This story was broke by a Radio Five live special investigation last sunday, yet for some reason has not made the national media.It is a very important story particularly for the people who lost benefits as a result of such errors. It is also yet another example of departmental failure. However, the news that over 80,000 disabled people a year are being denied benefits and in many cases wrongly accused of making bogus applications for benefits comes as no surprise to those who campaign on welfare issues. Sheffield Welfare Action Network believes such stories are just the tip of the iceberg: welfare issues are not sexy and media scrutiny on these matters is generally weak or non existent, (with some exceptions.) Indeed, we consider and have known for a long time that both errors and deliberate alterations and other malpractices have been evident in the disability benefits process, some are postedon our website. In light of recent failures of other Govt departments, this is a very salient and topical issue and like other failures, it has many victims. This disasterous situation which will affect tens of thousands, if not many more, disabled people must be put into the wider public domain and people made accountable. If you can, please contact the national media,etc, to ensure this gets a hearing

interestingly, the bbc headline doesn't mention deliberate alterations/malpractice


Errors block benefits to disabled
By Geoff Adams-Spink

BBC News website age & disability correspondent

Almost 80,000 sick and disabled people a year are being wrongly denied benefits, according to a BBC investigation for Radio Five Live. It has emerged that medical reports on people claiming some benefits are unreliable or inaccurate. As a result, thousands claiming Incapacity Benefit or Disability Living Allowance have had to appeal. The government says that it is "responding positively" when criticisms are made. The investigation found that some handwritten medical reports were altered so that the meaning was completely changed, while in other cases a computer-based medical questionnaire produced misleading or nonsensical information.

As a result, tens of thousands of people have had to challenge decisions in order to obtain benefits to which they are entitled. Campaigners say that the relationship between a private contractor - Atos Origin - and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has often been to blame.

Worst case

Jim Allison, a benefits adviser based in Cumbria, came across one case in which an applicant for Disability Living Allowance had had 20 alterations made to her medical report. The corrections had the effect of invalidating her claim: only when she decided to appeal did the alterations come to light. Photo of Jim Allison sitting at his computer Jim Allison advises claimants via the internet
For example, the word "unsteady" had been altered to "steady" when describing her ability to walk. In another part of the report, the doctor had originally said that she was able to walk 30 metres. The "3" had later been turned into an "8", thereby making it less likely that she would be awarded DLA.

"This particular case was the worst I'd seen," said Mr Allison.

"Twenty alterations were made and as a result it reversed the outcome and the lady was actually turned down."

more

 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/4995078.stm


five live programme

Not feeling the benefits
An investigation by the Five Live Report has found that 28,000 disabled people a year are being wrongly accused of making bogus applications for benefits. Reporter Geoff Adams-Spink talks to people with disabilities who say they are being left humiliated and poverty stricken by the methods used by a private company to assess claims for incapacity benefit and disability living allowance. The Department for Work and Pensions awarded a £500 million pound contract to a French information technology company to assess the levels of disability in hundreds of thousands of Britons.

 http://www.bbc.co.uk/fivelive/programmes/worricker.shtml

Regards
John Rogers


For SWAN
Eml  sheffieldwelfare_an@yahoo.co.uk
Web www.swansheffield.org.uk
Tel 07903 453006
Addr SWAN c/o Inclusive Living Sheffield,
116 The Wicker, Sheffield, S3 8JD.

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Sheffield 17/06/06

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