More fun and games from the Department of Worthless Pervesions

Yesterday they sent me a letter which incidentally arrived already opened. It stated that they were unable to process my claim for Income Support because the people who handle Incapacity Benefit (IB) claims are yet to make a decision as to whether or not I am eligible. As IB is dependent on National Insurance payments which last time I was assessed I hadn't made enough of and I've not made a NI payment since this perhaps isn't the most complicated decision they will ever have to make.

In the very same envelope as the letter telling me they were unable to look my claim they also sent me a letter stating;

"The Decision Maker has looked at your claim and I am sorry to tell you that we cannot pay your income support from [date]. This is because the law gives special reasons, which allows claims to be backdated, and the Decision Maker has decided that the special reasons do not apply to your claim."

Once I'd pacified my grammar nazi over the unnecessary use of commas I went and looked up the "special reasons" which allow claims to be backdated, in tedious numerical order these are;

1. The appropriate office where the claimant would be expected to make a claim was closed and alternative arrangements were not made
2. The Claimant was unable to attend the appropriate office due to difficulties with his normal mode of transport and there was no reasonable alternative available
3. There was adverse postal conditions
4. The claimant was previously in receipt of another benefit and notification of expiry of entitlement to that benefit was not sent to the claimant before entitlement expired.
5. In the case of a claim for Working Families Tax Credit, the claimant had previously been entitled to Income Support or Jobseekers allowance and the claim for Working Families Tax Credit was made within one month of expiry of entitlement to that benefit.
6. In the case of a claim for Income Support or Job Seekers Allowance the claimant had ceased to be a member of a married or unmarried couple within the period of one month before the claim was made;
7. During the period of one month before the claim was made a close relative of the claimant died. For this purpose, "close relative" means partner, parent or child.

As the only reason I am submitting a new claim is that I was not notified of the expiry of my previous claim I have rather obviously written back advising them to look at their decision again because as I've been told time and time again everybody has to follow the rules.

Coincidentially I saw an advert for a job at the DWP and it was being sold under the slogan "SHAPE A POLICY WHICH IS REALLY WORKING!" which has to be a case for the advertising standards authority.