dla

Hello i wonder if you can help me,my wife recieves high rate care & low rate mobility she started recieving this in april 2010 until april 2013, she has just recently ( last few months ) been diagnosed with COPD & ANGINA we have been told to apply for the mobility increase due to walking & breathing problems, but i am concerned that this could mess up what we already recieve, would it be ok to ring them and apply or would we still have to fill in a new claim.
Any advice regarding this would be appreciated.
Thankyou

You can phone them, but you're likely to find a big fat form dropping on your doorstep, and as you've already sussed, they could reassess the whole of your wife's entitlement, not just the mobility component.

Maybe a bit of thinking about how solid her claim for the care component was. Was it marginal or was it comfortably enough care that she needed? Does she need more care now? (I don't pretend to know what care someone with COPD might need.)

Maybe also look at our guides to DLA and ask yourself how comfortably your wife would pass the tests for higher rate mobility. Is it borderline in terms of how far she can walk or how much discomfort she's in, or is it pretty cut and dried?

That's just a few thoughts. I'm afraid it rather leaves you with some "homework" going back through the guides to DLA.

ajopz wrote:

Hello i wonder if you can help me,my wife recieves high rate care & low rate mobility she started recieving this in april 2010 until april 2013, she has just recently ( last few months ) been diagnosed with COPD & ANGINA we have been told to apply for the mobility increase due to walking & breathing problems, but i am concerned that this could mess up what we already recieve, would it be ok to ring them and apply or would we still have to fill in a new claim.
Any advice regarding this would be appreciated.
Thankyou

Myself and about five others on here asked this question in the last few months and where all supprised how smooth the request went.

If there has been a big change and she is much worse, and the new evidance is very good you might be alright

I only found out afterwards but out of 160,000 requests (aprox) only 3% had there DLA stopped. over 40% I think got an increase.
The problem comes when new evidance ... in a certain way contridicts the original award

you can take steps to protect your award for example in my case I wanted care but did not want my higher rate mobility to go down.... so I wrote all over the questions on mobility NO CHANGE PLEASE ONLY LOOK AT CARE

of course if they want they can, and if your form filling makes them think the other part of your award needs looking at they will look at it.

if you have lots of new evidance to back up your claim look at it, see how it might affect the claim you have now and get expert advice too.I was lucky to have access to 4 different charities welfare advisors some people cant get one.

good luck and dont rush

ps use this link to download and fill in form save to desk top and keep working on it at your own speed
www.dwp.gov.uk/advisers/claimforms/dla1a_adult_print.pdf