Child DLA timescale

A question about : Child DLA timescale

Hi I was just wondering if anyone had any experience of how long claims are taking at present. Form was delivered in May had an acknowledgement but that is it so far.

Best answers:

• If it is a renewal, can be around 6 months but usually longer. Why not give them a call in the morning?
• It is a renewal but I was also late putting in as her circumstances were up and down had an operation and had to see what defect it would have. Didn't help. I think I will give them until a week on Fri and then phone them. Wasn't sure if anyone had heard if they were behind. I know when I phoned to see if they had received it she said they were extremely busy.
• They do say to allow 11 weeks. Unless that's changed?
• Hi, I've recently put an application in and it took 12 weeks. They did give me the result over the phone though, as I called in on a weekly basis after 9 weeks!
• Mine took two weeks was most surprised as last time it took 16. There really is no telling as sometime it depends on how quick the GP writes back to them.
• Received a letter today saying sorry not reached a decision yet .
  Next steps they will look into claim and money will be backdated. (Jist of it )
  This seems a strange thing to write ? Anyone else any thoughts ? Mine were looks like I am in for a battle.
• Im also now at week 9 waiting. I phoned last week and was told they are snowed under and are just doing everything in date order. I asked if there was anything I could do to help ( ie. chase anyone) but was told no. Told the I was concerned because if they want info fro school, it closes in 3 weeks time. Ours runs out on 14 August and Im now getting sleepless nights fretting about it mainly because of the knock on affects to other income as I am my childs full time carer.
  Mine is a renewal too. Autistic child. Presentation the same as at initial claim. Has no input from GP as not required but heaps of support from school, SENCO etc
• I aren't happy as I am in a massive dilemma there is a job I want it involves travelling and is about the same money as am on now. I can't afford to go for it if they don't grant her dla as I haven't the heart to stop her extra activities !!!
  Interview for job Monday and I need a decision !!!!!
• They are apparently extremely busy. I put in a renewal for twins with the same genetic condition who had both been on high care and high mobility since the age of three. The results came through within a reasonable time span and one kept the same level and one was refused outright. This was despite identical reports from the paediatrician and an application form that was over 90% the same. I do appreciate they have some clinical differences but not that much! Anyway we asked for a mandatory reconsideration in February and we are still waiting despite sending in three lots of supplementary evidence. Apparently we are in the decision makers queue! We are now in to over 5 months of waiting time and have been promised a call back within five days. We shall see! I dread to think how long it is all going to take if we have to go to appeal.
• did they call you back yet, I spoke them them about dd and they said still working on Januarys.
• I phoned again, mainly to add new information, was told again that it still hasnt been looked at and that things were being dealt with in date order ( again) , when I questioned this because I know ppl who have applied and been granted in much quicker time, I was then informed that different surnames go off to different departments and some are more backed up than others.. oh and that I wasn't to panic as there was still plenty of time for it to be dealt with. :-o ... I shall sleep much more soundly with that reassurance.
• Still no news don't know how long they will take turned job offer down as I felt I was tempting fait going for it. Fingers crossed will hear soon.
  I did phone to be told it would be dealt with and would be back dated if she was to receive it.
• I have just spoken to them again as we are now at 19 weeks of waiting on our mandatory reconsideration and have been told that they are only just looking at reconsiderations from the last week of January and that we are looking at another two months of waiting time. This is way beyond the 12 week timescale they quote. He said the Birmingham office is particularly snowed under. I don't know if they deal with general applications and renewals as well as reconsiderations. Apparently if we end up having to go to appeal (which you can't do until the reconsideration has been done) then we will be lucky to get the whole process done within a year from the actual renewal date.
• spud04. Have you contacted your local MP? Sometimes they can hurry things along
• Thank you, yes I have written to him although I haven't had a reply yet. I spoke to the dla office again yesterday as I had been promised a five day call back which should have come through last week. When it didn't I rang back and the man I spoke to said I should never have been promised 5 days, all of their call backs operate on 10 days so I waited until this week and still no call. This time they put me through to Birmingham and a very nice lady who explained that Birmingham are the only office handling all of the new applications, renewals and mandatory reconsiderations for children. There is a massive backlog as since the mandatory reconsideration rule came in last October, decision makers are only handling two cases a day instead of six. However as of this week some cases are being exported to the Blackpool office (150 I believe) so things may be starting to speed up slightly. I was quoted a wait time of approximately a month (just to get looked at - not necessarily a decision) yesterday which is better than the two months quoted last week.
• Hi, I hope my news might help give a glimmer of hope go some of you. On July recieved my application for my son with Aspegers along with a consultant letter confirming diagnosis and issues. A payment from Dla appeared in my bank on July 17th and a letter 2 days later confirming his award. They have not been in touchwith our gp, so the application and letter must have been enough evidence. I hope this is a good sign that those waiting will soon hear good news.
• Received a letter today dated 21/6/2014 !! It is appointed person letter phoned last week to be told I should hear by the end of the month is this a good letter or bad ?
• Oh dear I posted my daughters renewal last March heard May nope she had been turned down I appealed for it to be looked at again and her DLA ran out early July.
  I'm still waiting and I ring every week was told they were only looking at January's renewals at the mo but we are looking at 6 months to be eventually looked at,then no doubt it will be a tribunal.
  Now we receive no DLA while we wait for them to look at it again does this mean we will now loose the disability element of tax credits until all this is sorted?
  Also if DLA is awarded again what happens with tax credits we've lost through waiting for them to look at it (if this is what happens).
  It's all a joke,our renewal is straight forward nothing's changed and she's only on low rate of Ј18pw but still it's all so very frustrating.
• You need to contact tax credits and explain the situation.