DWP inaction - what can I do?

I submitted my DLA claim in August and they wrote to my consultant to ask for a report at the start of October.
I have been chasing the DWP for 3 weeks now and discovered - after having rung my consultant's secretary - that the hospital never received the request.

Having spoken to the DWP again today, they have still done nothing, even though I notified them of this 10 days ago, plus that my consultant would do the report immediately if they faxed it through.

I only have 2 weeks left on my existing award. Does anyone know please how I can get the DWP action this, without pushing them so hard that they just say, well you'll just have to have a medical instead?
I am so ill at the moment that I can't cope with the additional stress of a medical.
Thanks.

caf wrote:

I submitted my DLA claim in August and they wrote to my consultant to ask for a report at the start of October.
I have been chasing the DWP for 3 weeks now and discovered - after having rung my consultant's secretary - that the hospital never received the request.

Having spoken to the DWP again today, they have still done nothing, even though I notified them of this 10 days ago, plus that my consultant would do the report immediately if they faxed it through.

I only have 2 weeks left on my existing award. Does anyone know please how I can get the DWP action this, without pushing them so hard that they just say, well you'll just have to have a medical instead?
I am so ill at the moment that I can't cope with the additional stress of a medical.
Thanks.

Hi Caf

Sorry to hear this.

In most cases the DWP DLA Decision Maker will ask for details from your GP, but if your consultant is happy to provide one and you think it is helpful to your claim, you can use it.

There's no reason why you shouldn't obtain you consultants report yourself and submit it to the DLA unit Blackpool.

Your consultant should send the report to you, unless there is information that he does not wish you to see.

You should send it Recorded Delivery and keep a copy, write your name & National Insurance number on the report and number the pages if necessary.

Please read the B&W guides on applying for DLA and providing Medical Evidence in the Members Only orange section.

Regards

Michael

Thanks Michael

Would I have to pay the Consultant for a report? If so, have you got any idea what sort of charge there is please?

I sent in copies of all the consultant's letters to my GP as part of my claim, which clearly sets out all my problems and how it affects my mobility, etc.

I talked to my consultant at my last appointment about DLA, in the hope of giving her some info on what my care needs are, but she said that she wouldn't write anything about specific care needs as she had not personally observed anything.
To this end, I wonder what use a report would actually be, and what it could add to the info I've already submitted...?

caf wrote:

Thanks Michael

Would I have to pay the Consultant for a report? If so, have you got any idea what sort of charge there is please?

I sent in copies of all the consultant's letters to my GP as part of my claim, which clearly sets out all my problems and how it affects my mobility, etc.

I talked to my consultant at my last appointment about DLA, in the hope of giving her some info on what my care needs are, but she said that she wouldn't write anything about specific care needs as she had not personally observed anything.
To this end, I wonder what use a report would actually be, and what it could add to the info I've already submitted...?

Hi C,

The problem is that G.P.'s and Consultants are not under any contractual obligation to provide letters of support or to fill out reports for their patients on a personal basis.

Some G.P.'s and Consultants will provide the above free of charge, some will for a fee, and some will not do so at all.

A Consultant could charge up to around £300 for a full report, and as you say, there is no guarantee that it would be of any help to your claim.

See information here on guidance given to G.P.'s on filling in reports for the DWP :

www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/medical-reports-completion.pdf

bro58

I don't wish to sound facetious and detract from the OP's question, but section 2.2.3 on page 7 of the document entitled "DWP Medical (Factual) Reports – A Guide to Completion" states:-

....Identification of these patients may avoid the need to bring them to an unnecessary face to face assessment.

I think that every claimant without exception would agree that the face to face assessment was "unnecessary"!

My Consultant at the hospital filled out all the form describing my illness, what is was, what could happen etc .. and then it asks at then end question 7, about Self care,normal every day things you do, insight and awareness of danger, then the ability to get around including pain, gait, balance, breathlessness, visual loss and communicating difficulties. He wrote " he is aware of illness and "should" be able to do the things asked.It asks also about pain and I was released from hospital on MST, so they cannot read, or maybe understand English?