12 April 2007
Benefits and Work has produced a guide to 70 questions you're likely to be asked at your DLA medical, along with information about what sort of observations the visiting doctor may be making of you and your home. We believe it will be invaluable to claimants wanting to ensure that they give accurate and detailed evidence if they have a visit from a Medical Services doctor.
Less predictable
Back in November we published a guide called '60 questions you're likely to be asked at your incapacity medical'. It proved very popular, with many people telling us that they were indeed asked most of the questions we'd suggested. A number of people asked why we hadn't done something similar for Disability Living Allowance. In part, the answer is because DLA medicals are not yet generally done using computer software - except in Medical Examination Centres - so they are much less predictable, with different doctors having their own styles of dealing with claimants.
However, the medical report form is now the same for all DLA medicals. So we have a pretty good idea of the questions the doctor should be asking in order to be able to complete the report. In addition, we have access to previously confidential training materials which give us further clues as to how the medical should be carried out. For example, much of the information on the general observations that visiting doctors are trained to make has come from the Guidance to Examining Medical Practitioners. And, of course, we have the combined experience of many hundreds of Benefits and Work members.
Hobbies
Bear in mind though, that which questions you are asked will also depend on what disability or illness you have. So don't expect the doctor to ask all the questions in this list, or to ask them in the order we've arranged them. They are also likely to ask follow-up questions. So, if you say that one of your hobbies is gardening then they may want to know whether you mow the lawn, weed borders, prune roses, etc.
Nonetheless, if you're preparing for a medical, this factsheet should help to ensure that you give accurate, detailed and relevant evidence at your medical and increase the chances of the correct decision being made in your case.
Members can download a copy of '70 questions you're likely to be asked at your DLA medical' and, in addition, a copy of the medical report form the visiting doctor will complete in the course of their, visit from the members area.
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