DWP performance measurement visit

londonTiger

Hi

My elderly mother received a letter on friday stating someone will visit her this Tuesday for a performance measurement visit.

It's to check to make sure she's getting all the benefits she's entitled to.

Is this helpful and genuine? Or is this a cynical ploy to cut benefits and snoop around to make sure pension claimants are still actually alive and dont have benefits fraudulently claimed by children?

elmer

whats cynical about not paying a pension fraudulently to a deceased persons children?

elmer

londonTiger

the way they worded the letter, from googling it seems like it is a benefit investigation, but they worded it like they were checking to make sure she's getting all the benfits she's entitled to. LOL

I know of OAPs whove gone of for years with their benefits underpaid, and then one day found out and DWP wouldn't backpay any of the extra pension. Not even for the current tax year, so it's surprising to read that they are interested in potentially helping my mum claim more money.

If it's a benefit investigation, with a view to reduce benefits, say so.

Londonsu

What benefits is she on - the state pension is not a benefit that can be changed by circumstances and I have never heard of ANY pensioner having to have a meeting to ensure they are not dead.

nannytone_2

its not a fraud investigation.

they are checking that she is receiving what she should, and they are also cracking that they are doing their job properly and asking for all the correct information.

as for anyone not receiving what they are entitled to ...
the onus has always been in the claimant to make sure they receive the full amount they should and not in the DWP to chase every single claim in case someone has forgotten to tell them something.

a claimant has one claim to keep an eye on, but the DWP have millions

Londonsu

nannytone wrote: »

its not a fraud investigation.

they are checking that she is receiving what she should, and they are also cracking that they are doing their job properly and asking for all the correct information.

as for anyone not receiving what they are entitled to ...
the onus has always been in the claimant to make sure they receive the full amount they should and not in the DWP to chase every single claim in case someone has forgotten to tell them something.

a claimant has one claim to keep an eye on, but the DWP have millions

That's true nanny that's why my Dad was using his savings to pay his rent because he didn't know about pension credit and that's why there is about 1.2 billion in unclaimed PC because the elderly are too proud to claim or don't know they can.


And its not that easy for an elderly person to ensure they have the benefits they are entitled to, my pensioner husband could have found out he is computer savvy and can go online, but my (then) 84 year old Dad who has never had a computer could not just find out and I mean how the hell would he have even thought about looking up Pension Credits if he has not even heard the name??


Yes I know someone will come on here and tell stories about their 92 year old Aunty Vi who surfs the net and has a twitter/FB/Instagram account but in the main elderly people have difficulty accessing this info that's why charities like Age UK (who gave me and my family the info we required) help get the elderly the benefits they are entitled to.

nannytone_2

and thats why welfare rights, CAB, AgeUK and dozens of other charities exist.
no one can justify why they don't bother asking what may or may not be available for them.

the information is freely available and if people are too frail or don't know how to access information, then their families, GP's etc are failing them.

with the millions of claims in the system, you can't expect the DWP to be spoon feeding every single person.

missapril75

nannytone wrote: »

the information is freely available and if people are too frail or don't know how to access information, then their families, GP's etc are failing them.

with the millions of claims in the system, you can't expect the DWP to be spoon feeding every single person.

TV, newspaper ads, leaflets delivered to door, notices and leaflets in hospitals, doctors offices, newspaper articles, radio...there's not a single media resource that's not used. Inserts with pension statement from DWP.

If people just chuck it in the bin without a glance it's their own fault.

Londonsu

nannytone wrote: »

and thats why welfare rights, CAB, AgeUK and dozens of other charities exist.
no one can justify why they don't bother asking what may or may not be available for them.

the information is freely available and if people are too frail or don't know how to access information, then their families, GP's etc are failing them.

with the millions of claims in the system, you can't expect the DWP to be spoon feeding every single person.

Missapril and Nanny

Well YOU didn't have your Dad cry in front of you one Christmas because he couldn't afford to buy his family presents because he was using his savings to pay his rent I still cry when I think about it but of course his poverty and shame were ALL his fault according to both of you - I really really hope you don't have your hearts broken like my families were seeing him like that


I have never seen a TV ad or a newspaper ad telling people how to claim - send me a link to one missapril. I still have my Husbands pension letter, nothing came with it to tell him how to claim PC, was at the GP on Friday - sorry no posters up in the surgery ( and as I had to wait 20 minutes I read everything on the walls) likewise at the pharmacy, never seen a leaflet either in fact


I understand in this entitled age when people seem to know to the farthing how much they can claim or can go on the net and look up boards like these how easy people think it is to stick your hand out and get benefits but that's not the reality for lots of pensioners.


Again how to you contact Age UK when you don't know they exist?
How to you claim Housing benefit when you don't know it exists ????
How do you claim pension credit when you have never even heard of it??????


Never ever tell me its was my Dads fault it was most certainly not.

TELLIT01

nannytone wrote: »

and thats why welfare rights, CAB, AgeUK and dozens of other charities exist.
no one can justify why they don't bother asking what may or may not be available for them.

That is extremely harsh and unfair. There are many elderly people living alone who have supported themselves all their life and wouldn't have a clue where to go, or who to ask, for advice. The older generation also tends to be much less open to discussion about their finances, even (possibly particularly) with those closest to them.
From personal experience, my mother was advised that she wasn't entitled to any financial support in looking after my brother who had suffered very severe head injuries in a car crash. It was only many years later that she discovered that rules had change after that advice was given. Was it her fault that she wasn't able to check every change in government legislation? This was in the days before the internet.

happy35

A performance measurement visit is to make sure you get everything you are entitled to, check if you have had any changes since the claim started etc, it is not a fraud investigation.