Wed 31-Mar-04 01:02 PM by shawn

Happy new contributions year and time for a rant before I go on holiday. This follows on in part from my boss Vals posting on JC+ in the IS forum. In the last two days we've received calls from clients on several issues

1. The JSA Interviews for partners regs come in 12/4/04. Clients have been contacting us saying they received letters telling them they will have to attend work-focussed interviews in April. These included a partner who already has 4 part time jobs, earns £8-9K a year and claimant spouse has ICB (without any ADI). The other example was a carer(receives CA)looking after her spouse who has a severe neurological disorder.

On contacting JC+ it was acknowledged these didn't have to attend an interview. The officer said the letters sent out were a mailshot to everybody. Pointed out that this was upsetting people who were exempt from the regs and was informed that this would be resolved when they received the interview letters. She didn't sound any more convinced than me. (Hopefully those letters will give details of who is exempt but I'm not holding my breath)

2. Carer claiming CA received a telephone call from Preston saying claim not actioned as she had to undergo work focussed interview. The officer concerned went over the top and reduced the woman to tears. She's in her late fifties, on DLA herself and looks after her mother-so real scope for full time work there then!

The clt said she was going to ring back the officer concerned and I put this more politely than she did "tell him to stick the CA claim where the sun don't shine". Thats one carers premium down the toilet.

3. And lastly but not least, Pension Credit. The local Pensions Service have done a trawl of pensioners and are cold calling them to claim PC. A client called in because they'd received a phone call from PS inviting claim and an appointment had been made for a visitor to go out. The Pensions Service could be lauded for taking the initiative but this lady was extremely worried they were who they said and wasn't reassured until we had phoned to confirm.

Complaints are ongoing but is it like this in other areas.?

Wed 31-Mar-04 01:03 PM by shawn

Reference Pension service cold calling, they were doing this in my home town, which has a very active and suspicious neighbourhood watch: they reported the calls to the local police, who put out a warning about unsolicited phone calls, and not answering doors to strangers etc.

It was'nt until someone thought of talking to Pension Service that a retraction in this case was issued - it's a bit much though - old people have enough to do fending off phone calls from double glazing and financial services sales people - now the PS are getting in on the act...................

My mother, worked out for herself that she wasn't entitled to PC on income grounds. Since April she has had five letters from PS asking to come and see her to check her entitlement. The first four times she phoned them and told them she knew she wasn't entitled so there wasn't any point in them coming. Every time she explained how she'd worked it out and they agreed she wasn't entitled. The letters kept coming and eventually she gave in and let them come to see her. It took all of two minutes for the officer who came to agree that she wasn't entitled.

The PS person explained that even though my mum kept giving them detailed explanations why she wasn't entitled they still had to visit her before they could cross her off their list. If they didn't make a completely pointless visit she wouldn't count towards their targets. She also apparently said that very few of the visits were resulting in claims

Similar tales in the Guardian at the weekend - see http://www.guardian.co.uk/guardian_jobs_and_money/story/0,3605,1184576,00.html for details