Disability benefits claimants' phone calls going unanswered by DWP - 'Trust at an all-time low'
New report reveals people claiming disability benefits wait 10 times longer for their calls to be answered.
Trust between the government and disabled people is at an "all-time low", charities have told Yahoo News, as a new report revealed that those claiming disability benefits wait on average 10 times longer for their calls to be answered by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
People claiming disability benefits are getting “unacceptably poor service” from the DWP, MPs said, with calls being answered on average after a 26 minute and 53 second wait.
The wait times, revealed to the public accounts committee (PAC), compared with an average wait of only two minutes and 45 seconds for people claiming universal credit.
The revelation is the latest in a number of incidents affecting disabled benefit claimants, who are in a tense wait for the outcome of a disability benefits consultation this spring.
The government has said it plans to continue with the previous Conservative government's plans to reduce the benefits budget by £3bn, which will likely see changes to benefits like personal independence payment (PIP).
An 'AWOL' state
The PAC report looks into the value for money of government projects, programmes and service. It concluded claimants of disability benefit in particular “are receiving an unacceptably poor service”.
This also included the long waits for the DWP to process their claims.
Committee chairman Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown said in some cases people “are literally calling for help and receiving no answer”, and said the public “would be forgiven for thinking the state is AWOL just when it needs it most”.
The Conservative MP said: “Our report’s disheartening findings illustrate the stark disparity of experience between claimants for disability benefit and other users of the system.”
He urged the DWP to “do more to ensure that claimants are reunited with the money to which they are entitled, as well as to understand the needs of vulnerable claimants”.
'Trust at an all-time low'
Disability equality charity Scope, branded the findings "scandalous", with executive director James Taylor telling Yahoo News: “This is yet more damning evidence of how disabled people are being failed by our benefits system. Life costs a lot more when you’re disabled, and disability benefits are a lifeline.
“But many disabled people feel the system is set up against them, and trust between disabled people and the DWP is at an all-time low.
“The government needs to work with disabled people to fix our benefits system, so nobody has to fight for the support they need to live.”
Richard Kramer, chief executive of the national disability charity Sense, said the findings came "no surprise".
"We’ve been told again and again by disabled people that getting the help they’re entitled to has been an ordeal," he told Yahoo News. "In our research, half of people with complex disabilities said the benefits application process made the impact of their condition worse – it shouldn’t be like this.
“Disabled people have been paying the price of a broken benefits system for far too long."
Linda Burnip from Disabled People Against Cuts said that it is common knowledge that "PIP reviews are running months behind". "There just aren't enough staff to deal with any PIP claims and enquiries," she added.
A catalogue of issues
The findings are the latest in a line of events indicating that the government could be struggling with handling the difficulties disabled benefit claimants face.
Earlier this week, MPs on the pensions select committee questioned the DWP on the reasons why disabled people were the most likely to be affected by benefit underpayments.
Permanent secretary at the DWP Sir Peter Schofield said he had spoken to a woman claiming PIP who had been put off contacting the DWP to see if she could claim more support even though her illness had worsened.
"I met a customer at a food bank in Wandsworth, and she felt worry and concern in going through the process," he told the committee.
"Her GP had encouraged her to come forward [to claim more PIP] but she was really unsure to do that because she didn't want to lose the money she had.
"We need to build trust in the system," he added.
In October, the government department was accused of using "stigmatising" language as it sought to cut £3bn from the benefits budget.
In an open letter signed by more than 60 organisations, charities like Turn2Us warned the government's narrative around social security was making life harder for people who need it, the Big Issue reported.
And, earlier this month, the DWP was urged to scrap disability benefit reforms after the High Court ruled a government consultation into them was "unlawful".
A government spokesperson said it would "re-consult" on the changes before it releases its consultation on disability benefits in the spring.
What's next?
With just a couple of months until the government's consultation is released, Sense is calling on the government to use the upcoming health and disability green paper to make sure the welfare system allows disabled people to apply for benefits independently and with dignity.”
Interested parties will have 12 weeks to comment on the consultation.
In its communication, the government has pledged to put "the thoughts and views of disabled people at the centre of the conversation".
A DWP spokesperson told Yahoo News it had reduced phoneline waiting times and provided tailored help for customers with additional needs, adding. “The report does not consider that we are already taking action on fraud and error through our new Fraud Error & Recovery Bill which will help us protect claimants by stopping errors earlier alongside saving an estimated £1.5 billion of taxpayer money over the next five years.”