DURING a normal election there would have been outrage at the revelation that the Government has been demanding staff reject appeals by disabled people denied benefit.
Next month’s General Election looks set to continue to be dominated by other issues: Brexit, the constitution in Scotland and the May vs Corbyn personality battle. Attacking benefit claimants, and disabled people in particular, seems to be at worst politically neutral for the Government, at best even advantageous. Still, the confirmation taff at the DWP were given a target to reject 80 per cent of mandatory reconsideration requests is shocking.
Mandatory reconsiderations take place when anyone has been turned down for benefits and disagrees with the decision. With many claimants previously awarded Disability Living Allowance losing out in the transfer to Personal Independence Payments, this group has been disproportionately affected. Previously someone who disagreed with a decision could simply appeal to a dedicated tribunal. Now you can’t do that until you have applied for a mandatory reconsideration.
Welfare rights campaigners have always suspected the process is just added to delay and frustrate the large numbers of people who have their decisions overturned at tribunal. The added layer of bureaucracy puts some off before that point. Now a freedom of information request has revealed staff are given a target of turning down at least 80 per cent of reconsiderations. Currently around 87 per cent are rejected.
Consider this quote from a DWP spokesman last year in that context: “The fact that nearly 90 per cent of decisions were not overturned last year shows that in the majority of cases decision-makers are getting it right first time... mandatory reconsiderations were introduced to make the system as fair as possible for those going through it.”
The double speak is dumbfounding. But the Conservative manifesto makes little mention of disabled people, merely saying blandly: “We will legislate to give unemployed disabled claimants or those with a health condition personalised and tailored employment support.”
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