disability

thanks copepod,

that was much better than someone just posting a load of links and not explainning themselves
properly.

very useful

best wishes Nigel :wink:

oojimmyflip said:

spiral I'm afraid if you are over 60 you cannot claim disability living allowence at all but having said that if you claimed it before you are 60 and have an award beyond the age of 60 you will continue to recieve it. ie a life award awarded at age 55.

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http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/DisabledPeople/FinancialSupport/DisabilityLivingAllowance/DG_10011816

Nigel/oojimmyflip, I have posted a link to an "offical" website, this confirms the accuracy of the information I have given. copepod's advice about ages is also correct.

To get DLA you actually need some level of support and supervision. The high rate is for people who need care during the night.

DLA is not a means tested benefit and is not dependent on contributions - you are confusing it with other invalidity benefits which are dependent on contributions.

In my experience - I work with physicaly disabled adults - people tend to minimise and underestimate the impact of their disabilities. You need properly experienced help to complete the forms unless you have a very obvious physical disability - especially if your condition has developed slowly and you have struggled on and "coped", but it takes you far longer than an able bodied person to do a task.

I recommend approaching the organisatins I have already mentioned for help to complete the forms. If you are refused, appeal, and ask one of the organisations I have mentioned for help to appeal.

I helped a friend (with a serious mental health problem) get DLA not so long ago. The friend did not follow my advice to get help form one of the organisation I listed :evil: :roll: and the benefit was turned down. The friend was actually in a psychiatric unit when the letter refusing DLA arrived, and due to his mental health problems, he did not appeal. I got him to the CAB several weeks after discharge and he submitted a new claim. The CAB also supported him to appeal the original refusal, even though it was several weeks outside of the usual limit for appeals, because of his serious mental health problem. He was awarded DLA on the second application and his claim was eventually backdated to the date the original application was made on appeal.

Goodness me surely we're not now trying to score points against one another about who's better informed? This is supposed to be a forum where people share their own experiences in support of others? "I'm right, you're wrong" followed by an explanatory missive doesn't help anyone, and is just really boring. There have been a number of extremely useful posts here, others less so.

To offer yet another slightly different perspective on this topic, I have no apparent physical disability whatsoever, but still get max rate on both care and mobility components. This is down to the knock-on effect of numerous complications on my quality of life (no hypo awareness, bad night hypos, live alone, postural hypotension, no feeling in my feet - balance issues, the list goes on and on and on...)

Well said kegstore.

"one hundred and eighty"

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

I did appolagise for my mistakes but they are not very forgiving or not reading the whole thread.

regards Nigel :lol: :wink:

oojimmyflip said:

thanks copepod,

that was much better than someone just posting a load of links and not explainning themselves
properly.

very useful

best wishes Nigel :wink:

Click to expand...

The links that have been posted by myself and others relating to this subject throughout this thread are for the benefit of all members. If people care to read them they give ALL the relevant up to date information.

There is no reason why we here on a Diabetic website should explain what the information means, that is up to each individual member to work out for themselves. Of course if you are an 'expert' on the subject then please feel free to post what you know, just make sure it is correct, and not just anecdotal. We don't want to mislead anyone, do we ? :wink:

What a load of rubbish!!!

I was giving my and a friends personal experiences of The Disability Living allowence process but as mentioned before people are all different, why are you still sniping at others?
I though you were here to help people not make their lives difficult, if you are only going to post links as you so much love to do whats the point they might as well just go and Google the subject.
I was under the impression that this site was to put a more personal stance on Diabetes and help people through what can be a difficult time dealing with all aspects of Diabetes. otherwise we all might as well get a leaflet from the diabetes clinic which has website links on it.

you are treating people excatly the same way. If they missread the information or dont understand it you will be at fault, without explainning yourself you might even be putting lives at risk, because your link may point to a site that gives conflicting information.
better to reasearch the subject and give a summary in middle of the road terms, so ppl can understand the medical terminology.

if not then draw your opinion from pwersonal experiences don't just post a link and hope they are alive tommorrow mornning.

Just posting links without explainning yourself is unacceptable and I think if you ask ppl to vote on it many would prefer you to explain yourself, without sending them on a wild goosechase for information that may never be there.

If you can't answer a question don't bother to try, let someone else who knows have a go at it, don't just post links hoping the question asker will eventually find the answer,

simply posting links time after time without explanation shows how limited a particular persons knowlege might be on any given subject IT DOESN'T HELP.

regards Nigel :evil: :wink:

Nigel,I find your post very offensive!! :evil:
The moderators on here are unpaid volunteers who give up their time ,willingly, to help others. None of us claim to be experts or know everything about diabetes or all the myriad subjects that go with it.What we can do ,however ,is find the up to date information for the benefit of members.Not everyone is a skilled researcher who can find things easily on the net either. Yes,we post a lot of links but think about it....just how long would it take to go through all the new regs and explain ,point by point all the differences there now is between your original benefit claim 20 years ago and what happens now.We have supplied the information, it is up to members to read and take these things in ,not up to us to spoon feed .
We cannot be here 24/7 ,we also have lives as well.

Sue,

As your being up close and personal now in the thread, I will mention that I only sent you a copy of a complaint made about these links the other day and you confirmed that there was a lot of this lately.

now you have your back to the wall you are sticking up for the very thing people were complainning about. :shock:

This is not offensive and neither was my post I did not swear and I have not been intentionally rude to any particular person, I asked why someone was still sniping after it was so kindly pointed out that it should stop.

with the greatest of respect Sue.

regards Nigel. :wink:

This forum is here to try and help and support diabetics,Nigel.If the only way we,or members ,can do this is to post links so that people can read for themselves what is the latest legislation etc then that is what will happen.
If there are members who can quote chapter and verse on the latest information then all well and good but I do object to people criticising us for trying to do our best on here.
If none of us answered posts because it was out-with our personal experience then there would be a lot less helpful info on this forum.
If that is how you feel however then we shall refrain from answering your posts but ,at the same time,we cannot let inaccurate info go on the board without comment.

sue,

so if anyone complains you'll ignore them then?

so you are entitled to your opinions but anyone that makes any complaint is not entitled to a reply?

sending someone to coventry because they are making a valid complaint is simply unfair.

I simply picked up for where others left off and others do share a similar view on the posting of links as you well know.

the problem is, that is all some people do, and i thought you at least could see that.

if you want treat people like that Sue it is not hard to post reviews all over the web on how good a particular site is.

rergards Nigel :wink:

Nigel,I am not ignoring the subject! I have started a new thread in the 'diabetes soapbox',on this subject. If you wish ,go and put your constructive thoughts into it please.

Re: Forum Policy/Rules - Read before posting
by Administrator on April 29th, 2009, 11:04 am
A selection for all members to note..

1 Come to this forum with an open mind.

3 If you find an error then correct it constructively. State your source for this correction so there can be no doubt about it.

5 If you are answering a question then do that, answer the question!!
Wherever possible ,when answering a question with a link,please use a UK based source........

6 This forum is about supporting and learning from each other. Do not start posts that you know with be contentious.

8 This is a forum of many different personalities. If you disagree with someone use the PM function. Don’t fight it out on the board; it does nobody any good having to read miles of disagreeing posts.

9 Remember we do not give medical advice (except Katharine) If you give advice then it is through your own experience or a link to a reputable site off-line of the forum.

10. Strife helps nobody, it is counter-productive to the forum and confusing and unhelpful to newbies who need our help.

Administrator

Do not be rude or offensive
Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but please try and go by the rule of only speaking to people here as you would on a face to face basis. Do not try and shock, upset or offend. Debate and discussion are fine, as are controversial opinions, but each individual should be treated with respect and tolerance. Remember, everyone is different in age, experience and the nature of their diabetes. Finding common ground and sharing help is the purpose of this forum

Freedom of speech is very important here, but the rulesmust be adhered to when using this forum, and those that break these rules will be warned once and then be banned from participation

I've heard of 19 year old lads with type 1 getting it (though not many), and I've heard of people who've had strokes not getting it. The mechanism for awarding DLA is screwed up.

lionrampant said:

The mechanism for awarding DLA is screwed up.

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There has to be a mechanism of some sort.

I have supported friends and people I work with in my professional role to get DLA. I have spent hours filling in the sodding things with people only to have it turned down and then awarded on appeal when the DLA pros have become involved. So now I usually suggest that they get help from the CAB, Welfare Rights or Age Concern.

In my experience the problems are as follows
1. People, even highly educated people, are not particularly good at filling in forms. Some of the worst forms I have ever seen have been filled in by doctors. People don't read them properly and don't provide the information requested (and doctors think that because they have asked for it it will happen for no other reason).
2. When it comes to disability, especially disabilities that creep up on you slowly, people cope with the problems they have and minimise or simply don't notice how bad things have got, even when it takes all morning to get dressed.
3. It takes about 2 hours to fill in a DLA form, by the time you have filled in all the sections you have lost the will to live so don't check it propely because you are writing the same thing over and over and are bored.
4. You have to fill in the form as if every day was your worst day. I remember someone said to me "they are asking me to tell lies on the form" (she had been referred to a benefits specialist) because she did not have those problems every single day.
5. You need to use the right language - this is where a lot of people who don't have an obvious serious disability that makes them look obviously disabled fail, especially if they are trying hard to cope.
6. The DLA form is long and complicated and not the easiest form to fill in.

If you apply for DLA, get help from someone or an organisation who knows how to fll the form in.

The thing is, if you struggle to make a meal for yourself from scratch (from raw ingredients) you may well be eligible for the low rate of care. If you need help during the night you may be eligible for the high rate.

You don't know everything about someone's situation, and sometimes people make things up or miss bits out :? :roll: You should listen to my elderly auntie talking about what her neighbours get/don't get compared to her :shock: :roll: they are very competetive and I'm sure they wind each other up on purpose!

Spiral said:

lionrampant said:

The mechanism for awarding DLA is screwed up.

Click to expand...

1. People, even highly educated people, are not particularly good at filling in forms.
3. It takes about 2 hours to fill in a DLA form, by the time you have filled in all the sections you have lost the will to live.
4. You have to fill in the form as if every day was your worst day.

Click to expand...

this is pretty accurate, although the forms must be somewhat easier to fill in than they used to be at 2 hours, I have spent up to and beyond 8 hours filling forms with people.
the questions often dont seem to make sense but they do try to catch you out by being repetative often they ask the same or similar question in a different way.

4 covers what i pointed out earlier and it's not lying or making things up, you are making a claim for your inability to cope so therfore it must be based upon your most difficult times, even if you feel better some days.

I feel that it is very important to have your GP's support on this or at least one health proffessional the disability living allowence people can write to, to confirm your condition. he/she should be well aware of the troubles you are facing.

I always refused to think of myself as disabled, and carried on compensating for my shortcomings for two years. It wasn't until after my last period of hospitalization when an adult care worker pitched up at my home and re-organised my life with ramps, grab rails, bed hoists etc, that I realised that in fact I was disabled! The lady also informed me that although over sixty I could still apply for DLA, and I did so. The forms were not offputting, and I completed them in a reasonable amount of time, being granted the higher rate of DLA. I must add that diabetes is only a part of my "little miseries"[I will not consider them problems and have no wish to belittle the severity of the disorder] but was a definite factor.

Having read a lot of DLA application forms over several years, I have noticed that some GPs aren't very good at completing enquiry forms sent by DWP. "Yes" or "No" is not a suitable answer to some questions, even if you can actually read a word! But, it would be wrong to generalise about GP or other doctors' form filling abilities. I would advise applicants is to double check when ticking yes or no, to avoid double negative situations, and to write in whole sentences, rather than phrases, as sentences are less likely to be open to misinterpretation.

As a GP I agree that in most cases we are definitely not the best people to fill in these forms. If anyone else at all can help you, get them to do it instead. The forms have changed and fortunately we are no longer asked for the "supportive statement" at the end of the DLA form. Instead we are asked factual information about the disease or condition.

The main problems are: we have rotten writing. We tend to be good spellers though!
We don't have the time or the motivivation to fill in forms really well. We don't generally live with the person at all. We don't know how the condition varies over time and during the day and night.

I was recently able to help out a relative with a form. She had been refused previously. She was awarded DLA after I gave her some advice. The original form lacked information and detail and it looked just like a GP had filled it in!

This is what I said:

Write down in detail everything you do that you need help with. Start at 3am and finish at 3am. The DWP are particularly interested in bodily functions, hygiene, food preparation and eating. Also important is medication, travel, self organisation, self care, and mobility.

Remember to list activities that are weekly, monthly and yearly.

my partner works full time does anyone know if i can claim any other benefits.i do get lowest dla but am having more problems now with my type i diabetes which ive had for 39 years.I could not have a full time time job with my debilitating hypos and now have no hypo awareness.I also suffer from arthritis.I was told because my partner works full time i cannot claim any benefits does anyone know if this is correct.I will be going to cab when i fell better to see if they can help?thanks

CAB is definitely the place to go,taking all letters etc you have from DWP, so they can work out exactly what you are receiving - there is no "lowest DLA", but there is DLA Care component at Lower / Middle / Higher Rate and DLA Mobility component at Lower / Higher Rate. You can apply to have either rate reviewed - but there is always a chance that rate(s) may be reduced instead of increased. That's why you need specific advice from a welfare rights specialist, such as a CAB (Citizens' Advice Bureau). It's how your health problems affect you that matters, not the diagnosis.