Re: Worrying news for ESA claimants converting from DLA to PIP.
 

How would they make more money from the assessments?

If the problems have existed BEFORE any staff cuts, then staff cuts can't be to blame.

The changes were suggested in 2009, "Work Capability Review, October 2009". Eg Changing from walking to mobilising, therefore including wheelchair use is there.

Re: Worrying news for ESA claimants converting from DLA to PIP.
 

They rush through them, enabling them to carry out more assessments in order to get more money.

There have been cases where assessments have inappropriately been done over the phone or not at all and been claimed for as face to face assessments.

One nurse was even drunk at work and another thought it appropriate to start slagging off claimants by saying they were lazy and taking their disabilities. After complaints and pressure, both were dismissed.

There are certainly staff problems and there has been ever since the days of Supplementary Benefit in the sixties.

There's an excellent book about this called 'DHSS In Crisis".

Re: Worrying news for ESA claimants converting from DLA to PIP.
 

Ever heard of the expression, "One swallow does not a summer make"?

Re: Worrying news for ESA claimants converting from DLA to PIP.
 

These are not isolated cases.

Re: Worrying news for ESA claimants converting from DLA to PIP.
 

In January this year, there were 2,485,000 ESA/Disabilty Benefits claimants.

https://www.gov.uk/government/upload...y-mar-2016.pdf

Even if there were 1,000 of these cases (and no one has provided any evidence to support a figure that high), that would be 1 in nearly 2,500 claimants, so statistically, they are isolated cases...

Re: Worrying news for ESA claimants converting from DLA to PIP.
 

You gave examples of the alleged behaviour of individuals. Whatever the behaviour of an individual, ultimately others are involved at one stage or another. You have the assessor, the original decision maker, reconsideration decision maker, and other decision makers involved in the appeal process.

Re: Worrying news for ESA claimants converting from DLA to PIP.
 

Some further reading here:

http://www.disabilitynewsservice.com...r-documentary/

---------- Post added at 00:13 ---------- Previous post was at 00:09 ----------

Last January, The National Audit Office stated that 36% of Capita reports were below standard.

No matter what the figures involved are, this sort of behaviour is completely unacceptable:

http://voxpoliticalonline.com/2016/0...ing-claimants/

Re: Worrying news for ESA claimants converting from DLA to PIP.
 

Totally agree that sort of behaviour is unacceptable, but it is not the norm.

And Capita (and others) need to improve the quality of their assessors reports, but one should not conflate that with the first issue.

btw, it was contractual standards, not quality standards - that was around 10% (still too high).

https://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/up...ssessments.pdf

Re: Worrying news for ESA claimants converting from DLA to PIP.
 

I had a phonecall at 8:40 this morning ref the lad's PIP claim.

Their records showed that we do not live at the same address.

Uh, nope, we have lived together as a family for the past 25 years.

This does not bode well......

Re: Worrying news for ESA claimants converting from DLA to PIP.
 

Possibly some inexperienced member of staff not knowing how to read the screens properly.

A carer is not required to live with the person they care for anyway.

If the system had of held an incorrect address for 25 years, it would have been picked up by one of the computer record data matching excercises.

This is where benefit claims are compared to public and private information to detect and prevent fraud eg if you tell TV licensing that you've moved, but not the DWP, it will be picked up.

If you apply for a loan and say that you live with a partner, yet are claiming benefits as a single person, this will be picked up.

Records are checked with universities to find any benefits claimants who haven't declared this etc etc.

Re: Worrying news for ESA claimants converting from DLA to PIP.
 

I still have trouble getting the dwp to send me letters in he right format - I just don't trust them one bit.

Re: Worrying news for ESA claimants converting from DLA to PIP.
 

Sorry to hear about that dilli but alas l cannot say l am surprised.

Have you received your PIP letter yet? as in the next 2 years they will be contacting those who were awarded DLA indefinitely.

Re: Worrying news for ESA claimants converting from DLA to PIP.
 

Not yet, soon enough I bet.

Re: Worrying news for ESA claimants converting from DLA to PIP.
 

If they don't take your disability needs into account by failing to make the required adjustments, you can use the 2010 Equalities Act to force them.

If you need any help in doing this, the Equalities & Human Rights Commission can help you. I'm pretty sure that the RNIB will have people experienced in this area too.

Re: Worrying news for ESA claimants converting from DLA to PIP.
 

It is in the DWP handbook that they are now to assume people have aid's regardless if they actually have the aid's or not. They are also supposed to exempt people from the aid's check tho if they provide proof of good reasoning to not be using such aids, such as medical reasons or unsuitability where they live, however these exemptions are for the most part not been made hence one of the reasons the DWP is losing so many tribunal cases.

One would think the DWP and NHS talk to each other, e.g. to see if someone claiming to have a problem has even seen their GP about it (shockingly these kind of checks are typically not made). Another reasoning been if a DWP assessor says person A can mobilise with X set of aid's then it should be logical a letter goes out to the NHS to supply these aid's, however nothing of the sort happens. The aid thing is a pretty dangerous game they playing e.g. I have many doctor's and physios tell me a wheelchair is a last resort as it effectively sets your body to rot always been in a sitting position, the NHS pushes hard for people to exercise as much as possible and they dont want people to be in a wheelchair unless they have no ability to mobilise at all without one, even if someone can walk say 5 metres, that may be enough for doctor's to avoid a wheelchair. However the DWP work on an opposite ideology where they think everyone who has walking problems, should be using wheelchairs. When a tribunal is faced with this conundrum they should side with the NHS doctors which I believe is what typically happens but even with all these lost cases the DWP persist with their policies.