA support?
DLA no longer exists. It is now a new benefit called personal Independent Payment - PIP. All now claomants will be assessed for PIP to geither with those whose assessment has expired and people who notify DWP of any changes in their conditions.
The new PIP consists of 2 components. Care and mobility. Each of these 2 components had a number of descriptors. You need `5 points to receive the enhanced, higher, rate . Under 15 you will get the standard rates. Some descriptors carry more points than others.
To get the PIP mobility you must be unable to walk more than 20 meteres or be unable to plan and carry out a journey. If you score 15 points in either of these 2 groups you will be entitled to have a mobility car even if you can't drive!
People are at present being migrated on to the new PIP as I said above when their conditions change etc. At present the back log of claimants is around 6 months
Under the old DLA there were 3 components to care. The new PIP only has 2 and the lowest rates are being done away with. If anyone is in receipt of that lower rate care they will either lose it completely or unlikely - move up to the new standard rate.
Don't forget DWP have made it perfectly clear they are migrating claimants from DLA t PIP so save 20% of costs they pay. Don't be disillusioned they are interested in you - they aren't. Inventing PIP is purely and simply to save money.
Apart from a mobility car on the enhanced rate or a few more pennies for taxis etc there are no other additional benefits.
Enhances care component could entitle you to hospital transport, where available. Care if you needed and possible Carers Allowance if someone needed to look after you.
Oh yes. And before too long PIP will be means tested as will every other benefit. Be warned!
Sorry this is long winded. Hope you can understand some of it!
thank you it is a bit confusing but thats probably just my head its not the best at taking things in at the best of times but I'll read it over a couple of times. To think back even a year ago I didn't expect to be going through all this though my symtoms back then were getting worse and worse. I was diagnosed in September and still find it hard to take in. To be in pain all day everyday is mentally and physically exhausting and taking its toll but i've had the added worry of my sight deteriorating so quickly in the past couple of months. I'm now waiting to see an eye specialist and its knocked my confidence so much. I dont leave the house anymore. Optician says it the fibro that tires the muscles which then means the lens dont work properly. Do you think I should tell dla/pip about the changes (there's more than I've mentioned but wont bore you? Do you have fibro?
To get DLA for visual impairment, it looks like you have to:
have a best corrected visual acuity of less than 3/60 or
have a best corrected visual acuity of 3/60 or more, but less than 6/60, a complete loss of peripheral visual field and a central visual field of no more than 10 degrees in total.
Seems you have to have a certificate to prove your vision loss too.
Even though your condition has changed, it may not have changed in the way that would get you a higher DLA payment anyway. I think it would be well worth going and having a talk to the disability advisor at CAB and find out what the criteria are for the next rate up. Low rate care is relatively easy to get, but middle rate does require quite a substantial amount more of disability and care needs, so the changes that have happened to you might not be enough to boost you up to the next level.
I'm not sure that the lowest rate care component will allow you to be entitled to anything much more than ESA would, though if you do go back to work it may get you a slightly higher rate of working tax credit. You need the mobility component to be able to apply for things like Blue Badge or if your area has travel concessions (may just be Scotland that does other travel concessions). Theoretically you can apply for a blue badge without DLA mobility, but if you don't meet the criteria for DLA mobility then you are unlikely to meet the new and stricter criteria for a blue badge. Again, its something you can ask CAB about. i know when I first went onto benefits the person from CAB was brilliant about making sure I got everything I was entitled to (ask them to do a "benefit check" for you, and ask about any local concessions for people with disabilities).
FWIW, not everyone has gone onto PIP yet as they are phasing it in slowly, so it is possible to still get a DLA award if you applied a while ago. When your current award finishes you will probably be moved onto PIP.
You migrate to PIP as soon as your present award runs out. You also migrate if you have any changes and want another assessment. As such lower rate care is no longer awarded.
Form BD8, in England, is registration of sight loss. This is issued by a consultant eye specialist. Only those who are classed as 'severely' blind will get the higher rate (enhanced) PIP mobility.
The new descriptors for all disability benefits have changed completely. It is no longer about what you can't do but what you can. Just remember these new descriptors are stinkers - designed to be hatd and get you off benefits.
You should let them know that your condition has changed,for the worse as well as for the better.
If you inform that your health has improved the likely hood is you benefit may be reduced,so if your condition has worsened you may get the higher component.
If you get both components one is for care,and the other is for help with getting around,if you get the higher of the getting around,you can keep the money to help with the cost of taxis etc or you can use it to get a car to help with getting around.
I am having such a bad day and my heads all over the place. Am in such pain today I only got the letter yesterday about the DLA and already I dont know where it is. I've looked and looked and still cant find it. I could just sit snd cry. Am fed up of all this.
Hi Kitty, it looks to me like you could do with some help. if you can get an appointment with a disability advisory at CAB good luck to you. They are nonexistent where I live. So, alternatively go online and see if there are any advocacy agencies near you. if you can get an advocate to help you in my experience that is the best thing to do. They will be able to help you with all the form filling and will usually accompany you to any interviews/assessments which when you are in a lot of pain is invaluable, and mostly they are volunteers, so it shouldn't cost you anything. Combine that with the Benefits and work website benefitsandwork.co.uk/ and you can't do better. I would say that in my experience it is how you fill out the forms that matter, I know that sounds a bit obvious but there are definitely right and wrong ways of doing it and I am in no way advocating dishonesty. it's just that you need to know what they are looking for, and rather than telling them everything you can possibly think of it's how you tell it that matters. The benefits and work website is brilliant and their guides were indispensable to me. Hope this is of some help. Oh, yes...i agree you should tell them if you get worse but not before you've got some help. Good luck.
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