Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall TD today branded the Social Welfare claim assessment process as a “shambles”.
“The numbers speak for themselves, there is something very wrong with a system where so many cases are refused on application, then approved on appeal.”
Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall TD today branded the Social Welfare claim assessment process as a “shambles”.
Deputy Shortall was reacting to figures released to her by the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection giving details of applications that were overturned on appeal.
Deputy Shortall said: “The numbers speak for themselves, there is something very wrong with a system where so many cases are refused on application, then approved on appeal. The payments that have the highest number of decisions being overturned on appeal are for payments for people with disabilities or those caring for them. For example, over 60% of cases where a person appeals a decision to refuse Disability Allowance are overturned. There is clearly a massive problem with how the initial applications are assessed if the successful appeal rate is this high.”
Deputy Shortall went on to highlight a number of other standout figures from the data.
“Over 40% of Domiciliary Care Allowance and Invalidity Pension appeals are upheld, upwards of 35% of Disablement Benefit appeals are successful. The Minister needs to initiate a serious review of how applications for these payments are processed, there is clearly a problem when so many vulnerable people are allowed to slip through the net like this,” she added.
Deputy Shortall urged anyone who was unhappy with a decision on an application for a payment such as this to make an appeal, particularly in light of the fact that the success rate of appeals is climbing.
“I am very concerned that many of the initial refusals that have large numbers of successful appeals are ones for which medical evidence is required. In 2017 the success rate of appeals for Disability Allowance was 60%, in 2018 it was 62%. 43% of Domiciliary Care Allowance applications were found to be incorrectly refused in the first instance in 2018, this is up from 37% in 2017.
“The success rate of appeal of Invalidity Pension decisions jumped from 27% in 2017 to almost 42% in 2018. There is something very wrong with the decision making systems that allow this to happen and it is causing needless concern for applicants and more work and administrative costs for the Appeals Office. There is an obvious need for better expertise in the Department where the decisions are first examined so that time and resources are not wasted on appeals that shouldn’t be necessary. ”
ENDS
29th January 2019
Appendix:
Figures provided to Deputy Shortall in response to PQ 1535/19
Outcome of Appeals by Category 2017
| Allowed By Appeals Officers |
Partially Allowed By Appeals Officers | Revised DO/DP Decision | Disallowed By Appeals Officers |
Withdrawn | Total | |
| State Pension (Non-Contributory) | 75 21.9% |
34 9.9% |
78 22.7% |
128 37.3% |
28 8.2% |
343 |
| State Pension (Contributory) | 35 9.9% |
12 3.4% |
76 21.5% |
218 61.6% |
13 3.7% |
354 |
| State Pension (Transition) | 1 33.3% |
– | – | 2 66.7% |
– | 3 |
| Widow’s/Widower’s Pension (Contributory) | 8 25.8% |
– | 7 22.6% |
15 48.4% |
1 3.2% |
31 |
| Death Benefit | – | – | – | 1 100.0% |
– | 1 |
| Bereavement Grant | 1 100.0% |
– | – | – | – | 1 |
| Jobseeker’s Allowance – Payments | 349 22.2% |
66 4.2% |
309 19.6% |
665 42.3% |
184 11.7% |
1,573 |
| Jobseeker’s Transitional | 10 27.0% |
4 10.8% |
10 27.0% |
6 16.2% |
7 18.9% |
37 |
| Jobseeker’s Allowance -Means | 187 12.9% |
82 5.6% |
264 18.2% |
708 48.7% |
212 14.6% |
1,453 |
| One Parent Family Payment | 67 26.1% |
19 7.4% |
54 21.0% |
67 26.1% |
50 19.5% |
257 |
| Widow’s/Widower’s Pension (Non-Contributory) | 7 30.4% |
4 17.4% |
3 13.0% |
9 39.1% |
– | 23 |
| Supplementary Welfare Allowance | 304 22.5% |
34 2.5% |
229 17.0% |
602 44.6% |
180 13.3% |
1,349 |
| Farm Assist | 22 15.5% |
18 12.7% |
28 19.7% |
60 42.3% |
14 9.9% |
142 |
| Pre-Retirement Allowance | – | – | 1 100.0% |
– | – | 1 |
| Jobseeker’s Benefit | 83 17.3% |
21 4.4% |
117 24.4% |
206 43.0% |
52 10.9% |
479 |
| Deserted Wife’s Benefit | 2 40.0% |
1 20.0% |
– | 2 40.0% |
– | 5 |
| Maternity Benefit | 10 14.1% |
3 4.2% |
8 11.3% |
49 69.0% |
1 1.4% |
71 |
| Paternity Benefit | 1 12.5% |
– | 3 37.5% |
3 37.5% |
1 12.5% |
8 |
| Adoptive Benefit | – | – | – | 2 100.0% |
– | 2 |
| Treatment Benefits | – | – | – | 1 100.0% |
– | 1 |
| Partial Capacity Benefit | 15 33.3% |
1 2.2% |
11 24.4% |
14 31.1% |
4 8.9% |
45 |
| Disability Allowance | 2,975 60.3% |
70 1.4% |
563 11.4% |
1,211 24.5% |
115 2.3% |
4,934 |
| Blind Pension | 1 6.7% |
1 6.7% |
3 20.0% |
7 46.7% |
3 20.0% |
15 |
| Carer’s Allowance | 1,204 35.2% |
161 4.7% |
780 22.8% |
1,199 35.1% |
72 2.1% |
3,416 |
| Domiciliary Care Allowance | 297 37.1% |
10 1.2% |
343 42.8% |
135 16.9% |
16 2.0% |
801 |
| Carer’s Support Grant | 35 22.6% |
2 1.3% |
45 29.0% |
72 46.5% |
1 0.6% |
155 |
| Illness Benefit | 118 23.0% |
8 1.6% |
140 27.2% |
189 36.8% |
59 11.5% |
514 |
| Injury Benefit | 3 7.9% |
– | 2 5.3% |
27 71.1% |
6 15.8% |
38 |
| Invalidity Pension | 365 27.1% |
7 0.5% |
691 51.3% |
262 19.4% |
23 1.7% |
1,348 |
| Disablement Benefit | 86 34.4% |
19 7.6% |
30 12.0% |
109 43.6% |
6 2.4% |
250 |
| Incapacity Supplement | 3 30.0% |
1 10.0% |
3 30.0% |
3 30.0% |
– | 10 |
| Medical Care | – | – | 1 50.0% |
1 50.0% |
– | 2 |
| Carer’s Benefit | 23 22.1% |
2 1.9% |
39 37.5% |
37 35.6% |
3 2.9% |
104 |
| Child Benefit | 68 15.5% |
23 5.3% |
154 35.2% |
178 40.6% |
15 3.4% |
438 |
| Family Income Supplement | 76 15.1% |
15 3.0% |
267 53.1% |
130 25.8% |
15 3.0% |
503 |
| Back To Work Family Dividend | 7 17.1% |
– | 4 9.8% |
25 61.0% |
5 12.2% |
41 |
| Guardian’s Payment (Non-Contributory) | 5 33.3% |
1 6.7% |
2 13.3% |
7 46.7% |
– | 15 |
| Guardian’s Payment (Contributory) | 13 39.4% |
2 6.1% |
4 12.1% |
14 42.4% |
– | 33 |
| Widowed Parent Grant | – | – | – | 2 100.0% |
– | 2 |
| Insurability | 34 24.5% |
4 2.9% |
11 7.9% |
37 26.6% |
53 38.1% |
139 |
| Liable Relatives | – | 4 23.5% |
– | 11 64.7% |
2 11.8% |
17 |
| Recoverable Benefits & Assistance | 3 11.5% |
– | 3 11.5% |
20 76.9% |
– | 26 |
| TOTAL APPEALS | 6,493 34.2% |
629 3.3% |
4,283 22.6% |
6,434 33.9% |
1,141 6.0% |
18,980 |
Outcome of Appeals by Category 2018
| Allowed By Appeals Officers |
Partially Allowed By Appeals Officers | Revised DO/DP Decision | Disallowed By Appeals Officers |
Withdrawn | Total | |
| State Pension (Non-Contributory) | 85 23.4% |
29 8.0% |
70 19.3% |
144 39.7% |
35 9.6% |
363 |
| State Pension (Contributory) | 35 9.5% |
9 2.5% |
64 17.4% |
244 66.5% |
15 4.1% |
367 |
| Widow’s/Widower’s Pension (Contributory) | 18 45.0% |
– | 2 5.0% |
14 35.0% |
6 15.0% |
40 |
| Death Benefit | – | – | – | 1 100.0% |
– | 1 |
| Bereavement Grant | – | – | – | 1 100.0% |
– | 1 |
| Jobseeker’s Allowance – Payments | 280 18.0% |
99 6.4% |
251 16.1% |
785 50.4% |
141 9.1% |
1,556 |
| Jobseeker’s Transitional | 9 19.1% |
5 10.6% |
9 19.1% |
18 38.3% |
6 12.8% |
47 |
| Jobseeker’s Allowance -Means | 150 10.4% |
83 5.8% |
194 13.5% |
836 58.1% |
176 12.2% |
1,439 |
| One Parent Family Payment | 47 20.4% |
13 5.7% |
46 20.0% |
83 36.1% |
41 17.8% |
230 |
| Widow’s/Widower’s Pension (Non-Contributory) | 4 23.5% |
2 11.8% |
– | 10 58.8% |
1 5.9% |
17 |
| Deserted Wife’s Allowance | 1 100.0% |
– | – | – | – | 1 |
| Supplementary Welfare Allowance | 258 24.6% |
29 2.8% |
179 17.1% |
467 44.6% |
114 10.9% |
1,047 |
| Farm Assist | 14 11.7% |
11 9.2% |
18 15.0% |
62 51.7% |
15 12.5% |
120 |
| Pre-Retirement Allowance | 1 50.0% | 1 50.0% |
– | – | – | 2 |
| Jobseeker’s Benefit | 109 18.3% |
33 5.5% |
129 21.6% |
270 45.3% |
55 9.2% |
596 |
| Deserted Wife’s Benefit | 3 50.0% |
– | – | 3 50.0% |
– | 6 |
| Maternity Benefit | 6 11.1% |
– | 13 24.1% |
34 63.0% |
1 1.9% |
54 |
| Paternity Benefit | 1 6.3% |
1 6.3% | – | 14 87.5% |
– | 16 |
| Treatment Benefits | – | – | – | 2 100.0% |
2 | |
| Partial Capacity Benefit | 16 50.0% |
– | 2 6.3% |
13 40.6% |
1 3.1% |
32 |
| Disability Allowance | 3,112 62.2% |
99 2.0% |
462 9.2% |
1,256 25.1% |
77 1.5% |
5,006 |
| Blind Pension | 2 14.3% |
2 14.3% |
3 21.4% |
6 42.9% |
1 7.1% |
14 |
| Carer’s Allowance | 1,047 38.6% |
144 5.3% |
440 16.2% |
989 36.5% |
90 3.3% |
2,710 |
| Domiciliary Care Allowance | 686 43.6% |
13 0.8% |
590 37.5% |
258 16.4% |