Tax credit adviors need retraining

[suziebear67]

Why oh why do the advisors not know their jobs properly, do they not all train to the same standard. Have phoned today to claim for the disability element and told by 2 supervisors not entitled when i knew i was. Other half phoned with same details as its a joint claim and it was referred straight away grrrrr.

 

Rant over

Edited July 15, 2011 by suziebear67

[A_wee_fella]

The guidance is awful.

[suziebear67]

It seemed very clear to me that for condition 2 one of the following applies, the advisor told me i had to have all the other disabilities and 2 supervisors agreed with her.

[ErikaPNP]

I had the same problem with HMRC with my child. Should have been receiving severe disability element, but only got the disability element awarded as in receipt of DLA at the higher rate for care. What a carry on I had trying to sort that one out. Eventually did, and got it backdated. I've also had them tell me two letters I received were bogus as the addresses they originated from were not tax credit offices. Yet when I sent them via email to the phishing team they told me that they were bonafide.

 

DWP aren't much better since they started with these contact centres or call centres or whatever they call them. Before they had that wonderful idea, you used to get through to someone who knew what they were talking about. Unfortunately that's a rarity these days. It's not fair on either us as consumers or the staff who have to sort out the mess created by poor training. I'm planning doing an FOI request next year for stats for maladministration for periods before the call centres and after to see the difference.

[suziebear67]

Hi Erika,

I dont know what a FIO is sorry.

But I agree with your comments about the call centres the right hand appears not to know what the left is doing.

I was ont the phone 50 minutes trying to tell the lady that i was using their information to make the claim the worst thing is that 2 supervisors agreed with her.

Someone else may just have said oh ok then and not claimed the benefits they are entitled to .

Edited July 15, 2011 by suziebear67

[ErikaPNP]

An FOI request is a request for information which can be sent by any person to any public authority in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act. There are some exemptions to what sort of information they can provide and limitations on the costs of fulfilling requests but general information such as statistical records they keep are usually provided without quibble.

[leemack]

We had to record all our calls in the client files. My record was 33 calls back and forth between ESA, and the client trying to get a right to reside decision reinstated that had already been made two weeks before and then ignored. Even once I got it reinstated, there was then problems with the backdated payment being issued.

 

I found ESA to be the worst offenders for repeatedly having no idea what they were talking about - even the supervisers! I wonder if this has improved since I've been away.

[suziebear67]

Probably not Leemack I shall see if i get the benefit and if I do shall make a complaint me thinks .

[suziebear67]

Thanks for the information Erika you learn something new every day!

[Nystagmite]

I was once given some wrong information by job centre staff. I then had to sit there and correct him.

 

Given that in general the information is widely available, I don't understand how so many staff seem to be getting it wrong.

[flumps1976]

When I first joined the Department over 15 years ago, staff had to undergo intensive training specific to their job role. When I processed IS I had 3 months of solid training purely for processing New Claims and then 3 months consolodation where every case I processed was checked 100% until I reached accuracy of 100% (I have to blow my own trumpet and say that I acheived 100% within 1 month of consoldation but still had to serve the additional 2 months regardless). I was not allowed to return for the next part of my training in processing changes in circumstances as I was to work on the New Claims section only but that again was a further 3 months training followed by consolodation. These days someone starts work and is popped in front of a computer and told all the information you need is online in the JCP/DWP intranet and most work by sitting with a colleague who will mentor them. Not sure about pocessing training times these days as I now work in front facing JCP (again I was kind of dumped into that jpb role but fortunately I had background knowledge) but I would imagine that the time for training has reduced significantly adding also that as guidance changes almost daily how are staff expected realistically to keep up to date?

[leemack]

When I first joined the Department over 15 years ago, staff had to undergo intensive training specific to their job role. When I processed IS I had 3 months of solid training purely for processing New Claims and then 3 months consolodation where every case I processed was checked 100% until I reached accuracy of 100% (I have to blow my own trumpet and say that I acheived 100% within 1 month of consoldation but still had to serve the additional 2 months regardless). I was not allowed to return for the next part of my training in processing changes in circumstances as I was to work on the New Claims section only but that again was a further 3 months training followed by consolodation. These days someone starts work and is popped in front of a computer and told all the information you need is online in the JCP/DWP intranet and most work by sitting with a colleague who will mentor them. Not sure about pocessing training times these days as I now work in front facing JCP (again I was kind of dumped into that jpb role but fortunately I had background knowledge) but I would imagine that the time for training has reduced significantly adding also that as guidance changes almost daily how are staff expected realistically to keep up to date?

 

I had the same training for JSA.

[suziebear67]

Well it now seems that the advisors did not refer my claim to the disability section after all, I now have to find 20 weeks of payslips to confirm i have been claiming SSP week 51 from last tax year is missing.

 

Does anyone know how else i can prove I have been recieving SSP, as my employer says they cant give me a copy of any payslips, and tax credits say its upto me to prove SSP has been paid for 20 weeks.

[Nystagmite]

Would it be on your P60?

[leemack]

Well it now seems that the advisors did not refer my claim to the disability section after all, I now have to find 20 weeks of payslips to confirm i have been claiming SSP week 51 from last tax year is missing.

 

Does anyone know how else i can prove I have been recieving SSP, as my employer says they cant give me a copy of any payslips, and tax credits say its upto me to prove SSP has been paid for 20 weeks.

 

Your employer should have access to an SSP1 form, its usually used when an employee's SSP has run out and they claim ESA, but I suppose if he's willing to fill it in then it would give the information needed.

[suziebear67]

Thanks Leemack I had some more payslips of work today and the lady in wages has wrote a little note for week 51 I hope this will do for tax credits if not they will have to get in touch with my employer themselves.