Advice

Paper based assessments can only be carried out in any great depth if the information contained on the claim form is conclusive and that there is evidence submitted proving the descriptors claimed. By virtue of the virus I would imagine that these 'help' agencies will be suffering with staff losses thus making waiting times that much longer. It will be even worse if they are forced into lock down by the government.The knock on effect could well be that claimants just complete the forms themselves with a hope and a prayer - not good for the chance of a paper based assessment.

As for a telephone interrogation I know many people who would be tongue tied in those circumstances  

Sorry but it's a well known fact. The majority of benefit claimants can't fill out the claim forms correctly. I don't see why you are so surprised.

Username_removed said:

skullcap said:

Sorry but it's a well known fact. The majority of benefit claimants can't fill out the claim forms correctly. I don't see why you are so surprised.

Well know by whom? Let’s do some maths rather than offering vague unsupported assertions. 

DWP stats as of now - https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/873332/pip-statistics-to-january-2020.pdf  - show 57% of new claims for PIP result in an award whilst 78% of DLA to PIP conversions result in an award. 

Are the majority of those claims supported by advice agencies? It would be physically impossible. 4.8m claims to PIP since 2013. That’s 686,000 pa. Let’s say we do 60%. That would be 411,000 pa. Citizens Advice have 21,000 volunteers. Putting aside that nowadays most don’t do welfare rights (debt being the bigger issue) then that would be 20 claim packs per year or one a fortnight. Most advisers don’t do anywhere near that number. Assume that 50% of those volunteers do form filling it’s still less than 1 a week. 

In reality we probably do 10% of those claims which are submitted. Cut backs in advice over the last decade make little difference to that in as much as we only ever deal or dealt with the tip of the iceberg. 

Whichever way you dress it up the majority of claim packs are completed by claimants themselves and the overwhelming majority are successful. 

Do you have a better source of data? I’d appreciate seeing some links to it. 

None other than my own personal situation together with the number of claimants on these websites that are looking for advice agencies.
When I first claimed DLA and the following renewal, these were completed by the County Council Welfare Officers simply because I had involvement with Social Services, I did absolutely nothing with those two DLA forms apart from sign them. Then when I was moved over to PIP and no longer involved with Social Services I had to fill out the PIP on my own with no advice or help.
I had a continuous DLA awards for 17 years for High Mobility and High Care.

On transfer to PIP, and yes I know that they are two different benefits, I was offered just Standard Care. It took me months of arguing with the DWP and sending additional evidence in on a weekly basis after what they were telling me they needed. The next 'offer' was Enhanced Care. After putting in for an appeal some months later they upped the award to Enhanced Care and Mobility.
Obviously I am now waiting for the review form.

It does appear that had I had the same professional help with the PIP claim as I had with the two DLA ones then all of that messing about and continually looking for more evidence would probably not have happened.

What I would also say is that the completion of Welfare application forms and the knowledge surrounding such claims is poorly lacking - it is not my subject.