23 July 08 – Publication of DWP research report 490 – Disability Living Allowance – disallowed claims

New research published today by the Department for Work and Pensions examines the extent to which those applying for Disability Living Allowance (DLA) understand the purpose of the benefit and the qualifying conditions. 

The report presents the findings from 100 face-to-face interviews with DLA applicants of working age whose claims were disallowed. It was carried out in their homes, during June and July 2007. 

The aim of the research was to explore the reasons why there are so many applications from people who clearly do not qualify for DLA and who would therefore be unsuccessful.

The findings from this study will be used to design appropriate operational strategies for improving the targeting and efficiency of the claims’ process.

The main findings are:

• There was a low level of knowledge about DLA and widespread lack of understanding about criteria for entitlement. Applicants frequently confused DLA with out-of-work benefits and made the assumption that it was a ‘substitute’ for the ability to work
• Almost all claims were ‘triggered’ by advice from a third party, with these third parties sometimes also being responsible for reinforcing misconceptions about the benefit
• Professional advice and support for a claim from a health, welfare or benefits professional was often decisive in the decision to apply, even in cases where the claimant themselves had serious doubts about their eligibility and chance of success
• Ill-informed and part-informed views about DLA predominated, and in general, applicants were found to place far greater store by word of mouth, than they did by formal written information sources
• There was a high level of speculative applications with little expectation of success
• No overwhelming differences were found between the perceptions and motivations of applicants in different disability groups or in different age bands
• Misinformation about DLA and the structure of the application process itself were identified as both the source of the problems which lead to claims being disallowed as well as the potential solutions to those problems.

Notes to Editors

1. Interviews were undertaken with 100 disabled people who had made a claim for DLA which had been initially disallowed.  Research was restricted to cases in which the applicants were adults of working age only (aged 16-64), and to cases where DCS judged the disallowance to be obvious (clear disallowance) cases in which applicants had either failed to meet basic eligibility criteria or had failed to show in their applications that they had the care and mobility needs that would entitle them to the benefit.  Only cases in which the allowed time for making an appeal had passed were included.  All the applications were therefore ‘closed’ cases.
2. Interviews covered the following main customer characteristics: age; type of main disability; means of submitting claim, and; whether or not an applicant was ruled ineligible on grounds of failing to meet residency and presence requirements.
3. Research Report – Disability Living Allowance – Disallowed Claims is published on 23 July 2008.  The report is available on the DWP website.

 

DWP Press office:  0203 267 5137
A summary of the research report can be found at:

http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd5/summ2007-2008/490summ.pdf

The full research report can be found at: 

http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd5/rports2007-2008/rrep490.pdf