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The state benefits system mega-thread.
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Old 21-05-2022, 18:44   #2671
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Re: The state benefits system mega-thread.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics...line-inflation

Iain Duncan Smith (of all people!) calling for a rise in benefits to match the current rate of inflation with many claimants facing a real terms reduction in their income by 7%.
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Old 21-05-2022, 19:22   #2672
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Re: The state benefits system mega-thread.

Quote:
Originally Posted by jfman View Post
https://www.theguardian.com/politics...line-inflation

Iain Duncan Smith (of all people!) calling for a rise in benefits to match the current rate of inflation with many claimants facing a real terms reduction in their income by 7%.
Then theoretically, in the future any increase should be less than inflation, as people will have already partially received the prior increase.
There is no right time to set the rate. Prices will always increase after whatever date you use.
How did people manage with double-digit inflation in the late 1970s? Especially with the Labour imposed below inflation pay rises.
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Old 21-05-2022, 20:00   #2673
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Re: The state benefits system mega-thread.

Last December, the DWP sent our lad a PIP Review Form. I returned it in time in January. All questions asked simply "Have there been any changes?" There were none, so I simply wrote "No change". Claimants are obliged to inform the DWP of any changes as they happen.

Now, 4 months later, he has a letter saying they can't review his case as it was awarded by a Tribunal until December of this year.

But they could review it if there were any changes in his situation, and they gave 2 examples, both making claims harder. "If a situation should be "dangerous" they now want to know "how dangerous" and to quantify how likely those scenarios are "liable to actually happen". The other one is only relevant to claimants who have fits or blackouts.

So just before his PIP award ends, I have to ask for a claim pack and make a brand-new claim in his name. And that will involve their "medical professionals" having him in for an assessment. Probably zero points as before, so on to Tribunal.

From receiving the claim pack, to a first decision is now taking around 16 weeks. To fight a bad decision by Mandatory Reconsideration adds a further 8 weeks to wait. If that is still bad, getting a Tribunal can take UP TO 6 MONTHS in many parts of the country.

Up to a year for a claim to be correctly awarded!!!!
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Old 21-05-2022, 20:26   #2674
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Re: The state benefits system mega-thread.

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Originally Posted by Taf View Post
Last December, the DWP sent our lad a PIP Review Form. I returned it in time in January. All questions asked simply "Have there been any changes?" There were none, so I simply wrote "No change". Claimants are obliged to inform the DWP of any changes as they happen.

Now, 4 months later, he has a letter saying they can't review his case as it was awarded by a Tribunal until December of this year.

But they could review it if there were any changes in his situation, and they gave 2 examples, both making claims harder. "If a situation should be "dangerous" they now want to know "how dangerous" and to quantify how likely those scenarios are "liable to actually happen". The other one is only relevant to claimants who have fits or blackouts.

So just before his PIP award ends, I have to ask for a claim pack and make a brand-new claim in his name. And that will involve their "medical professionals" having him in for an assessment. Probably zero points as before, so on to Tribunal.

From receiving the claim pack, to a first decision is now taking around 16 weeks. To fight a bad decision by Mandatory Reconsideration adds a further 8 weeks to wait. If that is still bad, getting a Tribunal can take UP TO 6 MONTHS in many parts of the country.

Up to a year for a claim to be correctly awarded!!!!
Are you sure that it won't be a review when the time comes? The Tribunal just makes the decision the original Decision Maker was supposed to make. There is no real other difference in application of the decision. Even where the DWP itself makes the award(it does happen occasionally), the award continues until the date they set.

One down side of a favourable Tribunal decision is that you won't necessarily know the details of why they approved it. That means it might be less clear as what to highlight in any review form that might help your case.
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Old 06-06-2022, 16:36   #2675
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Re: The state benefits system mega-thread.

After a letter (30th April 2022) saying they cannot review our son's case as it was awarded by Tribunal, an Award Letter (28th May 2022) arrived today stating that they have decided his award is to be "ongoing" at the same rates it was, and a review will not happen until after 23rd May 2032.

A few years ago, the DWP said that "lifetime conditions" would only get an occasional "light touch" contact to check if the address and bank details were correct.

It only took them a year to throw that idea away.

The points do not allow for a Disabled Bus Pass as he has only 10 points for "Planning and following a journey"and not the 12 points required. Nor does he have the 8 points for "moving around", nor the 8 points or more for "communicating verbally". But they do state that he has "severe problems with cognitive function", so that should suffice (under new rules in Wales this should be enough for a driving licence not to be issued, so that is another way to get his lost Bus Pass replaced).

This has taken a load off our minds, and the lad is ecstatic that he might get his bus pass back. But first we have to battle the monster that is TfW (Transport for Wales).

I have lodged complaints against TfW with the Welsh Arsembly, as they are considering a request to replace a lost or stolen bus pass as a completely new application requiring a lot of bureaucracy.
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Old 06-06-2022, 18:48   #2676
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Re: The state benefits system mega-thread.

every time I see anything about reviews or claims its sets off my anxiety. 3 years November since my last review and it said nothing about the next timeframe. I hate it, I am not fit for work but every time you have to face them they could drastically change your life and they have the power to make it so hard it is hardly worth living
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Old 06-06-2022, 19:54   #2677
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Re: The state benefits system mega-thread.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jaymoss View Post
every time I see anything about reviews or claims its sets off my anxiety.
I twitch when anything comes from DWP. I'm a member of forums for PIP claimants and Carers, and the system seems to be falling apart. Even claims for Carers Allowance are taking around 16 weeks to process. And if you are on Universal Credit, you lose money for weeks or months before CA kicks in and you get backdated payments.

Tribunals for PIP are still being done over the phone, with some areas having an 18-month backlog.
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Old 06-06-2022, 20:16   #2678
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Re: The state benefits system mega-thread.

No way could I cope with claiming PIP. My last ESA review was quite easy. The women just asked a few questions about my mobility nothing about my mental health issues but I you never know what the next one can be.

In 30 years they once said I was fit for work all because I was positive due to starting a course for those on Incapacity of course I lost the course when they decided I was fit but I won on tribunal. Then 2 reviews ago they put me on WRAG but then said in my actual documents that I was unfit so I complained and was put back on Support Group
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Old 07-06-2022, 11:10   #2679
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Re: The state benefits system mega-thread.

Most Jobcentres lost the Disability Advisors who knew what they were talking about. They were often those who made decisions for ESA. They were replaced by fairly new staff who had no idea what they were doing.

Our twins were put into the Support Group several years ago, and they've heard nothing since. From the forums online, it appears that many claimants moved to UC are being reassessed and end up having to look for work in the new look WRAG.

The UC structure is very odd too, with loads of new acronym's that appear then disappear depending on circumstances. And payments are stopped, backdated and/or changed in what looks like a very haphazard way. That can leave claimants with no income for long spells as the bureaucracy plods on.
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Old 07-06-2022, 11:15   #2680
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Re: The state benefits system mega-thread.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Taf View Post
Most Jobcentres lost the Disability Advisors who knew what they were talking about. They were often those who made decisions for ESA. They were replaced by fairly new staff who had no idea what they were doing.

Our twins were put into the Support Group several years ago, and they've heard nothing since. From the forums online, it appears that many claimants moved to UC are being reassessed and end up having to look for work in the new look WRAG.

The UC structure is very odd too, with loads of new acronym's that appear then disappear depending on circumstances. And payments are stopped, backdated and/or changed in what looks like a very haphazard way. That can leave claimants with no income for long spells as the bureaucracy plods on.
And there goes my anxiety again. Felt like my stomach flipped just reading that. Dunno whether I want them to try and move me early on the hope I get to skip the assessment or 2025 so I get a few more years without one. Either event I guess it is out of my power
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Old 07-06-2022, 13:23   #2681
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Re: The state benefits system mega-thread.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jaymoss View Post
And there goes my anxiety again.
Higher numbers for PIP are also being dropped to zero points by ATOS assessors. Mandatory Reconsiderations follow suit. But Tribunals are overturning more cases than ever.

But the tribunal backlog is very long on some areas, with others still doing telephone tribunals.

The system appears to have been forcibly broken during the pandemic, and left to struggle ever since.
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Old 29-09-2022, 09:08   #2682
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Re: The state benefits system mega-thread.

Benefits may not rise in April as expected and previously promised:

https://www.itv.com/news/2022-09-28/...with-inflation

The money they will save is roughly equal to the tax cut for those earning over £155,000 a year.
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Old 29-09-2022, 09:13   #2683
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Re: The state benefits system mega-thread.

Quote:
Originally Posted by RichardCoulter View Post
Benefits may not rise in April as expected and previously promised:

https://www.itv.com/news/2022-09-28/...with-inflation

The money they will save is roughly equal to the tax cut for those earning over £155,000 a year.
All evened out nicely then.
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Old 29-09-2022, 23:30   #2684
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Re: The state benefits system mega-thread.

Correction:

I omitted to add the word 'pensions' after the word benefits.
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