Sue, i think you were definitely onto something...i've just had a call back from JC+ to tell me that client's case has been referred to the "complex team". she was the leader of the "simple team"!!!! 'complex' is apparently defined as anything that is not straightforward.
- in this case, what has happened to the £1100+ arrears of JSA withheld from August to December to check for possible recovery of working tax credit? they are obviously in some difficulties, so i would be surprised if we don't see a further breakdown into simple, complex, and really complex...
actually, it took them over a month to decide that it was a complex case and refer it...when i refered to my letters in phone call this morning, i was told that they probably hadn't even been looked at yet - they have a backlog... the 'simple team' team leader rang me back to tell me only that it had been referred to the 'complex team' on 18/1/07, which didn't exactly answer my query... the complex team is in the same office...<sigh>
we are now hearing that the jobcentres are turning away people with queries about their claims, with advice to ring the call centre. Jobcentres are now the only available access to face to face contact, and claimants are IMMENSELY frustrated by this. it seems however that JC+ staff are doing this because they have no way of knowing what is happening on peoples' claims, short of ringing the call-centres themselves, which i expect is too time-consuming...the processing arrangements appear to be ad hoc rather than planned, and JC+ staff don't know where claims are being dealt with.
the infrastructure for delivery of social security benefits has been wrecked for CMS - the gateway to oblivion.
|