Went to a Disability & Carers liaison meeting yesterday and have been advised that when someone rings up to request a DLA claim pack for a NEW claim, they are to be asked a series of questions first to determine whether they will qualify or not.
The Advisor will tell them if they meet the criteria or not for making a claim. (is this not a decision?) They will not be refused a claim pack if they still insist they want one.
They did not have a copy of the questions available, so we don't know what potential claimants are going to be asked. This is to be rolled out imminently.
The aim of it is to prevent unnecessary volumes of innapropriate claims being made.

If I am a bit behind the times with this, and if you all already know this, sorry! But thought you may like to know.

It doesn't really bare thinking about.

knew I'd read something about this in the last couple of days.... they're called "nugatory claims" or those that have little chance of success:

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/about-dwp/customer-delivery/disability-and-carers-service/dcs-news/
theres even a checklist.

hope this helps.

Thankyou, as bad as i had anticipated.

here too, from rightsnet news ...

Reducing the number of DLA claims that have no chance of success: DWP to roll out use of pre-claim questionnaire (March 19, 2009)

The checklist and associated questions regarding DLA claims is still in the pilot stage, it has now been rolled out over a wider area, however the form itself has attracted a lot of criticism, as it is felt by many organisations that it may put people of actually making a claim.

Reassurance has been given through the PDCS advisory forum, that "if there is any doubt a DLA form will be sent regardless". So no one should be put off making a claim.

There is an agenda item at the next PDCS meeting that will look at the use of the form, based on reserach currently taking place within DWP. The outcome of the research should indicate whether or not the checklist is fullfilling expectations regarding nugatory claims.

Never mind nugatory claims,they want to try and get the decisions right on the claims they deal with.
Traditionally, the decision making process is very poor, you can tell this by with the number of appeals won.
They seem to have a policy of making no award and see if you appeal.
Do they actually read the written answer part of the DLA forms, or just see which of the boxes have been ticked, send a report request to the GP (Which have very little or no bearing on DLA entitlement).

On the nugatory questionnaire, it is ludicrous to ask someone if they have a severe mental impairment which causes severe behavioural problems. Who's going to admit to that without fear of being sectioned?

Or indeed acknowledge that they have a mental health problem?
I often find that clients have helpfully started their DLA form when I arrive, and have ticked no to all of the boxes, despite the fact this is an urgent referral from the community mental health team.
Love your comment about policy. I have thought this for some time. Seems to me the form is only read properly on reconsideration.

xx

Lets not forget the confidentiality legalities here. Just because we all have lengthly forms of authority and just because we are going to put all the clients conditions on the DLA from, may not necessily mean we should disclose all the details over the phone, to a call handler, confidentility is somewhat a quodmire in my opinion, which is why I am not answering any of their questions, they still send the form, so I do not see any benefit of answering the questions.

Thu 13-Aug-09 09:19 AM by shawn

(Edited to shorten link)

why ring up for a claim form when one can get one online?

Disability Living Allowance - rates and how to claim

one can even get one that can be filled in, and saved as you go, on the pc.