DLA Renewal
Posted on 2005-04-20
As I've been unable to work for a number of years due to ill health I currently receive Incapacity Benefit and, up until last July, Disability Living Allowance also. [For those who don't know, once you qualify to receive Disability Living Allowance it's usually awarded for 2 years, after which you are then invited to reapply.]
In July 2004 I received a letter from the Department For Work And Pensions notifying me that my Disability Living Allowance was due for renewal, and enclosed was a set of forms for me to complete and return. I sent the forms back within the given time period as requested, expecting to hear from the DWP in due course.
By September I hadn't heard from them so I decided to telephone their offices to see what was happening, as by this time my money had been stopped. It turns out the DWP never received the forms I returned to them, but as no reminder was sent out I had no idea that this was the case. Another set of forms was sent to me, which I again completed and sent back. This time they were received, however unfortunately my GP went on maternity leave about the same time, and so when the DWP wrote to her asking her for medical evidence to back up my DLA claim they didn't receive a reply.
After months of telephone calls and waiting for my GP to return from maternity leave, medical evidence from my doctor was eventually sent to the DWP and I was told that my claim could now be processed.
Today, months later, I finally received a call today from a DWP Doctor. [These are usually practicing GPs who are subcontracted to the DWP and who are trained in how to carry out medical visits for the purpose of DLA claims.] Anyway, he has been asked to come and see me as the DWP need more information in order to process my claim. This is not a good sign. Most people who are visited by a DWP Doctor are turned down for one reason or another, [usually because the visiting doctor doesn't know enough about the condition and therefore writes an inaccurate report for the DWP], and I know many people who have M.E/CFS who have had to appeal before they continued to receive their DLA payments.
Anyway, he wants to come and see me tomorrow which doesn't leave me much time to prepare myself. I haven't got a clue what information the DWP doctor requires, or why a visit is necessary in addition to the report my GP completed, [when I claimed the first time I wasn't asked to see a DWP doctor], although I guess it could be to ensure that my claim is genuine and that I'm not trying to commit benefit fraud.
I'll just have to wait and see what tomorrow brings.