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Idiotic administration from DWP
This is as much a vent as a plea for help.
Client pregnant and within 11th week of EDC, comes for advice as been told she needs to sign off JSA but concerned about not being entitled to IS on right to reside grounds. We go through circumstances and it’s certainly arguable she does have derivative rights from ex-husband, as well as grounds for possible permanent right to reside.
Advised her to lodge IS claim and see what happens. Claim made on 14.02.14. Claim turned down on r2r grounds in decision dated 16.04.14 (during which time she has had her new baby). MR request sent on 30.04.14 to the black hole of Wolverhampton Mail Handling A.
We call DWP on 20.05.14 and told no record of MR request, can we send duplicate. Send duplicate copies of everything (again) to Wolverhampton on 21.05.14. Call back today to ask what’s happening. Call handler tells me no record on system and initially says she will pass message through to BC for callback.
As I fill her in with details of chronology, upon hearing of duplicate request sent on 21.05.14, replies that she cannot send anything through to BC as “14 working days haven’t passed” since the duplicate request. When I fall back to fact of initial request on 30.04.14, she replies that as that one wasn’t received and we agreed to send duplicates, the clock has been reset.
Basically ended with me asking her to record fact that we will be lodging complaint if we call back on 12.06.14 to find MR request still not been received but singularly unable to get the call handler to do anything other than offer me details of local food banks (which was the point at which I nearly bit my tongue off with anger).
The repeated levels of bureaucratic incompetence and inability to act in any kind of a sensible or helpful manner is starting to test my patience here, anyone got any bright ideas, or failing that, a couple of spare valium?
Oh Paul….I really do identify and empathise…I’ve had exactly the same response and surprise surprise, when I rang back on the appointed day, there was no record of the duplicate MR having been received…(at least they agreed to request a call back that time, as a result of which I had to send a third copy of everything although they did at least send me a pre-paid envelope addressed to a specific officer at the local BC for me to send it in).
All I can suggest is to lodge a complaint and/or refer client to local MP.
We have an email address… Maybe a call to your local partnership liaison manager to see whether your BDC’s got one?
I suspect each BDC will have one, they just don’t like giving them out. I’#m loathe to post the address in case they withdraw it.
I find that I need to put it for a team’s attention, i.e Income Support appeals, it gets there then and bypasses the 14 day nonsense with the call handlers.
I do have some Valium to hand however before it gets there you will have had opportunity to drown your sorrows so it might not be the best idea…
Must admit, I’m not sure who out local partnership liaison manager is, maybe that would be a productive use of my time to find out who this is and a useful distraction to boot.
MP complaint has certainly crossed my mind if latest MR request is shown to have gone for a burton…..
Not going near a hostelry either, am meant to be being good in the week…..although I certainly feel like a couple of ales to wash this Kafkaesque stupidity away.
Must admit, I’m not sure who out local partnership liaison manager is, maybe that would be a productive use of my time to find out who this is and a useful distraction to boot.
A piece of advice… Don’t expect to vent your spleen if you do track them down; the constant reiteration of The Party Line can intensify one’s frustration (and I know). I think they get trained in how to deflect criticism.
Surprise surprise, called them just now, no record on the system of either MR request, call back now promised, this is driving me mad.