DWP Figures Reveal Shocking Delays In Sickness Benefit Decisions – Welfare News Service

[Picture: Skwawkbox blog]

[Picture: Skwawkbox blog]

Following on from the article Over 90% fall in JSA & ESA appeals as process made more difficult – Benefits and Work comes the following from the Welfare News Service:

Only 19% of sick and disabled people have received an outcome on their sickness benefit claims they made last year, damning new figures reveal.

Government figures released today [Thursday] show that 40% of Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) claims between October 2013 and December 2013 were still undergoing assessment – no final decision has yet been made.

This instantly raised the interest of Yr Obdt Srvt. Remember the infamous DWP statistical release Incapacity Benefits: Deaths of recipients from 2012? Of the 10,600 deaths it showed took place between January and November 2011, 2,200 were of people in the assessment phase – and that was when the system was running much more quickly than it is now. So we must ask:

What is the death toll today, among ESA claimants whose claim has not been decided?

Despite signs of improvement, by March 2014 around a third of ESA claims (33%) were still in progress. The DWP said “additional cases from any original caseload would be cleared in subsequent periods”.

 Figures also show that 41% of claimants decided to close their claim rather than be forced to attend stressful and degrading face to face assessments.

Cue Grant Shapps and Iain Duncan Smith, claiming these people know “they’ll now be better off in work” – so let’s just remind you of Vox Political‘s response to the claim: In fact, the figures represented nothing more than ‘churn’ – a turnover of claims withdrawn because of perfectly normal things like people getting better, or finding a job they can do even if they’re ill. After the government intensified its scrutiny of disabled people, the number in receipt of the benefit increased.

The Department for Work and Pensions says the delay in final decisions is due to changes in the decision-making process. Under changes introduced to the benefits appeal process in October 2013, sick and disabled people who disagree with a decision must first ask the DWP to look at the decision again – before they can apply to appeal to a social security tribunal [see the article on the subject from earlier today]. The figures exclude decisions made after tribunal appeals.

Would this be because tribunal decisions are mostly in favour of the claimant?

In related news, the new Minister for Disabled People has admitted that the disability benefit Personal Independence Payment (PIP) “is not in good shape”.

Despite a pledge to speed up the claims process Mark Harper admitted that disabled people will still face a wait of up to six months before they receive vital benefit cash.

Dame Anne Begg, chair of the Work and Pensions Committee, asked: “Do you think that’s an acceptable length of time for someone who has developed a disability, and suddenly has a lot of associated costs?”

In response Mark Harper said: “I’d like it to be faster – but there’s no point getting ahead of ourselves. It’s moving in the right direction”.

Oh really? How many people have suffered serious financial hardship because of these delays? How many suffered threats to their health? How many have died?

Let’s try to predict the DWP response: “We do not collect those statistics.” Alternatively: “Collation of those statistics would cost more than the maximum amount allowed for FOI requests.”

This is unacceptable. Has everybody forgotten that we pay taxes for the government to provide a service to the public?

This government likes to praise the private sector and commercial business practices above all else – but if it was a private enterprise, it would very soon be hounded out of business, pursued by thousands upon thousands of court cases.

Follow me on Twitter: @MidWalesMike

Join the Vox Political Facebook page.

Buy Vox Political books so we can continue
bringing you the best of the blogs!

Health Warning: Government! is now available
in either print or eBook format here:

HWG PrintHWG eBook

The first collection, Strong Words and Hard Times,
is still available in either print or eBook format here:

SWAHTprint SWAHTeBook

Vox Political needs your help!
If you want to support this site
(
but don’t want to give your money to advertisers)
you can make a one-off donation here:

Donate Button with Credit Cards

5 thoughts on “DWP Figures Reveal Shocking Delays In Sickness Benefit Decisions – Welfare News Service

  1. Jeffrey Davies

    ESA, when you fail a reconsideration. Immediately must appeal to the Tribunal service.

    Whilst waiting for consent to appeal. You must sign on JSA, or receive nothing.

    When appeal is accepted and permitted, THIS IS WHAT YOU WILL NOT BE AWARE OF and the DWP are LAX TO INFORM YOU.

    Your are allowed to reapply FOR ESA. The one proviso for this,is you must produce, regular and recent MEDICAL CERTIFICATES.

    This is fact, recent and relevant process now. Read, familiarise, do not lose out on your LEGAL ENTITLEMENTS.

    Faithfully your servant. Tony Lea.

    Benefits resolutions FB

  2. Mr.Angry

    This is totally criminal why, why are they getting away with it, where is the UN on this, too little too late, people are dying as a result of these criminal acts. Why can’t the press do the citizens of the UK some good and get this exposed. No wonder the Scots want out.
    Bloody disgrace. Thanks for nothing BBC

  3. Marilyn

    My husband waited 14 months for his medical assessment. He was reassessed and moved from WRAG to Support group, but no backdated payment…lost over £5000.

  4. Michele Witchy Eve

    It’s a crying shame that, with so many private companies involved with the DWP and implementing the processes (including some Job Centre staff), that we can’t refer them to Trading Standards for investigation into poor contract fulfilments. Or even sue the through the civil courts (small claims) for shoddy delivery and financial loss. Perhaps there’s some brave legal souls out there who would consider a class action of some sort.

  5. Nigs Cradoc

    My good friend Stuart Holland died 2 weeks Monday – his sickness claim was still not resolved after over a year of waiting. He was 64, so didn’t get his pension either.

Comments are closed.