Hi. I called up dwp today see if decision had been made yet. He told me decision has been made and letter is in post I have been awarded standard rate care. And nothing for mobility. I have been getting DLA for 5 years. Where I have been in receipt of high rate mobility and standard rate care. My money is going to cut in half. How can they now say I dont need help getting out and about. I virtually have no balance walk with sticks only as far as taxi. Some days I need help out to taxi. When I was at the assessment I was hanging off my parters arm and using stick. He had to help me to the room and back. Nurse could see how off balance I was so never got me to do physical examination. And when asked how far I could walk, told her I cant walk length of myself. She said to me you walked from round the corner-this was only because taxi could not park outside. And also I walked along the corridor to her room. I pointed out that I needed someone to hold on to, and she seen this for herself. I think the assessment centres are designed to make you fail. I am going to appeal. But dont know what I am going to do in mean time. Stressed me right out. I spend out over ÂŁ100 week in taxis. Have even reduced my hours from 40 down to 25. Im either going to have to go back full time which will kill me or give up job altogether. With out this help I think I will end up becoming a recluse. I have left msg for CAB to call me back with appointment. Can anyone tell me tho will my DLA continue while appealing or does this stop. And how successful are appeals. What information do they look at differently. And would it help me getting letters of Taxi drivers who have seen me at my worse and virtually had to carry me in to house. Is there any other evidence that would help. Sorry for going on and on. Thanks Violet
It is wicked the way disabled people are being treated. I hope you will be appealing.
Contact citizens advice and get as much help with the appeal as you can.
www.benefits and work.co.uk Do you know about this site, itâs very good.
Good luck Violet
X
Oh Violet! I can see why you are devastated by this so obviously wrong decision!
Yes, you must appeal. I have seen on these boards before, that appeals are highly successful. Youâd be better to get medical letters, from your GP, or neuro, or MS nurse.
I donât think letters from taxi firms would help much, but you never know!
Good luck with your appeal. This is just to o much for genuinely ill folk to cope with.
My turn is in the offing and Iâm dreading it too.
Love Pollx
Thanks poll. Yes I will also get letters from GP and MS nurse but I would have thought the DWP would have written to them. I handed in occupational health report and letter from employer about reduction in hours. But it is taxi drivers who see me on daily basis and and who help me on daily basis. Ill ask CAB what they think. X
hi Violet2501 have just read your post - sounds pretty identical to how I feel. DEPRESSING!
If you are using taxis for work you should contact access to work. They may be able to help with the costs.
Please find the will to appeal, I know that it is dreadfully stressful but many people are successful. You must first ask for a mandatory reconsideration (you canât appeal without doing this) if you google âmandatory reconsiderationâ you will find lots of info but in fairness I found lots of outdated advice too. Benefits and work (ÂŁ20.00 to join) have guides to walk you through the process which is up to date and accurate. Basically you are asking the DWP to look again. If they uphold their decision you can then go into the appeals process. You have one month to ask for the reconsideration and this time limit is very strict.
One thing I would suggest is not to expect the examiners to make inferences âshe could see how unbalanced I wasâ and yet she commented on how far you had actually walked to get there. In my experience you need to be both accurate and explicit. Itâs no good saying that you can walk less than 2m if you then demonstrate that you can walk 50. It is better to say that some days you can walk further but there are consequences like pain or fatigue.
A mandatory reconsideration gives you the opportunity to provide additional evidence so get busy with your gP, consultant and Ms nurse if they will be supportive.
Iâm not sure about your money. My feeling is that they will commence the new rate and back date if you are successful. I am pretty sure that they will not continue to pay DLA.
Thanks for advice wendels. I do use access to work. But still pay 25p a mile so I am ÂŁ15 day. ÂŁ60 week to get to work on top of that I get taxis to docs. Hospital,Etc and visiting my mum at weekends. I cant go on bus. Cant even walk to bus stop so have no choice but to get taxi. I am going to appeal. But I have read appeal could go against you and I might loose other award.
Itâs quite true that an appeal will look at the whole claim again and not just the portion (mobility or care) that you are unhappy with. In theory you could loose the care portion rather than enhance your mobility award but I wouldnât let that put you off. Beef up your care application at the same time as you emphasise your mobility needs and you will be fine.
From reading your OP I really feel that it was the walk from the taxi to the examination that did for you. On the one hand you were describing your difficulties but in reality demonstrating that you could do more. I think that you need to stress that although you can sometimes cover distances it has such a profound effect on you that you rarely do it - and never unaided. The DWP do not like ambiguity, they are not known for giving you the benefit of the doubt so you need to spell everything out. Do not feel that you need to stick to the measly spaces that they provide. It takes me at least a side of A4 to describe my mobility difficulties. I could just say that I can walk so many metres but this would not give a full or accurate picture. It is my feeling that if I describe fully what I can and cannot do they are less likely to dispute it. For example I can walk in the home but never do so outside. I explain fully why this is (fear of falling, getting stranded etc) They are much less likely to question what I put if I exemplify.
good luck with your mandatory reconsideration - who knows, you might not even need to appeal
Jane
Iâm in the same situation. I wrote a comprehensive mandatory reconsideration, going in to 3 pages and including everything I could think of that proves my disability: Rejected.
Iâve been awarded lower mobility and no care component.
Part of the reason, I think, is that when I first when on to ESA and filled the âhow your disability affects youâ form - I wasnât diagnosed with MS. I had no idea, in fact. It was filled out with stress/anxiety which is what I got as a diagnosis at the time.
Iâm now going to tribunal for appeal. Itâs disheartening, frustrating and very upsetting - but you must fight; we all must fight.
The powers that be are taking freedom, independence and dignity away from those most plighted in our society and being brandished âbenefit hoggersâ or the likes. Itâs a national scandal.
Vodafone, Amazon, Google - massive companies who do not pay their tax are never held to account, however the poorest and least able are lambasted and called frauds.
We must fight it. Not only in the name of equality, but also in the name of victimisation and the terrible repercussions that can occur if the Government are able to say âWe have saved ÂŁ3bn from welfare by getting benefit scroungers back to workâ
The reality is: People lost hope and gave up on their appeals processes which could have seen them with the help they deserve.
Apologies for the rant, but whatâs going on is not fair.
Thanks everyone for kind replies. Not been the best of weeks have took relapse again. And i am bk in hospital, will be in for 3 to 5 days on intravenous steroids. Will get another mri tomorrow. Partner had to get wheelchair to take me in to docs. Same symptoms as before. Loss coordination. No power down left side. Loss of spch. So was sent to hospital to rule out stroke. Life sucks sometimes
violet
ask the hospital to copy you into any letters they send to your gp.
the more evidence the better.
good luck with your appeal.
get onto it asap.
your husband could write the request for reconsideration.
much love
carole x
Thanks carole. I was in hospital last yr and had letters from then that gave as evidence. But have asked doc and ms nurse to do letters. My doc has seen me at my worse so know how it affects me x
One thing that you could do is to adapt the answers I put on my Blue Badge application - since that is about how far you can walk:
On a good day:
Unaided/unsupported about two steps.
With two sticks, about 5 metres before resting.
With tri-walker, 5-7 metres before resting.
With FES and tri-walker about 40-50 metres before resting.
From what you have said, you could adapt along the lines of:
With two sticks, or with support, about 15 metres before resting.
But on a bad day, a wheelchair is needed to cover this distance. cannot use wheelchair on my own due to loss of left arm function
Put your own numbers in, but you get the idea.
Geoff
That is really good advice thank you for that. I think im going to have to invest in wheelchair soon anyway
Do you think being in hospital will add weight to my case.this is second time in 10 months took relapse been in hospital and been on steroids. I have never got over last relapse and symptoms have got worse. So dont know how im going to be after this.
Can you ask for the name and medical body they are attached to? When my own assessment comes up Iâm going to put it to them they are over ruling the qualifications of the neuro consultants. When did they get the degree in Neuro medicine. Will make it very clear in a calm and collected way they will be reported to the Governing body which they are attached to making an official complaint about there lack of knowledge in this field. Terrified of my own coming up soon. Has me really stressed out. Spasms just are relentless. They will be messing with the wrong monster here. Three consultants canât be wrong can they?
I totally agree was atos healthcare who did my assessment and was seen by staff nurse and I even said that before I went what knowledge do they have of ms. The docs in hospital dont even have enough knowledge . They had to phone neuro team at another hospital for advice. Iâm going to CAB when I get out of here for advice i will also mention this. They should also know medical body to write to . Ill certainly do that if appeal turned down. Thanks for advice x
If the atos guys donât know much about ms, can you imagine what theyâll make of my idiopathic spastic paraparesis?
Polx
I know that ATOS does employ some staff with training in Neurological conditions because I have had an assesment with them (not for DLA/PIP though - my employers do their assessments for work capabity/reasonable adjustments etc through that (evil/incompetent) organisation.
The woman I saw was a Doctor not a nurse and seemed - to know what she was talking about. She did give me what I thought was a pretty fair review which was the major factor in allowing me to move to my current home-based role.
I have had a LOT of ATOS assesments and know a lot of people from my organisation that have been through them too. My view of the quality of ATOS staff is not very high. The nurses/occupational therapists who I have seen have varied from OK to flaming stupid. They seem to be on a treadmill and the whole thing is a box ticking excercise with no professional input at all.
As far as I can see, the âtick the box - meet the targetâ culture for PIP assesments is even worse.
I am dreading when the time comes for me to have my DLA reassesed for a move to PIP (I now live in a CAPITA area). I have been in receipt of Higher Rate mobility for some time and my mobility is getting worse - I am very dependent on my blue badge (husband drives me as I have had to give up my licence) and other things that stem from the award like my bus pass/railcard etc. If I lose it I will be very VERY isolated.