"Sobbing decision makers are desperately trying to persuade claimants not to lodge appeals following an unsuccessful mandatory reconsideration, a senior welfare rights worker has revealed. It is the first evidence that DWP staff are coming under pressure to meet targets for cutting appeal numbers for benefits including employment and support allowance (ESA), personal independence payment (PIP) and disability living allowance (DLA). . .
. . ."The senior welfare rights worker goes on to explain that two decision makers have told claimants:
“But don’t you understand, the whole point of mandatory reconsiderations is to avoid appeals because they’re expensive, time-consuming and usually pro-claimant and wrong. Even government ministers know that." . . ."
A radio 4 programme recently looked at benefit sanctions an estimated 2,000% increase since the Christmas before the coalition government took office but there are no targets the DWP continue telling anyone who will listen.
I also get the B&W newsletter and read this yesterday and yes! personally speaking, it makes 'not-so-shocking' reading to me as I've been in the system for over a decade and nothing has really changed we just just get to hear about these things more in this day and age due to advanced technological systems and processes which aid the media reporting community get their stories told faster and spread about faster.
Targets have always been an issue for me and I have often said it was why they denied a claim - to make you ask for a reconsideration and then appeal to show you're serious about your needs, but also, just so they could reach their targets. Nowadays they can't afford the appeals and need to cut those numbers so the target has changed and its requirements so it's understandable that the staff will be getting upset considering the rising pressure that they are being put under to reach those targets.
In my own opinion it's a never-ending cycle of persistently changing targets and tactics to reduce the number of claimants that has been occurring for decades.
It's a mess!!
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Advice on lodging an appeal against WRAG decision
How can we all get an assessment that is right the first time round for benefits.
Urgent petition. Protect the appeal system for disabled people
Mandatory reconsideration
