DCS news
More testing of DLA checklist
5 June 2008
PDCS has developed a form (DLA960) to accompany Disability Living Allowance (DLA) adult claim forms.
The DLA960 is a checklist of questions to help the customer work out if they can get DLA and to make the entitlement conditions easier to understand.
This checklist was tested in the Midlands area in March 2008. From 9 June to 5 September, the form will be tested at the Jobcentre Plus Office in St Annes, Lancashire. This test will include Lancaster Jobcentre Plus office from 10 July 2008.
Independent research identified a widespread lack of understanding of the purpose of the benefit and the entitlement conditions. As a result, PDCS gets a large number of claims where the customer is clearly not entitled to the benefit. The majority of these are DLA adult claims. Processing such claims has no added value for the customer who has to complete an application form.
If you use the checklist when helping a customer to complete the DLA (adult) claim form, we would like to know what you think about it. Please email your feedback to – external.communications@dwp.gsi.gov.uk
Disability benefits and the European Economic Area and Switzerland
3 April 2008
The European Court of Justice decided on 18 October 2007 that certain UK disability benefits are now considered to be sickness benefits. This means that they will be paid to some people who leave the UK to live in another European Economic Area (EEA) state or Switzerland.
The decision affects:
- Disability Living Allowance (care component only)
- Attendance Allowance
- Carer’s Allowance.
The Department has now released details of the main groups of customers who may continue to receive disability benefits if they move to live in another EEA state or Switzerland. This information has been posted on the Directgov website
There will be a further update about eligibility for people who are already living in another EEA state or Switzerland who wish to claim from abroad as soon as it is available. There will also be information on other groups of customers who may be able to continue to receive disability benefits if they move to live in another EEA State or Switzerland.
Pension, Disability and Carers Service launched
1 April 2008
On 1 April the Department for Work and Pensions officially launched a new Agency, the Pension, Disability and Carers Service, made up of two of its existing Agencies, The Pension Service and the Disability and Carers Service. The Agency’s Chief Executive, Terry Moran, has been recruited, and a single Agency business plan will be published shortly.
Already over 50 per cent of the customers of the Disability and Carers Service are also customers of The Pension Service. The launch of the new Agency allows us to deliver better and more seamless products and services designed around our customers’ needs, which are at the heart of our ambition for change. We are already working together to find ways in which we can join up our services.
We will continue to hold joint Board meetings with Jobcentre Plus in the future, while pursuing even closer working to ensure that we join up our service to working age customers. Creation of the new Agency will not of itself change the way in which DWP delivers services to working age people. We will also continue with our work to look at how we can improve services to disabled children and their families.
The two existing organisations – The Pension Service and the Disability and Carers Service – will continue to operate under their existing names and their customers will continue to receive services from them as they do now.
Edinburgh DBC – transfer of work
11 February 2008
DCS has decided that Edinburgh Disability Benefits Centre (DBC) will close in 2008. The work will transfer to DCS teams in Blackpool and Preston by October 2008.
The transfer will be in four stages.
Attendance Allowance – from 11 February 2008
Send all new claims for Attendance Allowance in the Edinburgh DBC area to:
Attendance Allowance Team
Palatine House
Preston
PR1 1HB
Attendance Allowance – from 17 March 2008
All remaining Attendance Allowance claims will transfer from Edinburgh DBC to Preston.
Disability Living Allowance – from 12 May 2008
Send all new claims for Disability Living Allowance in the Edinburgh DBC area
to:
Unit 1
Disability and Contact Processing Unit
Warbreck House
Warbreck Hill Road
Blackpool
FY2 0UZ
Disability Living Allowance – from 1 September 2008
All remaining Disability Living Allowance claims will transfer from Edinburgh DBC to Blackpool.
DCS are committed to providing a quality service during the transition and we will continue to update customers and customer representatives with progress here, in Touchbase magazine and through other channels.
DCS and The Pension Service join up
22 January 2008
The Department for Work and Pensions has decided that two of its existing Agencies, The Pension Service and the Disability and Carers Service will be brought together into one new Agency from 1 April 2008, to be known as the Pension, Disability and Carers Service.
Already over 50 per cent of the customers of the Disability and Carers Service are also customers of the Pension Service. The launch of the new Agency will allow us to deliver better and more seamless products and services designed around our customers’ needs, which is at the heart of our ambition for change. We will be sharing expertise and experience to ensure that our recent improvements in customer service continue.
Both existing Agencies currently hold joint Board meetings with Jobcentre Plus and we will continue this in the future, while pursuing even closer working to ensure that we join up our service to working age customers. Creation of the new Agency will not of itself change the way in which DWP delivers services to its working age customers.
The two existing organisations – The Pension Service and the Disability and Carers Service – will continue to operate under their existing names and their customers will continue to receive services from them as they do now. But, over time, the new Agency will help us to provide a more cohesive service to its customers which will aim to meet more of their needs in a joined up and seamless way. We will make further information available on this site as decisions are made.
Our customers expect a first-class customer service and we will always strive to improve, continuing the progress that we have made over the last few years.
Special Rules exercise
Earlier this year, following consultation with key external organisations, DCS conducted a pilot exercise examiningsome DLA and AA cases awarded under the Special Rules provision.
This followed a recommendation made by the Disability Living Allowance Advisory Board (DLAAB) that consideration should be given to reviewing Special Rules cases that have been in payment for more than three years.
We have now decided to widen this exercise and look again at more cases made under the Special Rules provision which have been in payment for more than three years. This will be done using a phased approach determined by the age of the customer:
We will look first at the cases of those customers aged under 55 years old
and then move onto customers who are aged between 55 and 64.
Alongside this we will look at a further sample of cases where the customer
is aged between 65 and 84 years old. This information will inform decisions
about whether a wider roll out should include customers in this age group.
Customers aged over 85 years old have been excluded from the exercise as evidence from the pilot showed that the vast majority of awards in this age group remain correct.
The exercise began in November 2007 and will last for approximately 12 months.
Customers selected to take part in the exercise will initially receive an enquiry form (DBD551) from us by post.
The form asks for up-to-date information about the customer’s medical condition and current medical practitioner.
On this form will be a direct telephone number to the decision maker who is looking again at their case.
The Right Payment Programme
8 November 2007
The Right Payment Programme was introduced in May 2007. As with all other benefits, the Disability and Carers Service needs to protect tax payers’ money and make sure we are paying the correct amount of Disability Living Allowance (DLA). The Right Payment Programme helps us do this.
The Right Payment Programme builds on the learning from Periodic Enquiry and the National Benefit Review. The programme was discussed with leading disability groups at the Disability Advisory Forum in April 2007 before it was introduced and in early November when the Forum was provided with an update.
The programme takes a sample of 12,000 DLA cases each year – fewer than 0.5 per cent of our 2.5 million DLA customers. Of these, 3750 are chosen at random and allow us to establish a statistically valid measure of the level of error for DLA.
The remaining 8250 cases are chosen from amongst those which research has shown have the greatest potential for change. Cases which have been looked at for another reason in the past twelve months will be excluded.
Customers are contacted to complete an enquiry form by post. As with the current DLA claim pack, they can ask someone who knows them to help with its completion. The completed form is then considered by a dedicated team of Decision Makers. If necessary, further information is obtained before a decision is made about the amount of benefit that should be paid.
The Right Payment Programme is centred on whether the DLA payment is correct, focussing on potential underpayments as well as over payments. This means that some customers will see an increase in their DLA awards.
We are constantly evaluating the programme and will be seeing initial findings from this in late December. We will learn from these findings and refine the programme as necessary. Updates will be shared with voluntary and community organisations that represent customers with a broad range of disabilities and their carers .
DCS Annual Report and accounts 2006/07
The report outlines the Agency’s achievements in the past year against its Public Service Agreement targets.
These achievements include:
- meeting all quality standard targets for initial decisions for Disability Living Allowance, Attendance Allowance and Carer’s Allowance
- meeting all of our business targets for Disability Living Allowance, Attendance Allowance and Carer’s Allowance claims delivery within the agreed clearance times and funding
- improving the amount of customers satisfied with the service provided by the Disability and Carers Service to 86 per cent.
The report also details how the agency has improved the service to customers and partners and how it is growing the capabilities of staff.
In his foreword to the report, then Chief Executive, Terry Moran said: “We have performed well and for the first time we have seen all our quality and claims clearance targets for Disability Living Allowance, Attendance Allowance and Carer’s Allowance met. Fewer appeal cases reached the Tribunal Service and those that did showed a steady reduction in the overturn rate. This demonstrates our continued commitment to our customers and our focus on quality."
