I have every bit of sympathy for the poor sods actually having to administer any benefits. I worked in Housing Benefit for many years (I last worked 10 years ago so have absolutely no knowledge about the current rules!) and even then there were nonsensical rules which had to be followed by the front facing staff. I trained staff in benefits, and completely believed/believe that being human is the least a government / local government official can do to help the people making claims for all benefits. And that is what I attempted to teach the people I trained, to have empathy and respect for claimants.
Unfortunately, the way that Atos and Capita staff are required to obtain information and conduct assessments for which they are often untrained and unqualified for, is abominable, both for the staff members and the claimants.
My criticism is levelled at the policy makers, regulation writers and the government who have decreed these benefits should be administered in inhuman ways. There are certainly some Atos and Capita assessors as well as some decision makers who take great pride in making poor judgements and decisions; who delight in turning down claims. But I am sure that in the main, they are just human beings trying to do a job. It’s not the individuals fault that the system is flawed.
Meanwhile, all we can do as individuals claiming benefits is to get help with the claim process if possible. To inform ourselves as much as possible about what the rules are and how to present ourselves to demonstrate how we fit the criteria. To provide examples of each statement we make on the claim forms. To provide as much relevant evidence as possible, whilst making sure we don’t swamp the decision makers with more than they can make sense of. And of course, any negative decision should have a mandatory reconsideration followed by appeal if necessary.
Lets just not forget that the people who are administering these benefits are human. And bloody hope they remember that we are too.
Sue