What our government will do to stop anyone claiming benefits... Polly Toynnbee met the jobcentre manager, in secret, who told her how the sick are treated and what harsh targets she is under to push them off benefits. I just met a jobcentre manager. It had to be in secret, in a Midlands hotel, several train stops away from where she works. She told me how the sick are treated and what harsh targets she is under to push them off benefits. A high proportion on employment and support allowance have mental illnesses or learning difficulties. The department denies there are targets, but she showed me a printed sheet of what are called spinning plates, red for missed, green for hit. They just missed their 50.5% target for off flows, getting people off ESA. They have been told to disrupt and upset them – in other words, bullying. Thats officially described, in Orwellian fashion, as offering further support. As all ESA claimants approach the target deadline of 65 weeks on benefits – advisers are told to report them all to the fraud department for maximum pressure. In this managers area 16% are sanctioned or cut off benefits. Of course its not written down anywhere, but its in the development plans of individual advisers or work coaches. Managers repeatedly question them on why more people havent been sanctioned. Letters are sent to the vulnerable who dont legally have to come in, but in such ambiguous wording that they look like an order to attend. Tricks are played: those ending their contributory entitlement to a year on ESA need to fill in a form for income-based ESA. But jobcentres are forbidden to stock those forms. These ill peoples benefits are suddenly stopped without explanation: if they call, theyre told to collect a form from the jobcentre, which doesnt stock them either. If someone calls to query an appointment they are told they will be sanctioned if they dont turn up, whatever. She said: The DWPs hope is they wont pursue the claim. Good advisers genuinely try to help the mentally ill left marooned on sickness benefit for years. The manager spoke of a woman with acute agoraphobia who hadnt left home for 20 years: With tiny steps, we were getting her out, helping her see how her life could be better – a long process. But heres another perversity: if someone passes the 65-week deadline, they are abandoned. All further help is a dead loss to spinning plates success rates. That woman was sent back to her life of isolation: she certainly wasnt referred for CBT. For all this bullying, the work programme finds few jobs for those on ESA.
Posted on: Wed, 16 Jul 2014 15:10:38 +0000
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