Extra costs of ESA

Rightsnet report that the DWP has paid Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) £26.3m in ‘recognition of extra work generated by employment and support allowance (ESA) and incapacity benefits reassessment (IB(R)) appeals during 2011/2012’.  Well that’s great isn’t it. So can advice agencies now invoice the DWP for all the extra work involved in supporting people with their appeals and other cockups.

I’m looking at a dog’s dinner of an ESA breakdown letter which is a total mess. The telephone operator (based in a ‘virtual’ office who has no doubt been given virtual training) has told the client that adding an additional premium to her applicable amount will increase her income too much (it’s an overlapped carers allowance claim)!

I won’t hold out any hope of my ‘virtual invoice’ being being paid though.