When filling out DLA forms you need to inform them of your worst and better days, and how frequently each occurs. Giving a snapshot of your average day probably lead you to not getting the money you're entitled to. E.g - my Mum has a degenerative disk disease. She is in constant pain but usually manages to get about ok. 3 or 4 times a year her back gets worse and she ends up bedridden for 2 or 3 weeks, sometimes hospitalised. She gets the higher rate of both care and mobility. If she were to only have described her average day she would only get the mobility component, which pays for her car. Yet she needs the care component to pay for carers at her worst times. It's ok to use the phrase "My condition varies". Indeed, if I had £1 for every time I wrote it on my mothers form I'd be swanning off somewhere exotic for a holiday. My advice would be rather than pick your worst, best or average day, describe all three. In detail. Fill the form out on your computer so that you can copy and paste (being as the forms ask the same question, worded slightly differently, multiple times). For example..... "My condition varies. At my worst I cannot move at all, am bedridden and cannot move myself up the bed, I need two carers to lift me in to a seating position to take sips of water...etc. This occurs for two to three weeks at a time, on average three or four times a year. When recovering from my worst periods I can walk but only with help and aids.... etc On my better days I can walk without aids but am in constant pain and bending down is very difficult, I still need help to put my socks on... etc." This is the short version of a very lengthy description. It also helps to give a diary kept over as many weeks as possible if your condition varies. I was awarded DLA without an official diagnosis for the first time. It was at appeal and only for a year, but I was in the room with the judge, the doctor and the other person and they could see that I needed it. The doctor even (after they had made the decision), gave me advice on how to chase my diagnosis. I did have a letter from my GP to say that I was ill, that my form was factual and that investigations as to why this was occuring were ongoing. By the time it came to renewal I had my diagnosis and letters from consultants and it all went through smoothly. Hope that helps!

No, I don't rely on them either, they clearly can't be trusted. But for some benefits to have stopped when OP started work (assuming not just tax credits) then the DWP must have been informed somehow.

i'll call tomorrow to ask. Is it the disability policy which puts you off going to legoland or is there another reason?

Have you enquired about an evaluation for austism? Or is it something you would rather not persue? I wouldn't like to go back but my daughter would love to. She knows about the annual pass and also knows that it's "Mummy's Illnesses" that stop us going.

I was thinking the same thing about autism. I have a friend whose son is autistic and rules are set in stone for him. It was not only the girl at the booth who mentioned autism but also the lady I spoke to on the phone. So clearly this is part of their training. They're very righteous about the whole thing, which I find strange, as I am a disabled person who is telling them how I feel, yet they argue with me because they think they're "right". I have spoken to other disabled people about this today and two of the four mentioned that they just won't go there. One had been before and had a similar experience, and the other had called and asked about the policy and had decided that the policy made it off limits to her disabled daughter. I will try to encourage them to write in also but if they decide not to, it feels good to know that I am not alone in finding this policy to exclude me.

You're right, it's always best to inform the different departments, and you're also right that they will argue that they would never advise to call TC. But it's still worth taking legal advice. Afterall, the OP did pay the money back before it went to court and she did own up to the fact that she got confused. It is sad, that one mistake could have cost her job. I mean if she wanted to work illegally and claim benefits there are far less risky ways to do that. As you have said, the magistrate probably did consider that OP took the time to contact HMRC and obviously some information trickled through as her other benefits stopped. I think that may be where her legal argument lies (but likewise, I am not trained), in that the information *was* passed on to the other department but the error was theirs, and to cover that up they've persecuted her and cost her her livlihood. I'm in agreement that it is very sad indeed.

That's not strictly true, whenever I've had a change in circumstances with any benefit I have called Tax Credits to let them know and they have told me that there is no need as DWP will inform them of any changes. I have always rung to be on the safe side, but I can see where confusion and the assumption that all information is shared would originate.

Hello Honestly, I don't know. And that's not to say that I don't think you have a right to sue them, because I very strongly think you do. But I am not legal-minded. My advice would be to seek proper legal advice. Best of luck, what a dreadful experience!

But the people doing the medical examinations for ESA generally aren't doctors at all. Mine was conducted by a nurse, who had never even heard of one of my illnesses. She argued that it was impossible for me to have brain damage from an underactive thyroid being undiagnosed for several years. I produced a letter from my neurologist which stated that I had brain damage from my underactive thyroid going undiagnosed for several years, and she completely discounted it because she had never heard of it! It meant that none of my problems related to the diagnosis were considered during my assessment. It didn't matter that I could hardly balance, struggled to hold a pen etc... all because *she* had not heard of this before (and it's not even considered rare...). I have no issue with regular check-ins but I do think that the doctors who are involved with the patients are the only ones qualified to make these decisions. Certainly not practitioners who have no knowledge of the patient and, as you say, no specialist training.

Isn't there a question on the form for your practitioner to answer, which asks if the patients condition would improve in the foreseeable future?

I wonder if a sensory disability would be covered under the description... but I suspect not. Its also very strange because if you compare it to other Merlin attractions such as Sea Life and Chessington, they have a very disability-friendly attitude (they also don't offer a pay-for-shorter-queues service).

Their justification is that they offer a wheelchair, they let you bring a carer in for free (I have a disabled annual pass which lets a carer in free to all attractions) and some of their rides have some seats at some points in the queue...

Nystagmite - that is the whole policy, it seems. Only people who have autism or similar are given an exit pass. The only thing they offer someone with a physical disability is the "complementary" wheelchair.

Exactly GBarbm - They keep telling me that this policy is "right" for people like me but it makes me feel awful. So how is it right for me?

Thanks, I'll try writing a letter. When I've mentioned all of this to the customer service staff they tell me that the policy has been checked by several disability agencies and deemed a good one. I find that hard to believe because of the fact that it makes me feel so uncomfortable that I won't visit the park... and surely that's wrong?

Hi, I just wondered if anyone had any idea if this is legal... it doesn't feel like. I am disabled, I have a host of health problems including cerebellar ataxia, hypothyroidism, ezcema, asthma, diabetes, sleep apnoea... and so on. I walk but I need someone with me to help with my balance and I get very fatigued very easily. I have a Merlin annual pass (london theme parks). For all of them I have always had an access/exit pass so that I don't have to queue. I never expected it, it was just how they helped their disabled customers to access rides. In August I went to Legoland in Windsor and basically got screamed at by the girl at customer services because I am not entitled to an exit pass, it's only for autistic people who cannot understand the concept of queuing. The options I have are to try and queue, sit at the exit while my carer queues or they will lend me a wheelchair for the day. I can't do the queuing, nothing more than 5-10 mins standing is any good for me. I can't sit at the exit while my carer queues because I faint fairly often (especially in nicer weather, sunlight really affects me) and it kind of eliminates my taking a carer if they're away from me for extended periods of time. That leaves me with the wheelchair option.... I will probably, eventually, be a wheelchair user full time. I have to live with that and enjoy every day that I'm not. I find the idea of going in a wheelchair humiliating. Its as though I have to wear a badge saying "I'm disabled". I appreciate that some people don't have the choice, and one day I will be one of them. But how can they insist that this is what I HAVE to do? Its also impractical as I have an irritable bladder and irritable bowel so dashes to the loo are frequent and I would need my carer with me, so we'd lose our place in the queue. The last option is to pay for a "Q-Bot" system (which basically electronically queues for you and lets you know 5 mins before your place in the queue is at the front) but it works out at around £70 for the day, which is a huge amount of money. I feel as though they're holding me hostage - it's either my dignity or my cash I have to hand over. I have complained several times, only to be met with the same answer - it's money or wheelchair. Neither of which make the park accessable to me. Can I do anything?

Hi there It's not housing benefit anymore, it's LHA. Basically this means that you can choose where you want to live and indeed if you want a 5 bedroom house you can get one. But you will only be entitled to the LHA award for the amount of rooms you need. This means that you might be awarded LHA for a 1 bedroom property. If you want to rent a 2 bedroom one it's fine but you have to pay the difference. You can find out the exact amount for your area on the LHA website https://lha-direct.voa.gov.uk/Secure/Default.aspx Also, you can generally apply through your council up to 13 weeks before you move in (though please be aware that they will not pay your deposit) but you will need to speak to the council to check this out as it can vary.

Hi philip Thanks for the reply. I'm trying not to be angry about it but every now and again it pops up. I guess I'm also angry at the NHS for it taking 3 or 4 months to get each appointment. Maybe I'll find an MP or someone to write a letter of complaint to about the whole saga and get it off my chest Thanks again

Hi there thanks for the reply. It's a shame, I really wanted to put a stop to their bad practices and I feel as though they bullied me and won because I was vulnerable. But thanks for the reply, it was kind of you to take the time

Hi there i'm not sure whether I'd have a case or not so I'd appreciate your opinions! Since leaving my job last year I've always felt disgruntled at the way it happened. In May 2008 I returned to work after maternity leave. Shortly after I began to get severe back pain and was signed off work. It turned out to be a cyst which was removed in november 2008 and I returned to work a week or so after surgery. Several weeks later I was still feeling under the weather and getting progressively worse. I spoke to my GP who put me under investigation. At first her suspicion was cancer but then it was an auto-immune disease. I was again signed off as blood tests showed unusually high inflammatory markers indicating that, although we did not know what, something was definately wrong. I attempted to return to work as we were short on money and I was under pressure to do so. My manager had changed during my time away (actually I'd been thrown in to a whole new team) but I had always kept the company updated both officially (through medical certs) and unofficially (my partner worked at the same company, higher up than me). On my first day back I was asked to attend a meeting with both HR and my new line manager. They informed me that we may go down the disciplinary route. They wanted me to give them answers which I could not. All I could do was tell them that I was under investigation, I had a consultant appointment booked and that there was something wrong but we weren't sure what. They then asked me to leave the room, called me back 10 mins later and issued me with a 1st warning. Later that day I was told that my set shifts for childcare were being thrown out, that they were no longer obligated to stand by this. They then gave me the choice of working longer hours or working an opposite shift pattern to my partner (meaning that we would literally never have a day off together). I explained that I was not able to work longer hours and that I wasn't really well enough to work the hours I was. Also, as I often needed care at home it simply wouldn't have worked for my partner and I to be on opposite shifts. They were unwilling to budge and, knowing the company as I do, I knew that it was only going to get worse. I handed in my notice the next day. The manager has a history of bullying employees to quit and I feel that this is what happened to me and to be honest, I have felt disgruntled ever since. I know it seems weak to have handed in my notice so early in the battle but I was sick and exhausted and depressed. I simply couldn't cope with any more of the attempts to make me miserable in the workplace. Another deciding factor was that they took away our ability to go to the toilet freely (call centre, we had a button to press to stop calls coming through when we went to the loo but they took that function off) and we then had to ask permission from a line manager who would then time it and take the time off our lunch break. There really isn't anything they wouldnt stoop as low as to do. Since then it has been discovered that I have a medical condition which is classed as a disability (sleep apnoea) and since hearing this news I have become more and more angry about how I have been treated in the past. I want to challenge them. I don't care about money, I just don't want them to get away with it scot-free. What do you think? Is there any way I can stand up, be counted and say "what you did to me was wrong!"?

Hi Bankfodder, No I didnt realise that you can claim back to 1995, I had always read that it was 6 years. I desperately need the money, it's not a case of just wanting it and it being a bonus, I need it so I'll take any method I can. What should my next step be? Many thanks

OK, I will go in to the bank and find out, though they already took my £10 cheque I sent in! Egg card was taken out in August 2007 Thanks

Sorry guys, I know you must think I'm a numpty but I'm just poorly and can hardly think straight. I have 2 questions about different things 1) Barclays bank I wrote asking for a summary of costs over the last 6 years, they have cashed the cheque I sent but never sent me a copy of the charges but have declined to look at my request as they do not believe that I am in financial hardship despite them knowing that I am in reciept of means tested benefits. It's been well over 40 days since I first put in the request. What do I do now? 2) Egg Credit Card I sent off a CCA request and they have sent a CCA back to me. It's not a signature, it's a tick box (internet application) and I'm pretty sure that counts. But I'm not sure of what else I'm looking for? I have trawled through the posts looking for a list of things to look out for on the agreement but cannot find anything. Is there a list? I'm sure I saw one a few months ago? Thanks so much for all your help guys

Hi guys Well I got a letter this morning from Shop Direct who have been unable to provide a credit agreement so have told me that they will no longer persue the debt. Hurrah! However they have also stated that they can and will file this with a CRA and they have the authorisation to do so by my making purchases from them. Is this right? I was of the understanding that they couldnt. It doesnt really matter, I'm in no position to take out credit anyway but I am curious.

Thanks so much Postggj, I am just getting so confused with it all. it's Reliable Collections who are an extension of Simply Be.