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And photocopy every single page you send to them, this will help you if need to refer to them later. And you probably will do. Good Luck.

Many thanks for your guidance Mrs Hurtyback and Judy. It is a daunting experience, I keep all paperwork and have found letters regarding a claim for DLA that my husband made in July 2013 and it was not awarded as they felt he didn't meet the criteria. Will this go against him? His condition has deteriorated a great deal since then.

Hi bubblebug,

It is unlikely that the assessor or Decision Maker will have any knowledge of previous claims. Even if they do, it should be fairly easy to explain that the condition has deteriorated in 4 years.

Should we include copies of letters received from his consultants which outline the meds he is taking and how he is dealing with the condition. They confirm his blood levels and how swollen his joints are and confirm the location of nodules etc. Shall we include all of this or will they request it all from his medical records? Will it be quicker if we do this and will it help to confirm how much his condition has deteriorated?
Can they make a decision from all of this information or will they need him to attend a face to face?

Gordon wrote: bubblebug

It will certainly help to include these reports, it's unlikely that the DWP will contact your husbands GP or Consultants directly, but don't lose sight of the fact that Decisions are made by the claimant showing that they meet criteria for an award.

It is possible for a Decision to be made without the claimant being seen but this only happens in a very small number of claims, you should prepare yourselves for having to attend an assessment.

Gordon

Do they make the decision by what is noted on the claim form as we will include as much detail as possible or do they make a decision on how he seems to be at the assessment. Will they examine him? Sorry to ask so many questions, but this is quite overwhelming. Its worrying because when I was off work after my cancer diagnosis I attended an assessment for my ESA and the lady was so sympathetic - however when she wrote her report she completely contradicted everything I said. I had to take it to a tribunal and her decision was overturned but it was a really traumatic experience.