Hi,

I would like to know if there is any research available which will give me the benefit success rate (if any) for clients who complete their own benefit claim forms compared to reps completing their claim forms.

I read something somewhere that suggested reps completing forms on their clients behalf indicated a better success rate but I cannot find where I got this from.

Any ideas on where I can get this information from would be appreciated.

Thanks

I don't know if there has been any research, but I would imagine it would be impossible to keep this kind of statistic since, as far as I'm aware, hardly any of us routinely tell the DWP that we've completed the claim form. And then of course there are those forms that we complete but never hear of the result.

What you heard/read is probably likely to be anecdotal in nature and borne out of adviser's experiences. I would agree that, across all benefits, claims are less likely to encounter problems where advisers assist, even if it's just to make sure all the Is and Ts are dotted and crossed.

If it's specifically in relation to DLA/AA claims you're asking (or others where entitlement is mostly subjective in nature), then in my opinion I would say there is probably a good chance that professional assistance would yield a greater possibility of an award. However, there are so many variables to account for in both assisted and non-assisted claims that I can't imagine any research projects would be anything other than extremely difficult and only of limited value.

If there has been some research in the past, it would certainly make interesting reading...

A couple of years back we had a meeting with a DLA/AA decision maker who stated that they recognised the handwriting of reps and were more likely to turn these claims down on the grounds that the claimants would have been coached.

Interestingly one of the other benefits advisers suggested that the claim forms should have a section where the benefit adviser could indicate whether or not they believed the answers that the claimant had given!

Sometimes I dispair.

Some of the informal (and largely unlawful) approach to decision making on AA/DLA is interesting. We ought to share more of these anecdotes.

One former DLA DM told me if it was mentioned that the mobility component would help with travel costs or that there was poor public transport in the area, the claim was viewed with suspicion. OK, it's not relevant legally, but suspicious?

Then there's the old chestnut of refusing higher rate mobility component just because someone states that they can walk 100+ metres.

As for handwriting (no one can read mine), what if the answers have been typed?!