Terminally ill benefit claimants asked by DWP when they expect to die

[treelover]

Frank Field writes to work and pensions secretary, Iain Duncan Smith, over claims of ‘intrusive and painful questioning’ by assessors

Comments
704

Terminally ill welfare claimants are being asked by benefit assessors when precisely they are expected to die, according to evidence seen by Frank Field, the newly elected chairman of the work and pensions select committee.

Field has written to the work and pensions secretary, Iain Duncan Smith, asking for an explanation. He told the Guardian: “There is absolutely no need for this level of intrusive and painful questioning by DWP officials. If I have had two such cases in my constituency in recent weeks; I dread to think how often this is happening around the country.”

The Labour MP for Birkenhead said one of the complaints had come to him from a vicar on behalf of his sister.

http://www.theguardian.com/politics...n-they-expect-to-die-mp-says#comment-55159823

No words really, please circulate/share

 

[ska invita]

No words really

I can think of a few

 

[Puddy_Tat]

are they intending to pursue an 'overpayment' of benefits if you don't die on time?

I can think of a few

is the first one that comes to mind

 

[friendofdorothy]

Doesn't surprise me. Someone I know was asked what stopped her from killing herself in Atos medical 'assessment' not very sensitive at all.

 

[SpookyFrank]

are they intending to pursue an 'overpayment' of benefits if you don't die on time?

You may also be subject to legal action if you fail to inform the DWP in writing that you are now dead.

 

[Ming]

It's kind of weird that this mentality has become normalised. I've got a lot of Maggy T's quotes which I keep close to heart. This is one of my favourites...
'Economics are the method: the object is to change the soul.'
And George and Dave wept at her funeral.

 

[SpookyFrank]

The DWP said: “Claims from people with a terminal illness are fast-tracked using ‘special rules’, where we pay the highest rate of care immediately without a face-to-face assessment.

“All claims are dealt with fairly, sensitively and compassionately by specially trained staff – they do not ask specifics around life expectancy.”

Yes OK, but what about these people who haven't been treated compassionately and who have been asked for specifics?

 

[panpete]

, thenthen, then and then......
*sigh*

 

[Ming]

, thenthen, then and then......
*sigh*

I know mate. We seem to be living in the age of the psychopath. Some righty types have completely misinterpreted Darwin (or maybe deliberately).

 

[taffboy gwyrdd]

It's kind of weird that this mentality has become normalised. I've got a lot of Maggy T's quotes which I keep close to heart. This is one of my favourites...
'Economics are the method: the object is to change the soul.'
And George and Dave wept at her funeral.

I never knew that quote. Well fucking dark.

 

[Ming]

I never knew that quote. Well fucking dark.

Very dark. It's impossible to say anything positive about her. The fact she gave General Pinochet a plate as a gift when he got arrested (and then he did a 'Saunders' to escape justice) says it all. I often wonder if cops read these boards. And if they feel any sense of contradiction about what they're defending.

 

[Ming]

And the first thing she did when she got into power was give the police a 40% pay increase. What a fucking coincidence.

 

[High Voltage]

'Economics are the method:
the object is to destroy the soul.'

FIFY - What "it" really meant to say but didn't quite have the nerve at the time

 

[zxspectrum]

IDS will deny everything as usual.

 

[MochaSoul]

.

 

[zxspectrum]

"ask terminally ill benefit scroungers when they think they will actually die, and ho!"

 

[SpookyFrank]

Very dark. It's impossible to say anything positive about her. The fact she gave General Pinochet a plate as a gift when he got arrested (and then he did a 'Saunders' to escape justice) says it all. I often wonder if cops read these boards. And if they feel any sense of contradiction about what they're defending.

IME the cop's brain simply blue-screens when confronted with the inherent contradictions underlying their worldview and behaviour. It's usually at this point they fall back on the one thing they can count on, the fact that they've got a big hitting-people stick and you haven't.

 

[Rob Ray]

All claims are dealt with fairly, sensitively and compassionately by specially trained staff – they do not ask specifics around life expectancy.

Yes OK, but what about these people who haven't been treated compassionately and who have been asked for specifics?

Quotes like that are basically rote and applied to every difficult question. You might note the way they don't actually talk about the particular situation except for a tacked-on bit at the end, that's how standardised the responses are.

It's the lowest form of PR bullshitting, with the object being to avoid a media line saying "the DWP refused to comment" by putting out something saying how professional you are - basically you head off accusations of not answering the question by answering a question no-one asked. The next level up is to agree that your "very high standards have been let down in this particular case and lessons will be learned" while not expanding on what those lessons might be or how you intend to improve matters.

Edit: As a sub-editor I'm very much of the opinion such behaviour should get short shrift and rather than repeat this crap there should just be a line saying "the department refused to offer a relevant response."

 

[SpookyFrank]

Edit: As a sub-editor I'm very much of the opinion such behaviour should get short shrift and rather than repeat this crap there should just be a line saying "the department refused to offer a relevant response."

Or "the department denied these claims" because that's effectively what they are doing.

 

[zxspectrum]

I'm sure Frank Fields' complaint will be effective, just like it was over the useless broken mess that is Jobseeker Direct.

 

[DotCommunist]

odd to see mad frankie fields doing something worthwhile

 

[Libertad]

odd to see mad frankie fields doing something worthwhile

He's still a cunt though.

 

[taffboy gwyrdd]

He doesn't neccessarily want claimants dying as soon as possible, which makes him quite the progressive compared to the psychopath moral dregs of this "government".

This story is a reminder that we need to be super careful of any moves by them to make premature killing easier under the guise of phoney liberalism.

 

[ViolentPanda]

No words really, please circulate/share

Been happening for ages. Nothing new about it. Field is just waving his cock.

 

[ViolentPanda]

are they intending to pursue an 'overpayment' of benefits if you don't die on time?












is the first one that comes to mind

Not as long as you file a re-application. However, given how fraught the end of life through terminal illness is, sometimes that goes by-the-by, and then the shitcunts will be on your back like a beastialist on a goat.

 

[Fedayn]

The DWP said: “Claims from people with a terminal illness are fast-tracked using ‘special rules’, where we pay the highest rate of care immediately without a face-to-face assessment.
“All claims are dealt with fairly, sensitively and compassionately by specially trained staff – they do not ask specifics around life expectancy.”

Yes OK, but what about these people who haven't been treated compassionately and who have been asked for specifics?

Well that's where an insensitive question could have been asked. The problem is that if a member of staff clock there is an issue re terminal illness then the sooner the persons death is 'expected' the quicker the claim should be done. It could well be that a member of staff was trying to hurry it up but asked in a manner that might be deemed insensitive, i've done 'similar' as in the more details you get the more chance it can be fast-tracked....
There's a PCS rep I know who is dying, I know he left his department with the right compo and then signed on ESA I believe. He told the fella helping with his ESA claim his life prognosis, ie how long he was told he had left, it was then fast-tracked. In the right circumstances and done sensitively it's a question you need to ask....

Or it may be the member of staff is a cunt....

 

[DotCommunist]

He's still a cunt though.

no amount of oddly sane acts will save him come his very brief trial

 

[SpookyFrank]

Well that's where an insensitive question could have been asked. The problem is that if a member of staff clock there is an issue re terminal illness then the sooner the persons death is 'expected' the quicker the claim should be done.

But the DWP state that all applications from terminally ill people are fast-tracked as a matter of course.

e2a: And they've denied that terminally ill claimaints are ever asked when they're expected to die. If there was a good reason to ask theat question then they wouldn't need to deny asking it would they?

 

[zxspectrum]

Well that's where an insensitive question could have been asked. The problem is that if a member of staff clock there is an issue re terminal illness then the sooner the persons death is 'expected' the quicker the claim should be done. It could well be that a member of staff was trying to hurry it up but asked in a manner that might be deemed insensitive, i've done 'similar' as in the more details you get the more chance it can be fast-tracked....
There's a PCS rep I know who is dying, I know he left his department with the right compo and then signed on ESA I believe. He told the fella helping with his ESA claim his life prognosis, ie how long he was told he had left, it was then fast-tracked. In the right circumstances and done sensitively it's a question you need to ask....

Or it may be the member of staff is a cunt....

Surely if these people actually bothered to read the evidence that GPs and specialists submit they'd have a clearer view of the person's prognosis?

 

[Fedayn]

But the DWP state that all applications from terminally ill people are fast-tracked as a matter of course.

e2a: And they've denied that terminally ill claimaints are ever asked when they're expected to die. If there was a good reason to ask theat question then they wouldn't need to deny asking it would they?

And how do you think someone isis asked? If someone has a terminal illness with a life expectancy of up to 12 months, would you deal with them as quickly as someone has maybe 3/4 monrths or less? A question can be asked, re the claimants prognosis, things can be speeded up by staff if circumstances are more dire. Or wouldn't you bother?

The DWP also deny there are targets re sanctions....