DLA supercession - lost my mobility allowance

I'm trying to remember the details of my exam last December. I was already walking with a stick then, and had to come by taxi (reimbursed by Atos), and I remember being left in so much pain by the things they asked me to do that I had to get a massage therapist in to my home the next day. At one point I got so dizzy I had to sit down and told them I couldn't do any more. In retrospect, I should have stopped the physical part of the exam earlier, to avoid being in as much pain as I was. I was already on high rate mobility by then, and I'm less mobile now than I was at that time.

The only real "improvement" I can think of is that when I filled out my original claim for DLA, I had suffered a couple of falls. Since then, I've been much more careful and always used my stick outdoors, so have not fallen since. However, my dizziness has gotten worse, so I'm actually more afraid of falls than I used to be.

XFACTOR wrote:

I do not beleive the reports were routinely used but the facility exists and it did happen.

How do you know that all this information which isn't readily available in the public domain, is actually correct?

I know becaquse I have seen DWP/ATOS training documents that show it happens. But in any event it stands to reason as a matter of logical deduction.

1. The DWP have in your IB50 as well as om their systems that people receive DLA and which component.

2. If the medical report calls into question for example a claimants mobility component, such as the findiongs at PCA are so at odds with the difficulty needed for the component, it is not difficult to see that the departments
will cross refer. Eg, client got mbility component on their own word and a GP report but the physical findings at examination showed pain free movement and good muscle tone with no sign of wasting

Any claimant attending a PCA or a ESA WCA should be aware of this risk, and also be prepared to use the report themselves to help obtain or retain on review DLA should the contents appear helpful to the component sought

I am not sure the DWP are so keen to let the DLA Unit know in cases where a PCA or WCA suggest a claimant not currently getting DLA might qaulify.

I can definately recommend you get a copy of your ESA report. Your word may not have been correctly represented within it, or even possibly some obvious inaccuracies or inconsistencies.

Is your walking painful even with your stick and within what distance does it become severely uncomfortable ? Notwithstanding your falls with less frequency this is a very important question. Your dizziness raises questions that may or not be helpful to potential entitlement.

I think you should see a local advice organisation, and we need not second guess what is going on. The forum is not the most efficacious way to get into this level of detail and is no substitute for face to face advice

I concur that the forum is not the most effective platform to become involved with an individuals circumstances, and that is why we always advise members to seek face-to-face advice to assist with their own claims/appeals.

That doesn't prevent us however from discussing questions and problems on general matters of procedure, which is precisely what has evolved from the debate within this thread.

I have ME, so the problem isn't the actual ability to walk, but the problem that walking a short distance makes me so fatigued that I have to lay down and rest.

I will certainly call CAB for advice, though going to see them is an ordeal in itself. Their office is on a pedestrian only street, so I'm already tired just from getting from the taxi to their front door.