Refused DCA and Carers

Da Optimist

I applied for DCA recently on the fact that my daughter is on the autistic spectrum. That was refused. I also applied for carers for her but got a letter today refusing me that too. I am looking for a review and appealing the dca at the same time with new evidence and letters. Should i do the same with the carers?

BuboBubo

Da Optimist wrote: »

I applied for DCA recently on the fact that my daughter is on the autistic spectrum. That was refused. I also applied for carers for her but got a letter today refusing me that too. I am looking for a review and appealing the dca at the same time with new evidence and letters. Should i do the same with the carers?

I would go to your local Citizens Information office for advice. The goalposts seem to move a lot when it comes to benefits and entitlements for disabilities and carers. Call them on Monday and arrange a chat. It's free.

Da Optimist

BuboBubo wrote: »

I would go to your local Citizens Information office for advice. The goalposts seem to move a lot when it comes to benefits and entitlements for disabilities and carers. Call them on Monday and arrange a chat. It's free.

Thanks but i am not going there. It comprises of people on CE schemes and volunteers who dont know their head from their arse.

I will appeal the carers and add in the new letters that i got for dca appeal.

Gatling

Da Optimist wrote: »

Thanks but i am not going there. It comprises of people on CE schemes and volunteers who dont know their head from their arse.

They tend to be fairly knowledgeable ,

ShaShaBear

Da Optimist wrote: »

Thanks but i am not going there. It comprises of people on CE schemes and volunteers who dont know their head from their arse.

I will appeal the carers and add in the new letters that i got for dca appeal.

There are people with degrees doing CE schemes just to try and get themselves back into an employable position after being forced into a situation of unemployment. Citizens Advice are by and far more knowledgeable and give more factual information than you will likely get at your local Social Welfare office, where the staff have likely worked there for over a decade.

Perhaps bashing social services isn't the way to go if you plan on availing of them

anawfulway

Search for "DCA Warriors" on Facebook if you have an account. You'll need to apply to join but there's loads of helpful advice on exactly these situations available.

irishgirl19

DCA is based on the care you give your child that is beyond the norm. A diagnosis alone won't qualify you for the allowance.
Write a couple of pages describing a typical day for you. Do you have to attend many appointments? Do you have to use social stories before you leave the house?

dartboardio

Is Domiciliary care allowance not for a child with a severe disability? Or am i mistaken

Gatling

dartboardio wrote: »

Is Domiciliary care allowance not for a child with a severe disability? Or am i mistaken

No ,just a child who needs more care than average ,
Doesn't mean a child has to be severely disabled

dartboardio

Ah my bad

splinter65

Da Optimist wrote: »

Thanks but i am not going there. It comprises of people on CE schemes and volunteers who dont know their head from their arse.

I will appeal the carers and add in the new letters that i got for dca appeal.

There is an Information Officer employed at every CIC. You need to ring and find out when the info officer is on duty and go at that time, if you don’t want to speak to a volunteer. The people on CE schemes are normally employed as receptionists and hand out leaflets and forms but don’t give information or advice.
A lot of people go to the CIC and then dis it when they don’t get the info or advice that they wanted to hear. It’s the same as patients complaining bitterly that a GP is useless when he/she won’t give them an antibiotic for their head cold.

splinter65

dartboardio wrote: »

Is Domiciliary care allowance not for a child with a severe disability? Or am i mistaken

The mistake made about DCA is thinking that you will get it on the basis of your child’s condition/injury/illness.
That’s not how it works.
Your child might have “cerebral palsy” and not need very much extra care or maybe none. My child might have “cerebral palsy” and be in a wheelchair and be non verbal and incontinent.
DCA is for the parent/guardian of a child that needs more care and attention then another child of the same age who is completely well.
The applicant needs to spell out to the dept. the extent of extra care needed and also describe how they are giving that extra care. If your child has a lot of medical appointments you should list these as they seem to be a deciding factor. You should also describe how the amount of attention this child needs affects the quality and quantity of attention your other children get.
You won’t get CA for s child under 16 unless DCA has been awarded, but you might get CB if you meet the PRSI requirements.

JP Liz V1

dartboardio wrote: »

Is Domiciliary care allowance not for a child with a severe disability? Or am i mistaken

I thought autism would be counted

Gatling

JP Liz V1 wrote: »

I thought autism would be counted

Unfortunately no ,

Not every child on the spectrum needs more care than other children , again it's not necessarily based on just having a diagnosis

Da Optimist

Thank you Splinter. I have the appeal typed up and ready to go for DCA. Now the problem; my GP would not give me a letter but instead said to write in the appeal his number and to call him if they have any questions. All I have now is the care diary and a letter from the SNA. I dont think its enough and i could get another refusal. I have to submit appeal by monday. However can i buy time and tell them i intend appealing instead but awaiting letter from doctor and my daughters vocational needs assessment which is in april. I am also awaiting a report from a ohychologist. If i send the appeal the way it is now a whole year will be wasted by the time its looked at

irishgirl19

Send on your appeal and then send additional information as you get it. Just put your (and your childs) pps on the additional info and ask them to add it to your appeal.
Things I put in my application which may help:
upcoming schedule of all appointments. Photocopy of all receipts for private therapy.
Copy of all reports.
Letter from speech language therapist.
Had consultant fill out the GP part instead.
Letter from creche manager outlining the extra attention my girl required.
Couple of pages outlining extra care we give.

splinter65

Da Optomist excellent advice and tips above from another poster. Just send what you have and attach a note advising you will be sending more.

Da Optimist

Thank you irish girl and splinter. I will send appeal tomorrow but can i appeal first before review. I plan to ask for the review in 2 months when i have more information but would this be ok ?

splinter65

Da Optimist wrote: »

Thank you irish girl and splinter. I will send appeal tomorrow but can i appeal first before review. I plan to ask for the review in 2 months when i have more information but would this be ok ?

I wouldn’t bother with the review but you can ask for a review and appeal at the same time if you want.

dartboardio

took more advice on a public forum yet was reluctant to go to the LHO or citizens advice..

dartboardio

Da Optimist wrote: »

Thank you irish girl and splinter. I will send appeal tomorrow but can i appeal first before review. I plan to ask for the review in 2 months when i have more information but would this be ok ?

Id say youd have to re apply by then. These kinda things like appeals dont stay open for long.

Anyway best to check as advised with a local office or citizens advice rather than asking here where there would be mixed opinions

irishgirl19

Da Optimist wrote:

Thank you irish girl and splinter. I will send appeal tomorrow but can i appeal first before review. I plan to ask for the review in 2 months when i have more information but would this be ok ?

You can do both at the same time. Review normally comes up first I believe. It would do no harm as a review might get it

splinter65

dartboardio wrote: »

Id say youd have to re apply by then. These kinda things like appeals dont stay open for long.

Anyway best to check as advised with a local office or citizens advice rather than asking here where there would be mixed opinions

The advise and information I’m giving is not an opinion it’s all supported by the CIC website. All this information is available there. The review has a 21 day expiry too but my experience of reviews is that unless you have an extremely important piece of evidence to add that you didn’t show before, then you are asking a deciding officer to look again at the same evidence and change his/her mind.

Da Optimist

But with the huge back log the appeal could take a year so the deciding officer wont know it was sent to appeal for a few months

splinter65

Da Optimist wrote: »

But with the huge back log the appeal could take a year so the deciding officer wont know it was sent to appeal for a few months

Look for the review and the appeal, you’ve got nothing to lose. The review is 21 days too and I can assure you it won’t be considered after that. If you are successful it’ll probably be backdated to your first application.
Did you leave work in the last 6 months? Do you know that if you did and you’ve enough PRSI that you can get Carers Benefit for a child without having the DCA?

CZ 453

What's the wait time currently?

splinter65

CZ 453 wrote: »

What's the wait time currently?

You’re looking at 15 weeks minimum. Scandalous.

Motherof123

Da Optimist wrote: »

Thank you irish girl and splinter. I will send appeal tomorrow but can i appeal first before review. I plan to ask for the review in 2 months when i have more information but would this be ok ?

How did it all go?
I'm currently waiting myself for a yes or a no 8 weeks waiting now and probably will be waiting another 8 weeks as it's 12-16 week wait at the moment. I even rang them to ask and they said no decision has been made and I'd be waiting a while longer.
It's a joke that people have to go thru all this.

Da Optimist

Motherof123 wrote: »

How did it all go?
I'm currently waiting myself for a yes or a no 8 weeks waiting now and probably will be waiting another 8 weeks as it's 12-16 week wait at the moment. I even rang them to ask and they said no decision has been made and I'd be waiting a while longer.
It's a joke that people have to go thru all this.

Hi I got it 2 months ago, the dca and carers plus support grant. I got the diagnosis of autism which swung it

Motherof123

Da Optimist wrote: »

Hi I got it 2 months ago, the dca and carers plus support grant. I got the diagnosis of autism which swung it

We got the diagnosis November 2019.
Applied a week later my Gp didn't want to fill in the medical part until she read the report confirming the ASD diagnosis. My child is never ill enough to visit the GP so she didn't even know him she saw him twice max I'd say.
Once she saw the report then she filled it all in.
Very frustrating getting it all done and now the wait is torture because I really could do with the money to pay for therapy.
Or to find some OT indoor equipment. The winter is hard. Were you waiting long for the answer

JP Liz V1

Motherof123 wrote: »

How did it all go?
I'm currently waiting myself for a yes or a no 8 weeks waiting now and probably will be waiting another 8 weeks as it's 12-16 week wait at the moment. I even rang them to ask and they said no decision has been made and I'd be waiting a while longer.
It's a joke that people have to go thru all this.

Can you local TDs help, they are looking for votes for the election so they might actually do something now

Motherof123

JP Liz V1 wrote: »

Can you local TDs help, they are looking for votes for the election so they might actually do something now

Emailed everyone in my location and got back a list of all the things they will be doing like a copy and paste email

acalmenvoy

Da Optimist wrote: »

Hi I got it 2 months ago, the dca and carers plus support grant. I got the diagnosis of autism which swung it

Hope they back payed you for the hell they put you thru.

Motherof123

I got mine ðŸ‘ðŸ»Approved 12 weeks wait

splinter65

Motherof123 wrote: »

I got mine ðŸ‘ðŸ»Approved 12 weeks wait

Delighted for you apply for Carers Allowance/Benefit if you have stopped work or reduced hours to 18.5 per week.

Motherof123

splinter65 wrote: »

Delighted for you apply for Carers Allowance/Benefit if you have stopped work or reduced hours to 18.5 per week.

Thank you it's such a weight off my shoulders now to pay for therapy's with it will all go on SLT and OT to see how we go.
I applied for carers allowance as I have no stamps so that's means tested I rang them today to let them know the dca was approved so they will forward that info to the deciding officer. Fingers crossed every little helps he's having an awful few weeks it's so tough trying to figure out a sensory diet with OT we pay for .
of the HSE offered nothing 😑