A legal document describes how George (surname withheld), has been failed on scores of occasions by DWP staff working on its helplines and in its jobcentres.
The DWP has now admitted discriminating against him on numerous occasions.
George said he believed thousands of other disabled people were potentially facing similar treatment, and that DWP appeared to be refusing to take any action to make the UC system safer, more accessible and less distressing for others.
For more than two years, George and his carers begged DWP staff to communicate with him by phone, rather than through his online UC journal.
Because of a neurological impairment, George experiences regular seizures, memory problems and “brain fog”, and has significant care needs, needing assistance with washing, dressing, eating, reading, writing, and completing paperwork.
But DWP staff failed to put markers on his UC account to alert colleagues that he was a “vulnerable claimant” and that he needed reasonable adjustments to be made for him, after he registered a new claim in February 2020.
When he lodged his claim, he was told – wrongly – that he could only make a claim digitally, rather than by telephone.
He was only able to submit the online claim with the help of a Citizens Advice Bureau.
On numerous occasions over the following months, his requests for support were ignored or refused.
He made repeated attempts to complain about the discriminatory way he was being treated, but many of these complaints were never investigated.
The DWP has now admitted liability in a county court discrimination case, and George is seeking up to £25,000 in damages.
However, the Department is disputing the amount it should pay in compensation for its failures and the impact they have had on him.
George said he was “extremely concerned” by DWP’s actions.
He said: “If they are admitting they did this to me, why aren’t they looking at the system as a whole?
“I think this is happening to potentially thousands of other disabled people.
George added: “There doesn’t seem to be any kind of remorse or action being taken to change the situation generally.
“What’s it going to take for them to make those changes?”
Ken Butler DR UK’s Welfare Rights and Policy Adviser said: “George’s is experience of claiming UC by telephone is not unusual.
“The DWP has started its migration exercise aiming to move 2 million legacy benefit claimants to UC by 2024.
All will be given a deadline to submit a claim for UC. They will be given three months to make the claim or have their benefit stopped.
“Ultimately this compulsory self-managed migration will leave people who can’t claim online, for example because of a disability, losing their legacy benefit with no UC to replace it.
“The DWP must train and support staff in the need to ensure all claimants are asked whether they need a reasonable adjustment, both in how they communicate with the Department and how they access the UC service.
“An essential part will then be the DWP actively facilitating the upkeep of claims by telephone.”
Source and for more information: DWP admits court defeat after UC discrimination led to suicide thoughts available from disabilitynewsservice.com
See also our related news story DWP failing to make reasonable adjustments for UC claimants with mental health problems.
