Advice regarding DLA

ann wrote:

hi can someone please advise me on how i can claim carers allowance for my husband he gets dla but without the carers compoment it is the highest rate i am the one who looks after him i have done for the last 9years i think he gets it as a mobility one as he suffers with artritis but he also suffers with depression asthma and he is dietbetic he had a mental breakdown about 4years ago and i got told to try for carers allowance but welfare rights said i could,nt claim it because he was.nt on care compoment with is dla and they also told me he could loose this if i put in a claim i am now suffering with arthritis myself but am waiting to hear from them to see if my claim will be accepted i had to bathe wash change is clothes and everthing else for the 9 years he is still on all medication and i still have to prompt him about looking after himself and also make sure he still takes is medication but now i find with my arthritis in my hips spine knees so cant help him as much now what help is there for such as me please regards ann

Hi,

Your Welfare Rights were correct. A DLA claimant needs to claim either Middle or High Rate DLA Care Component to permit someone to claim carers allowance. An award of a DLA Mobility component (whether Low or High) does not permit anyone to claim Carers Allowance for the claimant.

It is true if he asks for his claim to be reviewed to see if he could claim DLA care, then his mobility component could be reviewed as well.

If you are under 65 you could always try to put in a DLA claim for yourself if you have mobility or care needs. To claim ring 0845 7123456 and ask for a claim form. If you are over 65, you may be able to claim Attendance Allowance but that only has Care components (no mobility component). The guides in the members are very helpful if you decide to claim.

Pete

hi thanks pete i am waiting to hear about my claim for dla but i noticed in the evening post last wednesday that upto thirtyone million was not claimed by carers and i just wanted to know how do i get it for looking after my hubby he sent a new claim form in when he got out of hospital telling them he now had dietbetis and his surcumstances had changed but he got a letter back saying no change to origanal form he still suffers with depression and has a breakdown every so often where he ends up crying or cant cope with day to day things and its me that sorts all this out my kids can,t understand why dad gets like this and i just tell them he,s ill and cant help it that,s why i wanted to know if anyone like me can get help to look after him i have to use my older son to go shopping for us when he,s like this as he suffers panic attacks also i can,t do shopping because of the pain in my spine my records from the docter showed i have problems with disc,s L2/3 L3/4 L4/5 but i don,t know what that means any help would be gratefully recieved thanks again ann

ann wrote:

hi thanks pete i am waiting to hear about my claim for dla but i noticed in the evening post last wednesday that upto thirtyone million was not claimed by carers and i just wanted to know how do i get it for looking after my hubby he sent a new claim form in when he got out of hospital telling them he now had dietbetis and his surcumstances had changed but he got a letter back saying no change to origanal form he still suffers with depression and has a breakdown every so often where he ends up crying or cant cope with day to day things and its me that sorts all this out my kids can,t understand why dad gets like this and i just tell them he,s ill and cant help it that,s why i wanted to know if anyone like me can get help to look after him i have to use my older son to go shopping for us when he,s like this as he suffers panic attacks also i can,t do shopping because of the pain in my spine my records from the docter showed i have problems with disc,s L2/3 L3/4 L4/5 but i don,t know what that means any help would be gratefully recieved thanks again ann

Hi,

With regards to your husbands DLA claim, as said in my previous answer, if he asks for his claim to be reviewed to take into account of care needs, he really does need to get some face to face advice from such as welfare rights to both to assess the relative 'safety' of his current mobility award and also the potential success for claiming for any care needs.

The guides in the members area give good indications as to what care needs may result in an award of DLA care:

www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/help-for-claimants/dla

With regards to yourself, again with DLA it is all about mobility and/or care needs - a diagnosis is really only of secondary value. It sounds from what you have said you have some sort of problems with the Lumbar area of the spine (what L3/4 L4/5 etc usually refer to - I am not a doctor though!). If you have already made a claim, then until the result of the claim is known not a lot can be done further. Again the DLA guides in the members area explain the process.

www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/help-for-claimants/dla

Pete

hi pete thanks for your help will see what hapens with my case and then see if i can get help with my hubby thanks again regards ann

hi need help just been refused dla stating i won,t get anything for my osteoarthritis because they have decided i don,t need help with anything i am in constant pain and i explained all this and also gave them my doctors medical notes stating that i have a degenaritive disiese that will only get worse as i get older i explained that i cannot do alot of things for myself but have been told by these that i can i feel so p off with all this because i have worked all my life since i was 14 years old i did,nt ask to get like this i am now 55 years old and cannot do alot of things i use to do i am like a walking cripple my doctors notes stated that my disc,s L2/3 L3/4 L4/5 are giving me back problems this is now the 5th time i have been refused help and now feel i can no longer carry on as i have done in the past please can anyone help me fight my case and tell me what the next step would be and how i go about this thanyou a very annoyed and whinging person but they need to understand me that i am in no fit state to try and go back to work in my condition but would loved to if i was not in so much agony helppppppppppppppppp regards once again ann

Hi Ann

IMO i would appeal the decision to refuse you DLA. If you have only just received the letter advising the decision let them know asap that you want to appeal. You have 1 month in which to do this. If its any consolation i applied for DLA several times and was turned down each time so i went to a tribunal and won my case. You really need to get some face to face help with the whole situation asap.

I will be thinking about you, take care and good luck!!

Mm x