Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 14
14
The Department acknowledged it took longer to process claims than it had expected.54 The National...
Conclusion
The Department acknowledged it took longer to process claims than it had expected.54 The National Audit Office calculated that claims took an average of 154 staff hours to process to payment, five times more than the Department originally estimated.55 The Department could not explain how it made its original caseworking estimates but assured us it made them ‘with the best of intentions’.56 It recognised it had misunderstood how complex cases would be and how long it may take to gather information on behalf of claimants from employers and other government departments.57 Operational capacity and capability
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
1.2 The Home Office (the department) remains focused on speeding up the processing of claims. On 21 July 2021, the department published a redesigned primary claim form which is easier to complete, and refreshed caseworker guidance which sets out clearly how caseworkers should apply the balance of probabilities and gather evidence to ensure claimants are only asked for the minimum information necessary. Together, these should reduce the time taken to process claims and improve peoples’ experiences of the scheme.