Have been investigating the Government Gateway for online claims - it says that for IS, JSA and IB it's only available in certain areas, obviously not including ours. Anyone know where it is available? I'm sure the first time I checked it it appeared to be available here, as it told me it's only a way to start a claim, and you have to be willing to go through the callback process. So it's of limited use anyway, but would be interesting to know if anyone has used it.

The Government Gateway is available @ www.gateway.gov.uk

The government recently announced that it has selected Atos Origin - the private company that manages the DWP's medical assessment services - to provide services that further its strategy of delivering 'joined up government'.

For more information see the rightsnet news story -

Medical services IT firm to manage services for the Government Gateway - Atos Origin awarded £46 million contract to support delivery of joined up government (21 September, 2006)

Hi rwils,

Had a chance now to check around the government gateway site and can't find any reference to being able to claim IS, JSA or IB at all.

Can you say where you saw the information about being able to do this in certain areas?

Ken - I got a user id and password by following this link and registering on the page that opens http://www.dwp.gov.uk/eservice/#. Once logged in you click on the link to confirm you are in GB and it comes with this page:

Select "My account" to access your existing claims and applications.


My account


To make a claim or application select an option below.
Jobcentre Plus benefits
> Income Support, Jobseeker's Allowance and Incapacity Benefit


Pensions and retirement
> State Pension



Disability and Carers Service
> Disability Living Allowance (adult)
> Disability Living Allowance (child 16 and under)
> Attendance Allowance (age 65 or over)
Child maintenance
> Child maintenance application

That has lost its formatting but on the site the benefit names are all links to the on line claim forms. DLA, AA and Retirement Pension are working fine. But I've noticed the Child Benefit and Carers Allowance e-services are down for maintenance so it might have something to do with that

Any district that is using the latest version of CMS - CMS4, has the call back system you describe - as we do in East anglia - as to it being of little use, they think it's far more efficient - however you'll know, as we all do, that there is a significant minority of the claiming population who cannot cope with telephone claiming - mentally ill, deaf, blind and those with literacy problems etc - you may well run into refusals to issue clerical claims etc - problems with increased processing times - necessitating requests for interim payments

......and just when you think it couldn't get any better, telephone numbers that you just cannot get through on ....no doubt armed with all this information you can hardly wait.........

Ken - I used your link above, and altho I can log in with my user id it doesn't go to the page I copied into my earlier message. It's confusing, esp as the Child Ben and Carers Allowance e-services seem to be something different again. It's bad enough for us WROs trying to make sense of it (and explain it in our guides and website), it must be worse for claimants trying to find their way round it.

Has anyone used this yet?