DLA and IB

My wife has been on high rate care and low rate mobility DLA and contribution based IB since 2005. Her DLA is up for renewal in Aug. She suffers from depression, PTSD and severe anxiety. She is also rather agoraphobic as she will not go anywhere without me. She is prone to overdosing and self harming.

She has been seeing someone at the CMHT since 2005 and has tried different medications and seen 2 different therapists but nothing has helped. Her CMHT worker is now saying that there is not much more that they can do to help as my wife is reluctant and scared to see another therapist (for talking therapy). So the CMHT want to just transfer her care back to the GP to monitor her and to medicate her.

If she is seen not to be participating in her recovery by not doing the talking therapy because she is too scared to leave the house and too scared to face just what the therapy will bring up. Will this work against her with DLA and IB? Will she be turned down because she is seen as not complying.

I hope you can understand what I am trying to say.

Thanks

Hi rmdo92

For IB and ESA the test is based on a claimants ability to undertake tasks. Not receiving treatment shouldn't be a factor.

In reality almost anything can wrongly be used against a claimant including not receiving treatment (or even watching TV), so I don't think you need to be overly concerned about it. When your wife is migrated to ESA and has to fill in a medical form, she can state on the form the reasons why she does not see a therapist, as you have done.

I'm not knowledgeable about DLA but I would imagine the same applies.

Hope this helps

Derek