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New member DLA renewal, advice appreciated
- Shemarie
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10 years 3 months ago #128500 by Shemarie
New member DLA renewal, advice appreciated was created by Shemarie
Hi All,
I received a DLA renewal pack on the 14 Jan (the accompanying letter was dated 1st Jan- I was surprised that they work bank holidays), and I flew into a panic. It only seems like five minutes ago that I underwent the stress of the original claim. Apologies in advance if this is lengthy. I'm sure the info I need is somewhere in the members guides, but I can't seem to find it, and would really appreciate your input. I was awarded HRM and MRC for two years, which ends on 21/05/15. The letter I have now received is DLAADULTNEW and the form is DLA1A ADULT January 2014.
Firstly, when making my original claim I understood that the idea was to describe the help I need, whether I actually receive it or not. I did so, but have not actually received some of the help I described (there are reasons for this). So if I describe the same needs/help again without actually having received some of the help, do I run the risk of my claim not being taken seriously, or not being believed?!??
Secondly, could somebody please tell me where to find the guide for supporting evidence? Since making my original claim I have accumulated three large boxes of letters from the hospital, various specialists, therapies etc. and need guidance filtering through these.
Lastly (I think/hope), is there a guide which gives advice on describing the overall effects of multiple illnesses? My original condition involved four admissions for a total of seven weeks in the space of three months. This has now stabilised, but needs a lot of monitoring, medication, etc. Meanwhile, although I described separate pain and difficulties in my original claim I have since received diagnoses for these, including the need for hip replacement, osteoporosis and a whole lot of other stuff. Much of the stuff is no big deal in itself as an individual illness, but juggling the demands of the whole lot together is a nightmare, and I think I need to get this across.
Oooops, sorry, one more. According to the guide, question 59 in the claim form asks if you have been in hospital in the last two years. My form doesn't- it only asks about the last six weeks. Does anyone know why this is?
Apologies again for the length of this post, and many thanks for your patience and any suggestions you can give.
I received a DLA renewal pack on the 14 Jan (the accompanying letter was dated 1st Jan- I was surprised that they work bank holidays), and I flew into a panic. It only seems like five minutes ago that I underwent the stress of the original claim. Apologies in advance if this is lengthy. I'm sure the info I need is somewhere in the members guides, but I can't seem to find it, and would really appreciate your input. I was awarded HRM and MRC for two years, which ends on 21/05/15. The letter I have now received is DLAADULTNEW and the form is DLA1A ADULT January 2014.
Firstly, when making my original claim I understood that the idea was to describe the help I need, whether I actually receive it or not. I did so, but have not actually received some of the help I described (there are reasons for this). So if I describe the same needs/help again without actually having received some of the help, do I run the risk of my claim not being taken seriously, or not being believed?!??
Secondly, could somebody please tell me where to find the guide for supporting evidence? Since making my original claim I have accumulated three large boxes of letters from the hospital, various specialists, therapies etc. and need guidance filtering through these.
Lastly (I think/hope), is there a guide which gives advice on describing the overall effects of multiple illnesses? My original condition involved four admissions for a total of seven weeks in the space of three months. This has now stabilised, but needs a lot of monitoring, medication, etc. Meanwhile, although I described separate pain and difficulties in my original claim I have since received diagnoses for these, including the need for hip replacement, osteoporosis and a whole lot of other stuff. Much of the stuff is no big deal in itself as an individual illness, but juggling the demands of the whole lot together is a nightmare, and I think I need to get this across.
Oooops, sorry, one more. According to the guide, question 59 in the claim form asks if you have been in hospital in the last two years. My form doesn't- it only asks about the last six weeks. Does anyone know why this is?
Apologies again for the length of this post, and many thanks for your patience and any suggestions you can give.
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10 years 3 months ago #128553 by Gordon
Nothing on this board constitutes legal advice - always consult a professional about specific problems
Replied by Gordon on topic New member DLA renewal, advice appreciated
Shemarie
Each DLA renewal is in effect a new application for the benefit, so you need to describe your care and mobility needs in full, whilst those assessing you may have access to your previous form, in the vast majority of cases they will not refer to it,.
So if you need help, you should include this on the form, even if you do not receive the help and even if it was included on the previous form.
I am afraid that there is no guide for supporting evidence, it is simply not practical to produce one considering the wide range of information that a claimant might have. Things you might want to include; appointment letters (these show on-going treatment), letters that address your needs as you are describing them on the form, letters that have a diagnosis.
It is really important when including evidence that you refer to it on the form or attached pages, if you just attach a pile of information, even if it is very relevant to your claim, the likelihood that the assessor or DWP Decision Maker will look at it detail is low.
For multiple illnesses, if you can specifically attribute it to one illness then do so, if you cannot then simply refer to all of those that you believe are involved in a particular limitation. Don't be afraid to repeat your self, for example; I cannot wash and dress first thing in the morning due to my Rheumatoid Arthritis... ...in the afternoon my Fibromyalgia prevents me doing this.
If it only asks for 6 weeks then I would stick to this, but you can mention any hospital appointments you have since you were last assessed as relevant throughout the rest of the form.
Gordon
Each DLA renewal is in effect a new application for the benefit, so you need to describe your care and mobility needs in full, whilst those assessing you may have access to your previous form, in the vast majority of cases they will not refer to it,.
So if you need help, you should include this on the form, even if you do not receive the help and even if it was included on the previous form.
I am afraid that there is no guide for supporting evidence, it is simply not practical to produce one considering the wide range of information that a claimant might have. Things you might want to include; appointment letters (these show on-going treatment), letters that address your needs as you are describing them on the form, letters that have a diagnosis.
It is really important when including evidence that you refer to it on the form or attached pages, if you just attach a pile of information, even if it is very relevant to your claim, the likelihood that the assessor or DWP Decision Maker will look at it detail is low.
For multiple illnesses, if you can specifically attribute it to one illness then do so, if you cannot then simply refer to all of those that you believe are involved in a particular limitation. Don't be afraid to repeat your self, for example; I cannot wash and dress first thing in the morning due to my Rheumatoid Arthritis... ...in the afternoon my Fibromyalgia prevents me doing this.
If it only asks for 6 weeks then I would stick to this, but you can mention any hospital appointments you have since you were last assessed as relevant throughout the rest of the form.
Gordon
Nothing on this board constitutes legal advice - always consult a professional about specific problems
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