The sour joke that is Disability Living Allowance
I’ve had a letter rejecting me for all components of Disability Living Allowance. I now have to go back to see the nice chap at the Citizens Advice Bureau, and lodge an appeal. Again, the premise outlined in the letter seems to be that you only get it if you have no arms, no legs, cannot feed yourself, clothe yourself, or anything else. Not having a head is also helpful. People in comas on life support can’t apply, so I guess this approach saves a lot of money that can be better spent on blowing up Iraqi civilians.
Having to appeal is standard. It’s an outrage how DLA is administered, but of course people don’t give a damn unless they themselves are disabled, have friends or family who are disabled, or work with the disabled. Politicians know this, love it, and work with it when drawing up grand plans for how they’re going to spend the nation’s money.
I’ve been told on very good authority that applications are summarily rejected in most instances, and only really examined properly when appeals are lodged. So they’re basically rubber-stamped with a big ‘NO’ until you fight back, at which point your application is pulled from the pile and actually read properly before a second decision is made. If you’re still rejected on appeal, you can then take the matter to an independent tribunal, which I will do if necessary.
If only our successive governments were as hard on antisocial behaviour as they are on the disabled, we’d have a much safer society. And if we all became parents in our teens, we’d have more money coming in as well (plus the offer of a nice house). People finding it hard to get a job or unable to afford higher education could always try committing serious crime, being able to look forward to any number of free educational courses while in prison, confident that their human rights as criminals will be far better respected than those of any ordinary Joe.
But this disabled person has the guts to fight back, and knows how to secure help from others in doing that. So fight back I shall.
tags: benefits, disability, Disability Living Allowance, entitlements, rights
5 comments on “The sour joke that is Disability Living Allowance”
July 2nd, 2008 at 10:09 am
That sucks. Scott had to apply twice before he got it, yet there was a guy who lived just down from my mum who got it for a supposed ‘bad back’ when he did labouring on the sly. Yeah, really bad back.
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:14 am
The administration of DLA really is a national disgrace. They say those with unseen disabilities can and should apply, then reject them because they have no physical external disabilities. It makes no sense from any moral perspective, but I guess it does financially if morals aren’t important. x
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:18 am
From my period of five years on Incapacity Benefit, I know the horrors of those applications. I never applied for DLA because I knew I would be rejected straight away. I have x-rays showing my spine disintegrating, but if I am not permanently in a wheelchair, tough! If you have any kind of disability that is not immediately visible, automatically it is assumed you are lying. I even had my doctor call me a liar to my face (when I swapped surgeries after moving) and had to complain to the practice manager (I got a fulsome apology) because I have managed to exercise my way back into full time work. He had my medical records in front of him for (insert diety)’s sake! I got my council flat as a result of having disabilities (for example as I don’t believe I have told you this but may have so sorry if I have, I cannot live above first floor without a lift, cannot take baths without bars to help me get in and out, need bannisters in my hallway to support me down our two stairs and on my absolute worst days I can’t walk - I have a lovely collection of four walking sticks) yet somehow I am not disabled because I can work. Never mind the amount of painkillers I am prescribed to help me cope - which I try not to take as I am wary of addiction. It’s a joke. Especially when it is a mental problem or back problem.
I wish you all the luck in the world. Give em (insert nasty afterlife place)!
XXXX
July 2nd, 2008 at 3:34 pm
It’s in dire need of change, but of course the only changes any of our party leaders would consider is ways of making the benefit even less accessible. x
July 2nd, 2008 at 8:21 pm
Luck to you Andy, well you don’t really need luck cos right is on your side but then in this day and age …. double doses of luck I think ;o)
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