No lessons learned – and no compensation for 118,000 benefit claimants who lost out for years
Habitual cruelty: the Department for Work and Pensions.
The Department for Work and Pensions is refusing to pay compensation to sick and disabled benefit claimants who were given the wrong payments after being moved to Employment and Support Allowance.
The injustice affects 118,000 people who should have received payments based on their income but instead received them only based on their National Insurance contributions.
It was revealed in the case of “Mrs U”, whose payments were cut by £80 per week – and stayed that way for five years.
Her payments have since been rectified, and the whole of the underpayment repaid to her – along with £7,500 in compensation ordered by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.
Now the same ombudsman has protested after the DWP agreed to make back-payments to 118,000 other claimants affected by its error – but not to pay them any compensation.
Ombudsman Rob Behrens said: “We don’t know how many more Ms Us there are out there.
“That is why I urge the DWP to allow people affected to claim for compensation in recognition of its error and the potentially devastating impact it has had on people’s lives.”
The DWP said it will not pay “blanket” compensation to all 118,000 people it wronged.
Instead, it said it will consider claims by people who contact it through various helplines that have been set up – or who go through the department’s labyrinthine complaints process.
It’s not good enough. And This Writer wonders how many people died before they could claim the back-pay or the compensation – or because they did not have this money.
Source: DWP denies compensation to 118,000 benefit claimants who lost out for years – Mirror Online
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Those of us who get stuffed by dwp fight back through tribunals but has we know it’s frustrating but these in power who use methods beyond comprehension of many will and do inflict much pain on those claiming and to get back monies one must have a good MP but we lost so many good ones for these jokers in red ties but dwp are a law into themselves
Tip of the proverbial iceberg! I had my identity stolen 16 years back, somebody been claiming benefits in my name possibly ever since…also took life insurance out on me. No end of other stuff as well, pigyobs involved, can’t even get any kind of an acknowledgement that i am a victim of serious crime. Can’t even get a bank account, work a home, employe a solicitor or do anything….without one of a) driving licence, passport, armed forces card b) utility bills…..can’t even go to court as i have no papers! It’s a perverse corrupt system designed to protect those within the system that commit serious crimes…I wonder how many others? most are dead after all this time i’m sure….no journalist even interested! Wish I’d t***** myself years ago, hope all gone now…..