More fun with closing claims

I almost can’t cope with this one :

Claim made online 10/10/17
Claimant requests a home visit owing to disability – done via journal
DWP agrees they did not follow up this request
They ‘heard nothing more’ from the claimant
They close the claim at the end of November 2017 - no sign that any effort was made to contact the claimant to resolve any problems
Claimant re-claims a week later
DWP ‘unable to complete the claim as he did not have a bank account at this time’
Claim is then ‘submitted in January 2018 with 7 day waiting period’
‘entitlement commences 2/2/18’
In September 2018, on receipt of a complaint, DWP suggests requesting a backdate….

So – an online claim was clearly made nearly a year ago, and a request for help was sent – DWP didn’t act on it and the payoff for the claimant was closure of claim!

There’s no sign of a decision on the closure being issued to the claimant either.

DWP have also implied to a colleague that they make no contact with claimants in any way after the claim is made, until they attend the Jobcentre.

Whattttttt??????

And where was all the wonderful support that DWP was going to give disadvantaged claimants?

Andrew Dutton - 26 September 2018 03:09 PM

There’s no sign of a decision on the closure being issued to the claimant either.

I’ve been happy to argue that “we have closed your claim” on the journal constitutes a decision. Not a lawful notification I am sure but it’s notice all the same aqnd they’ve accepted recons against them.

Oddly enough, since we stuck our noses in, this decision has now been reversed and arrears are awaited. The administrative and other failures have not been addressed, though we are asking for this to be done….

But had an adviser not been involved, a vulnerable claimant would have lost a huge amount of money. This is beyond a joke.