DLA problems are never ending!

I got a decision last week on my DLA claim and again I was refused so I sent in a huge letter of complaint because I disagreed with their decision and the way they handled my claim.

Anyway I just phoned them and they said instead of an appeal they can do a reconsideration over the phone so I said yeah go ahead and went though the whole claim with her. I should be getting help for care and for mobility and so should my daughter.

I am at the end of my tether. Whats the possibility of them actually changing the decision in my favour?

I also brought up the fact that they had used information from an Atos medical last year that was overturned in my favour!!?

Has anybody else experienced this? I had no idea they could do that or Id have done it before and for my daughter also!

Carolyn wrote:

I got a decision last week on my DLA claim and again I was refused so I sent in a huge letter of complaint because I disagreed with their decision and the way they handled my claim.

Anyway I just phoned them and they said instead of an appeal they can do a reconsideration over the phone so I said yeah go ahead and went though the whole claim with her. I should be getting help for care and for mobility and so should my daughter.

I am at the end of my tether. Whats the possibility of them actually changing the decision in my favour?

I also brought up the fact that they had used information from an Atos medical last year that was overturned in my favour!!?

Has anybody else experienced this? I had no idea they could do that or Id have done it before and for my daughter also!

Hi C,

There is always a chance that an adverse decision can be changed at reconsideration stage, especially if fresh evidence or information is provided by the claimant.

B&W always advises that a claimant should appeal in the first instance, as an automatic reconsideration will then take place. This will be carried out by a different DWP DM.

It may be advisable to submit a written appeal anyway, using GL24 within the 1 month deadline, to cover yourself.

It is not advisable to rely purely on information and assurances given over the phone.

bro58

I also sent in a letter of complaint regarding the handling of my claim. I sent it to my local DWP that deals with DLA and they forwarded it to blackpool


6th March 2012







Dear Sir/Madam,



National Insurance Number:



I am writing to you regarding my recent applications for DLA in the last year. I assume that I am writing to the correct department or one of the correct departments as it states on the website where I got this e-mail address that:



“Glasgow Disability Benefits Centre (DBC) provides access to Disability Living Allowance, Attendance Allowance and Carer's Allowance for disabled people and carers in the Strathclyde region of Scotland.

The DBC Customer Service Team is responsible for dealing with customer feedback, compliments, recommendations about our service and complaints. We also provide a forms completion service, by telephone, to assist customers in completing DLA and AA applications.”

Given I live in the Strathclyde area and am also experiencing ongoing problems with DLA among other disability related issues I assume that this includes me.

I have been on the lowest rate for care for the last 3 years as initially I was diagnosed with having Carpal Tunnel Syndrome but was finally diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome on March 31st 2010. Ehlers Danlos Syndrome is a connective tissue disorder and is due to a genetic default which affects collagen in the body, collagen is in every part of your body in varied forms but with a disorder like EDS this can affect many areas with no limitations.

I have had many health issues for many years which I now know to be caused by Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and I am still seeking further diagnosis as I may have Vascular EDS which can be fatal.

I have continued to get worse since my initial diagnosis for which I will be returning to the only clinic that deals with EDS patients in the whole of Scotland at the end of this month to discuss further elaboration on my diagnosis and many other issues as my own doctors do not know what to do with me. Ehlers Danlos is incurable and although it is not progressive like some other illnesses like Multiple Sclerosis it does progressively get worse because of deterioration to the collagen through wear and as a result of minor injuries. All areas of the body can be affected including the brain, heart, lungs, stomach, bowels etc it is a limitless condition and in my own case it’s not limited either.

I have now applied for DLA again three times because my condition has got worse to the point where my mobility is now severely impaired. At most I can move around my own flat if and when I have to although on many occasions this is only for a few minutes at a time and in many cases I have to sit down or be holding on to something. I am in constant pain as all of my joints frequently dislocate with the slightest movement and are continuing to get more loose and unstable on a day to day basis. I also frequently dislocate in my sleep and often wake up in a lot of pain.

I also have chronic migraines and head pains, frequent ear infections, balance issues and dizzy spells, muscle twitches in various places, visual disturbance, breathing problems, possible irritable bowel syndrome, bladder weakness and occasional incontinence which is also getting more frequent, dislocating ;neck, shoulders, collarbone, elbows, wrists, fingers, upper and lower back, ribs, hips, back, knees, ankles toes, chronic fatigue, depression, mood swings, insomnia, memory loss, brain fog and this is just some of my issues.

My teenage daughter has also recently been diagnosed with EDS the same as myself and is also on the way to being as bad as I am at only 18 years.

I haven’t been out since Christmas Day and that was for a couple of hours to my mothers for dinner, before that it was the beginning of October and before that I cant remember but it was another few months.

Currently I am on the lowest rate for care only which is apparently to help prepare a meal for one despite the fact that both my daughter and I are caring for each other which isn’t ideal because both of us have got so bad. I depend 100% on internet banking and online food shopping which is for big shops. I cannot physically get to the shops across the road and sometimes neither can my daughter who as I already mentioned is also getting worse. I have a friend who helps out now and then but has her own family to look after and is also currently pregnant and cannot do this much more. Neither of us have any support from anywhere.

After my most recent claim for DLA which I was told had been processed as a renewal I have now been refused any change whatsoever regardless of the fact that my mobility is so impaired that I can’t even get out to go to my local shop which ordinarily would be a 5 minute trip across the road and back!

I had called to find out what was happening with my most recent application and was told that they were still waiting to hear back from my doctor even though I had asked on the form for them to contact the professor located at Glasgow Royal Infirmary as he is the only medical professional who knows anything about EDS who has ever examined me and has also written a report on my condition. I was told that they wouldn’t contact him as it had been nearly two years since I seen him regardless of the fact that this was because he’s the only person who knows anything about my condition.

When I finally received the most recent letter regarding my application I was refused any chance from the lowest rate of care I currently get and they took the information from the form I filled in online and also from a medical that I had over a year ago which was later overturned. How can information from a medical which was overturned in my favour be used to determine whether I should be awarded DLA help for mobility and care? Now my only option is to appeal and now wait probably another year which going by the way my condition is progressing I cant even begin to imagine how bad I will be by then as it will only make my already growing depression and anxiety with having to live which such a debilitating illness.

I should be getting a higher rate of DLA for care and also at least a mobility component as should my daughter, we should also both be getting help as we are caring for each other but apparently we do not get this because neither of us are on a high enough rate of DLA to qualify.

I am very unhappy at the way my case is being dealt with and wish to make a complaint and would appreciate if somebody could try and help sort something out to make my life and also my daughters at least bearable.

I want to know why it seems valid for a year old medical which was rendered obsolete by my ESA appeal can be used to judge whether I should be getting more help from DLA and why they wont accept information from a fully qualified professional who is the only medical professional in the whole of Scotland who has seen and diagnosed me for Ehlers Danlos Syndrome Type III.

Does the person who is making these decisions even know what Ehlers Danlos Syndrome is and how it affects people who have it? I certainly put as much information as possible on all of the application forms I have submitted yet this information obviously seems to be overlooked.

I am at the end of my tether as it is living with this illness day to day that is completely debilitating and I need help and honestly I don’t have time to wait around for yet another appeal. I can barely manage as it is and am also trying to care for my daughter despite the fact that most days I can barely get dressed because of being so exhausted and in pain.

I would appreciate some kind of help regarding this before its too late for me and before things get much worse for my daughter too.

Heres a link regarding Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. I would appreciate if you could pass this on to the whoever is making such devastating decisions about my life so that they might actually consider it in the future for some other poor customer of the DWP with EDS. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ehlers%E2%80%93Danlos_syndrome





Yours Faithfully





Carolyn Cameron