Please excuse this query if I am not informed as I might be, but I am presently in social care rather than welfare rights, but have someone who has approached me, and I am, well concerned...

The person is receiving GPC, and has been since it was introduced, (was on IS prior). They have received a letter stating that as the person has not replied to a previous letter (not received) from the Pension Service, that will receive a visit from "A4e". No explanation is given as to who they might be, or why they would want to visit...

The actual letter reads; "Please contact us immediately on the telephone number above to confirm your address. If you do not contact us by 13-Feb-06, we will pass your details to A4e, an organisation acting on behalf of the Pension Service who will visit you to confirm your details and discuss the way that you currently receive your payment.

If you do not contact us future payments of your state pension/pension credit may be affected".

This letter puts the willies in me, let alone a pensioner previously on IS and signed off as having mental health problems, (a fact known to the Pension Service".

I have quite clear Article 8 considerations, but has anyone else seen these letters, and who are A4e, and why are no further details given about them in the DWP letter?

Anyone know anymore?

hmmmm!

http://www.a4e.co.uk/display.asp?tID=5

Still more questions than answers!!!

Thanks for the link, on the part of the A4e website that discusses direct payments, they say; "Our advisors will be delivering advice in the communities that they live in, so that they can offer a personal, friendly and community based service".

The letter I referred to above seems neither "personal", nor "friendly", it appears to me at least that there is more of a threat to remove payments, if the person does not call or write to the Pension Service everry few weeks.

This letter is also not an in claim check, and whilst not 100% sure of the regs in GPC, would like to know legal reasoning for being able to superceed any GPC decisions, on the basis that a person won't ring to confirm they still want giro payments, and do not want direct poayments...

i wonder how many pension age citizens believe it is appropriate for the DWP to disclose their confidential address details to an organisation, for the purpose of sending people to their homes to 'persuade' them in person?

i suspect very few, and that most people believed their personal data was confidential, and that they were providing it for the purpose of claiming their legal entitlement to benefits, not to enable the Department's preference of payment methods to be 'sold' under what can be seen as a certain amount of duress, as pointed out.

do many people find this an appropriate way for the state to treat older people? i don't think so.

having seen A4e's training material, (see old discussion -link below) i don't doubt that these callers would in 99 out of 100 cases achieve the purpose the DWP has contracted them for - to override 'customers' choices with the 'governments' choice. i'm sure they would do it in a 'friendly' way...

it would be interesting to find out whether any discussions of either the withholding of GPC payments, or the wording of the notification took place during the contracting negotiations. i don't see how FOI can continue to be blocked by 'commercial in confidence' if the government wants to proceed down the road of contract - managing out- sourced public services - no FOI, no accountability. gotta love progressive legislation...

incidently, are we talking about payments of state pension credit here, including combined payments with state retirement pension?


http://www.rightsnet.org.uk/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=108&topic_id=427&mode=full#990

jj

ps - up-date on the double glazing, fwiw- i'd told the highly skilled salesperson i'd give him 30 mins only, and two and a half hours later, i'd almost lost the will to live... the french doors with cat flap were in the end, a great success, and probably worth all the stress caused due to fixing a date slap bang in the middle of the week in which i needed to be in scotland. however, the bedroom windows turned out to be rather eccentric, and it's likely that i have successfully reduced the value of my home ... : )