Citizens advice/DLA

If you find that you awarded a lower rate then anticipated Low and higher mobility Low, medium, higher, care Appeal as lower is normal. Remember middle care is passport for other benefits Mike

I currently volunteer at CAB and have become very concerned with what i am seeing, people are waiting 4 hours to see a Gateway assessor (thats me) who is unable to advice in any form! i recently had an MS sufferer and this is what happened-this person who travelled for around 12 miles to access the services we provide. after waiting nearly 2 hours to be seen it was established by me that they had 0.60p ‘to their name’ and no other form of income due to termination of their state support. after presenting to my ‘supervisor’ with the information i was informed to tell the client that they had to call for a crisis loan (not from CAB as “the job centre has phones…we are not a phone box”), the client clearly had mental health issues as well as MS, and made it clear that that they were unable to make the call to get the crisis loan or deal with the other issues (for which time was running out to action). i again presented to my ‘supervisor’ with this information and made a suggestion of a food voucher and an urgent appointment but i was told “if they cannot or will not call for a crisis loan then that is their problem” so in due form of the support i had been given and the instructions i had received i sent them away. With the same 0.60p and no food or help of any kind (besides assisted information-for which they could not read) and a promise that they would not waste their time returning to CAB. i remember hoping that the rain held off for their journey home.

the service DOES NOT help with: family law issues, business debt, housing issues, criminal law, attend appeals or hearings of any kind, probate, employment, consumer issues, banking issues, tax debt/issues of any kind, insurance (such as PPI), any court attendance, civil legal matters (except small debt) equity and trust law, home owners in any capacity, assistance with mental health services (such as finding an advocate) immigration, most debts over £5000 and if a person has savings then they are told to seek “special legal advice” as they will not get funding for any help they do give (they have funding from Legal Services Commission).

Another issues is if you have had advice but the debt or situation changes but your INCOME or personal situation does NOT change you will NOT GET any more assistance! i volunteer for 4 hours each day, in that time i see the advisors eating cakes and drinking coffee in the back office, clients waiting for them to finish their computer card games before being seen. victims of domestic violence sent away as “if they cant leave him/her then that’s not our problem” and to top that if a person presents (as happened to me) with threats against their children (child protection issues are not covered by CAB) then we are NOT allowed to tell Social Services…even if they (as they did with me) make clear threats against a small boy in their care!

when i made a fuse i was “removed from the case due to heavy personal involvement which may damage the impartiality of the case” ITS A LEGAL REQUIRMENT TO REPORT CHILD PROTECTION ISSUES IN ANY FORM! but due to CAB’s “confidential and impartial advice” they take that to mean no information leaves CAB. I CAN PROVE ALL I HAVE SAID HERE AND HAVE GONE TO A WHISTLE BLOWING ORGANISATION!

  • BE WARNED THE OLD DAYS OF CAB HELPING YOU HAVE GONE!!!