benefits

Daily Express Disability Reporting – lies, hate crime or error?

Posted by soiniciulacht on July 26, 2012
Posted in: accountability, benefits, Factual, freedom of speech, news, politics, sleaze, Tories, welfare reform. Tagged: , , , , , , , .

What do you call a journalist who works for a publication owned by a pornographer?

A FUCKING LIAR

This bunch of disgusting thugs keep repeating this claim time after time:

lie

lie

The Express:

The Express inflates the proportion “faking” incapacity by adding the percentage of applicants who withdrew their claim before the Assessment (36 per cent) to those found “fit for work.”

However the assumption that all applicants who withdrew their claims are “faking” sickness is not one that is supported by the figures. The DWP does not record the reason for withdrawn claims, but this group is likely to include not only those who were genuinely ill enough to qualify for the benefit at the time of the application but who had recovered enough before the Assessment to work, but also those too ill to complete the application process. It is therefore extremely unlikely that all 36 per cent of applicants in this group are simply ‘trying it on’.

A study into the reasons for withdrawn claims was commissioned by DWP in 2010, and this found that some 40 per cent of applicants were in employment 6-10 months after making the claim, while a quarter maintained that their poor health was a barrier to seeking work.

There is also a further error in the Express’ piece. The paper claims that: “Startling statistics showed that of the 2.6 million people on incapacity benefit, a total of 1.9 million could work.”

This isn’t what the figures released yesterday show. There are indeed 2.6 million people of “incapacity benefits” (defined by the DWP as Employment and Support Allowance, Incapacity Benefit, Income Support paid because of an illness or disability and Severe Disablement Allowance), however yesterday’s statistics refer specifically to new applicants for ESA only.

As such, they cannot even be used to calculate the proportion of all ESA claimants that ‘can work’. The DWP publishes separate figures for the 250,600 people that have had repeat assessments, with very different results: 26 per cent of this group were found “fit for work” with 12 per cent withdrawing.

THE ONLY CONCLUSION THAT CAN BE DRAWN FROM THIS REPEATED MISREPORTING IS THAT THE REPORTERS HAVE NO PROFESSIONAL INTEGRITY AND THE NEWSPAPER’S EDITORIAL STAFF ARE GUILTY OF AIDING AND ABETTING THOSE CREATING THE ATMOSPHERE THAT HAS LED TO THE RECORD LEVELS OF DISABILITY HATE CRIMES

Quarter of those claiming sickness benefits have a criminal record in ‘truly alarming discovery’

Posted by soiniciulacht on July 23, 2012
Posted in: accountability, benefits, Factual, Minister, politics, sleaze, Tories, welfare reform. Tagged: , , , , , , .

These statistics are meaningless bullshit produced by DWP and MOJ and Grayling has, yet again, shown that he is entirely deserving of his reputation as a lying grasping bastard.

Background checks on those receiving state handouts because they are too ill to work revealed that nearly a quarter have been convicted or cautioned for criminal offences in the past ten years.

Steve Doughty, Daily Mail

I’m sure he must have some human decency but I can’t find it in his articles.

This may well be true but a quick look at the report shows the paucity of its quality:

‘Offenders discharged from custody are more than twice as likely as all JSA claimants to migrate onto Incapacity Benefit (IB) or Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) following an initial claim to JSA on release from custody.’
’6 per cent of the average JSA claimant population are on IB or ESA a year after the initial JSA claim, compared to 12 per cent of the ex-prisoner population. This difference continues until the end of the three year tracking period where the ex-prisoner population are over two times more likely to be on IB or ESA three years after making the initial JSA clam as the average JSA claimant.’
Would this be at all related to the prevalence of prisoners with mental health issues? 90% according to the ONS
Have I missed the statistical comparison between the health of offenders compared to that of the rest of the population?
Would health difference not also account for the difference in the amounts claimed, the length of claims etc?
Yet again lies through statistics.

This is the truth the DWP won’t tell you

Posted by soiniciulacht on July 20, 2012
Posted in: benefits, Factual, sleaze, Tories, welfare reform. Tagged: , , , , , , .

Here are 3 groups of  people; the unemployed, the politician and the corporate. One of these groups is acting with honour.

 

Feckless, workshy, lazy chavs in action:

 

This is the level of competence of the Ministers responsible:

 

Employment minister Chris Grayling has been asked to provide an explanation for mounting chaos surrounding the fitness-for-work assessment, amid complaints over the transparency of the process.

New unhappiness with the system, run by the private firm Atos, has emerged over individuals’ requests to record their assessment as a way of ensuring that their details are correctly registered.

Claimants were given the right to request a recording last year. But the Department for Work and Pensions only bought 11 recording machines – shared between 123 assessment centres – which test 11,000 people every week. Several are currently broken.

 

Guardian 20 July 2012

 

Meanwhile:

 

 

G4S Welfare to Work aims to support tens of thousands of unemployed people into sustainable employment across the UK

 

We manage three ‘Work Programme’ contracts on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions, which will support 120,000 people into work over the coming years.  We also deliver a European Social Fund project to help over 3,000 families with multiple problems overcome their barriers to employment.  To find out more about the areas in which we operate, please use the regional links at the top of the page.  Alternatively, you can use the menu on the left-hand side of the page to learn about how we deliver employment services and what we can offer jobseekers, employers and potential partners.

The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions is in breach of Statutory Duties under the 2010 Equality Act

Posted by soiniciulacht on July 20, 2012
Posted in: accountability, benefits, democracy, equality, Factual, human rights, Legislation, news, politics, sleaze, Tories, welfare reform. Tagged: , , , , , , , .

Under Schedule 19 Minister of the Crown are listed for the purposes of the Equality Act meaning they are subject to its provisions.

15
Discrimination arising from disability

(1)A person (A) discriminates against a disabled person (B) if—
(a)A treats B unfavourably because of something arising in consequence of B’s disability, and
(b)A cannot show that the treatment is a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim.

26
Harassment
(1)A person (A) harasses another (B) if—
(a)A engages in unwanted conduct related to a relevant protected characteristic, and
(b)the conduct has the purpose or effect of—
(i)violating B’s dignity, or
(ii)creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for B.

Section 26:
Harassment

Effect
98.This section defines what is meant by harassment for the purposes of the Act. There are three types of harassment. The first type, which applies to all the protected characteristics apart from pregnancy and maternity, and marriage and civil partnership, involves unwanted conduct which is related to a relevant characteristic and has the purpose or effect of creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for the complainant or of violating the complainant’s dignity. The second type is sexual harassment which is unwanted conduct of a sexual nature where this has the same purpose or effect as the first type of harassment. The third type is treating someone less favourably because he or she has either submitted to or rejected sexual harassment, or harassment related to sex or gender reassignment.

section 29 makes it unlawful to harass someone when providing a service.

Section 29: Provision of services, etc.Effect107.This section makes it unlawful to discriminate against or harass a person because of a protected characteristic, or victimise someone when providing services (which includes goods and facilities). The person is protected both when requesting a service and during the course of being provided with a service

*************************

There is currently no limit to the number of time a disabled person may be required for assessment, nor is there any minimum set period between assessments.
Assessments have such a high error rate that for many they are little better than tossing a coin and the consequence of a negative assessment can lead to many months of penury.
Under the Welfare Reform Act disabled people who are suffering degenerative disabling conditions are not exempt from the assessments.
The consequences of this are a breach of section 15 – reassessing people with degenerative disabling conditions for which there is no known recovery is disproportionate to the aim of moving those who can work into work. It is extremely unlikely that someone judged not fit for work is going to become fit for work as their condition worsens.

The Act also breaches Section 26 and 29 covering harassment as it is seen by many disabled people as being :

intimidating – irrespective of anything DWP say it is known that the purpose of assessing and reassessing is to save money first and treat the disabled person on their needs second.
hostile – the briefings and press releases along with the repeated use of misleading statistics has been instrumental in creating an atmosphere in which Disability hate crimes are being reported at record levels.

Given that many people are being assessed on multiple occasions,
given that there is no limit to the number of times may be assessed
given that there is no minimum time between assessments
given the high proportion of errors
given the length of time it takes to rectify errors
given the severe difficulties that may arise due to a wrong assessment
given the failure to tailor the requirement to attend assessments to the needs of the disabled person

The Secretary of State is in Breach because:

Many disabled people are afraid to use their benefits payments in the manner intended, especially if they require a large item or are asked to sign a long term contract because they are worried that a brown envelope can arrive at any time and that they could be within weeks of penury.

They are thus constantly suffering anxiety and fear due to the permanent state of uncertainty arising from the Welfare Reform Act.

I would argue that given the above it is incumbent upon the Secretary of State to:

1/ Set out a schedule for reassessments
2/ Require that DWP provide all claimants with a minimum time between reassessments
3/ As, a matter of urgency, either drop the WCA or develop one that’s fit for purpose
4/ Develop a method of especially protecting those on passported benefits who are appealing a decision from seeing a huge drop in income overnight
5/ Either exempt or set a long period in between reassessments of those with degenerative conditions. If DWP is really interested in help an annual letter asking for confirmation that the claimant does / does not with to apply for a higher rate award  should be sufficient along with a corroborating statement from the claimants registered GP
6/ The claimant should have the right to see any reasoning behind requiring multiple reassessments within a short period of time.

Housing and Council Tax Claimant Numbers by Consitutuency

Posted by soiniciulacht on July 18, 2012
Posted in: benefits, Factual, news. Tagged: , , , .

Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit by constituency

 

All HB recipients   4,833,470   

 All CTB recipients  5,825,940

   Constituency HB CTB    

Berwick-upon-Tweed    5,010    6,730
Bishop Auckland    8,770    11,860
Blaydon    6,840    9,460
Blyth Valley    7,420    9,220
City of Durham    6,240    7,910
Darlington    8,990    11,070
Easington    9,200    12,280
Gateshead    13,010    15,100
Hartlepool    11,350    14,980
Hexham    3,510    4,650
Houghton and Sunderland South    9,650    12,280
Jarrow    9,520    11,880
Middlesbrough    13,060    15,720
Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland    8,600    11,340
Newcastle upon Tyne Central    12,590    13,480
Newcastle upon Tyne East    11,180    11,780
Newcastle upon Tyne North    8,020    10,230
North Durham    8,270    10,980
North Tyneside    11,340    13,870
North West Durham    7,500    10,950
Redcar    9,120    12,030
Sedgefield    7,750    10,390
South Shields    11,450    13,800
Stockton North    10,220    12,820
Stockton South    5,830    8,440
Sunderland Central    11,180    13,580
Tynemouth    7,060    9,350
Wansbeck    7,280    9,230
Washington and Sunderland West    10,200    12,170

Altrincham and Sale West    4,160    5,300
Ashton-under-Lyne    9,030    11,300
Barrow and Furness    6,330    9,230
Birkenhead    13,440    15,350
Blackburn    10,730    14,610
Blackley and Broughton    18,060    19,330
Blackpool North and Cleveleys    9,230    11,960
Blackpool South    11,840    13,680
Bolton North East    9,700    12,120
Bolton South East    10,520    13,480
Bolton West    6,090    8,530
Bootle    13,930    17,250
Burnley    8,900    11,660
Bury North    5,940    8,040
Bury South    7,310    9,620
Carlisle    6,320    7,750
Cheadle    2,760    4,870
Chorley    5,420    7,410
City of Chester    6,850    7,820
Congleton    4,110    5,940
Copeland    5,720    7,320
Crewe and Nantwich    6,490    8,490
Denton and Reddish    7,100    9,570
Eddisbury    4,740    6,140
Ellesmere Port and Neston    6,100    7,900
Fylde    4,470    5,970
Garston and Halewood    11,120    14,440
Halton    9,460    11,490
Hazel Grove    4,350    6,360
Heywood and Middleton    9,600    12,160
Hyndburn    8,050    10,850
Knowsley    14,290    18,930
Lancaster and Fleetwood    5,900    7,770
Leigh    7,920    10,370
Liverpool, Riverside    16,000    16,900
Liverpool, Walton    15,200    18,360
Liverpool, Wavertree    11,090    13,300
Liverpool, West Derby    12,430    15,410
Macclesfield    4,640    5,750
Makerfield    6,000    8,900
Manchester Central    19,550    19,610
Manchester, Gorton    12,790    14,130
Manchester, Withington    7,950    8,880
Morecambe and Lunesdale    7,130    9,650
Oldham East and Saddleworth    8,460    11,220
Oldham West and Royton    9,840    13,160
Pendle    6,950    10,220
Penrith and The Border    3,520    4,730
Preston    10,030    12,350
Ribble Valley    3,240    5,050
Rochdale    11,290    14,240
Rossendale and Darwen    6,780    9,240
Salford and Eccles    13,650    15,200
Sefton Central    2,800    5,800
South Ribble    4,170    6,340
Southport    6,480    9,030
Stalybridge and Hyde    8,480    10,430
St Helens North    9,020    11,820
St Helens South and Whiston    10,270    13,020
Stockport    8,630    10,430
Stretford and Urmston    8,380    10,410
Tatton    3,480    4,720
Wallasey    9,480    12,390
Warrington North    7,610    9,630
Warrington South    5,320    7,450
Weaver Vale    6,370    7,660
West Lancashire    6,770    9,410
Westmorland and Lonsdale    3,530    4,720
Wigan    9,110    11,570
Wirral South    3,550    5,320
Wirral West    3,630    5,870
Workington    6,050    7,800
Worsley and Eccles South    10,450    12,650
Wyre and Preston North    2,560    4,560
Wythenshawe and Sale East    13,280    14,360

Barnsley Central    8,120    10,260
Barnsley East    8,560    11,050
Batley and Spen    7,970    11,220
Beverley and Holderness    5,050    7,880
Bradford East    10,530    14,280
Bradford South    9,600    12,150
Bradford West    8,830    12,600
Brigg and Goole    5,120    7,460
Calder Valley    6,850    8,730
Cleethorpes    6,190    9,250
Colne Valley    6,300    9,000
Dewsbury    7,620    10,600
Don Valley    6,910    9,390
Doncaster Central    9,560    11,270
Doncaster North    8,930    11,390
East Yorkshire    6,810    10,060
Elmet and Rothwell    4,700    6,300
Great Grimsby    10,170    12,890
Halifax    9,240    11,250
Haltemprice and Howden    2,530    4,650
Harrogate and Knaresborough    5,060    6,260
Hemsworth    8,480    10,280
Huddersfield    9,520    11,690
Keighley    5,810    8,240
Kingston upon Hull East    11,310    13,740
Kingston upon Hull North    11,170    12,840
Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle    12,120    13,810
Leeds Central    19,290    19,620
Leeds East    12,160    13,850
Leeds North East    6,670    8,220
Leeds North West    4,760    5,380
Leeds West    11,300    12,580
Morley and Outwood    5,450    7,270
Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford    10,180    12,010
Penistone and Stocksbridge    4,700    6,790
Pudsey    4,230    5,910
Richmond (Yorks)    4,760    5,920
Rother Valley    5,660    8,460
Rotherham    10,340    12,530
Scarborough and Whitby    8,880    11,320
Scunthorpe    7,500    9,570
Selby and Ainsty    4,420    6,000
Sheffield Central    10,400    10,880
Sheffield South East    8,030    11,000
Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough    14,200    16,540
Sheffield, Hallam    2,580    3,860
Sheffield, Heeley    10,540    12,850
Shipley    5,260    7,020
Skipton and Ripon    4,250    5,800
Thirsk and Malton    4,920    6,700
Wakefield    8,660    9,930
Wentworth and Dearne    9,080    11,670
York Central    8,230    8,760
York Outer    2,790    4,150

Amber Valley    6,060    8,630
Ashfield    7,790    11,070
Bassetlaw    7,320    9,690
Bolsover    7,510    10,230
Boston and Skegness    9,200    11,510
Bosworth    4,500    6,760
Broxtowe    4,740    6,960
Charnwood    2,940    5,040
Chesterfield    8,660    10,840
Corby    7,320    8,870
Daventry    4,190    5,270
Derby North    7,940    9,530
Derby South    11,840    13,970
Derbyshire Dales    3,530    4,740
Erewash    6,930    9,670
Gainsborough    5,680    7,910
Gedling    5,330    7,780
Grantham and Stamford    6,580    7,900
Harborough    3,750    5,870
High Peak    5,520    7,120
Kettering    5,830    7,470
Leicester East    9,610    13,070
Leicester South    10,990    13,020
Leicester West    12,170    13,650
Lincoln    9,730    11,100
Loughborough    5,230    6,780
Louth and Horncastle    6,750    10,200
Mansfield    8,840    11,650
Mid Derbyshire    2,950    4,920
Newark    5,180    7,080
North East Derbyshire    6,000    8,220
North West Leicestershire    5,080    6,990
Northampton North    6,300    7,900
Northampton South    8,840    9,540
Nottingham East    12,190    12,870
Nottingham North    14,240    16,580
Nottingham South    9,120    10,860
Rushcliffe    3,420    4,830
Rutland and Melton    3,950    5,350
Sherwood    5,570    7,940
Sleaford and North Hykeham    4,940    7,420
South Derbyshire    4,420    6,340
South Holland and The Deepings    5,550    8,230
South Leicestershire    3,480    5,580
South Northamptonshire    3,480    4,620
Wellingborough    7,320    9,250

Aldridge-Brownhills    4,490    7,330
Birmingham, Edgbaston    10,150    11,090
Birmingham, Erdington    13,640    15,420
Birmingham, Hall Green    10,440    13,850
Birmingham, Hodge Hill    13,520    18,700
Birmingham, Ladywood    18,680    19,860
Birmingham, Northfield    12,230    14,440
Birmingham, Perry Barr    9,150    12,590
Birmingham, Selly Oak    9,190    11,080
Birmingham, Yardley    11,140    14,470
Bromsgrove    3,460    5,170
Burton    6,540    8,670
Cannock Chase    7,100    9,730
Coventry North East    12,280    15,380
Coventry North West    7,580    10,560
Coventry South    8,980    10,870
Dudley North    7,970    10,580
Dudley South    6,490    9,100
Halesowen and Rowley Regis    7,090    10,010
Hereford and South Herefordshire    6,330    7,950
Kenilworth and Southam    2,850    4,080
Lichfield    4,330    6,150
Ludlow    4,510    6,280
Meriden    8,510    10,730
Mid Worcestershire    5,100    6,630
Newcastle-under-Lyme    6,140    8,200
North Herefordshire    4,520    5,980
North Shropshire    5,750    8,070
North Warwickshire    5,350    7,940
Nuneaton    6,520    8,700
Redditch    6,320    7,900
Rugby    5,590    7,290
Shrewsbury and Atcham    5,850    7,520
Solihull    4,090    6,350
South Staffordshire    4,650    6,850
Stafford    5,000    6,430
Staffordshire Moorlands    2,930    5,200
Stoke-on-Trent Central    9,430    11,300
Stoke-on-Trent North    9,580    12,560
Stoke-on-Trent South    7,680    10,120
Stone    2,850    4,700
Stourbridge    6,120    8,970
Stratford-on-Avon    4,710    5,980
Sutton Coldfield    3,650    5,470
Tamworth    6,240    8,190
Telford    9,470    11,270
The Wrekin    5,910    7,490
Walsall North    11,490    14,780
Walsall South    9,870    13,370
Warley    9,530    12,740
Warwick and Leamington    6,210    7,320
West Bromwich East    9,110    12,110
West Bromwich West    10,410    13,090
West Worcestershire    5,710    7,100
Wolverhampton North East    10,680    13,190
Wolverhampton South East    10,880    14,030
Wolverhampton South West    7,270    9,370
Worcester    7,020    8,340
Wyre Forest    7,390    9,960

Basildon and Billericay    7,180    8,870
Bedford    8,830    10,160
Braintree    5,750    7,100
Brentwood and Ongar    4,390    5,590
Broadland    4,110    5,930
Broxbourne    6,010    7,810
Bury St Edmunds    5,650    7,130
Cambridge    7,250    6,830
Castle Point    4,190    7,480
Central Suffolk and North Ipswich    4,370    6,050
Chelmsford    6,050    6,940
Clacton    8,300    13,000
Colchester    8,950    9,540
Epping Forest    5,720    7,270
Great Yarmouth    10,250    13,000
Harlow    8,850    9,900
Harwich and North Essex    4,790    6,830
Hemel Hempstead    7,390    8,080
Hertford and Stortford    4,740    5,580
Hertsmere    5,960    6,810
Hitchin and Harpenden    4,090    4,990
Huntingdon    5,430    6,500
Ipswich    10,130    11,290
Luton North    6,510    8,650
Luton South    9,290    10,740
Maldon    4,070    5,770
Mid Bedfordshire    3,700    5,180
Mid Norfolk    5,390    7,790
North East Bedfordshire    4,530    5,990
North East Cambridgeshire    7,580    10,670
North East Hertfordshire    5,710    6,650
North Norfolk    5,380    7,730
North West Cambridgeshire    7,180    8,310
North West Norfolk    7,150    9,470
Norwich North    7,090    8,940
Norwich South    11,360    12,140
Peterborough    10,370    11,740
Rayleigh and Wickford    3,250    5,680
Rochford and Southend East    12,000    12,760
Saffron Walden    4,360    5,410
South Basildon and East Thurrock    7,710    9,370
South Cambridgeshire    4,030    4,690
South East Cambridgeshire    5,190    6,070
South Norfolk    4,840    6,890
South Suffolk    4,730    6,380
South West Bedfordshire    6,350    8,140
South West Hertfordshire    4,620    5,410
South West Norfolk    6,280    8,970
Southend West    5,950    7,760
St Albans    4,640    5,230
Stevenage    7,740    8,510
Suffolk Coastal    5,860    7,590
Thurrock    9,870    11,330
Watford    6,910    7,630
Waveney    8,860    11,790
Welwyn Hatfield    7,240    7,740
West Suffolk    6,340    8,070
Witham    4,750    6,140

Barking    14,870    15,700
Battersea    9,580    8,310
Beckenham    3,180    3,930
Bermondsey and Old Southwark    16,620    15,110
Bethnal Green and Bow    18,400    17,840
Bexleyheath and Crayford    5,590    7,010
Brent Central    19,630    18,260
Brent North    9,650    10,580
Brentford and Isleworth    10,110    10,070
Bromley and Chislehurst    6,430    7,040
Camberwell and Peckham    19,140    17,330
Carshalton and Wallington    7,250    8,060
Chelsea and Fulham    9,680    9,100
Chingford and Woodford Green    6,100    7,350
Chipping Barnet    7,090    8,160
Cities of London and Westminster    10,780    8,800
Croydon Central    11,760    12,250
Croydon North    16,470    16,250
Croydon South    6,050    6,610
Dagenham and Rainham    9,560    11,290
Dulwich and West Norwood    13,450    12,240
Ealing Central and Acton    10,930    10,220
Ealing North    11,190    11,510
Ealing, Southall    8,460    8,910
East Ham    15,560    17,010
Edmonton    15,100    15,780
Eltham    8,040    8,850
Enfield North    10,870    11,980
Enfield, Southgate    6,240    7,250
Erith and Thamesmead    11,000    11,580
Feltham and Heston    10,880    11,580
Finchley and Golders Green    8,180    8,490
Greenwich and Woolwich    13,660    12,910
Hackney North and Stoke Newington    20,450    18,960
Hackney South and Shoreditch    20,970    19,600
Hammersmith    16,060    14,340
Hampstead and Kilburn    14,450    13,510
Harrow East    6,650    7,580
Harrow West    7,540    7,690
Hayes and Harlington    10,530    10,650
Hendon    11,250    11,670
Holborn and St Pancras    19,520    18,110
Hornchurch and Upminster    6,130    8,380
Hornsey and Wood Green    13,010    12,420
Ilford North    6,760    8,520
Ilford South    9,990    11,520
Islington North    16,070    15,260
Islington South and Finsbury    15,360    14,630
Kensington    13,510    12,360
Kingston and Surbiton    7,080    7,580
Lewisham East    12,190    12,090
Lewisham West and Penge    13,170    12,660
Lewisham, Deptford    15,170    13,730
Leyton and Wanstead    10,040    10,190
Mitcham and Morden    9,070    9,790
Old Bexley and Sidcup    3,320    4,810
Orpington    3,800    4,900
Poplar and Limehouse    17,660    16,930
Putney    8,010    6,920
Richmond Park    5,700    6,170
Romford    5,380    7,390
Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner    4,450    5,030
Streatham    13,420    11,950
Sutton and Cheam    5,000    5,790
Tooting    9,110    7,660
Tottenham    22,410    21,560
Twickenham    5,430    6,030
Uxbridge and South Ruislip    6,560    7,240
Vauxhall    15,940    14,100
Walthamstow    13,060    13,130
West Ham    19,070    19,570
Westminster North    16,310    14,250
Wimbledon    3,980    4,360

Aldershot    6,190    6,100
Arundel and South Downs    4,050    5,250
Ashford    6,900    8,410
Aylesbury    5,340    6,230
Banbury    6,340    7,060
Basingstoke    6,960    7,000
Beaconsfield    3,850    4,580
Bexhill and Battle    5,750    8,280
Bognor Regis and Littlehampton    7,500    9,790
Bracknell    5,630    6,070
Brighton, Kemptown    10,550    11,540
Brighton, Pavilion    9,430    9,250
Buckingham    3,390    4,260
Canterbury    6,330    7,610
Chatham and Aylesford    7,890    9,270
Chesham and Amersham    3,550    4,340
Chichester    6,090    7,430
Crawley    8,950    9,520
Dartford    5,940    7,240
Dover    7,850    9,720
East Hampshire    3,930    4,640
East Surrey    4,430    5,220
East Worthing and Shoreham    5,740    7,830
Eastbourne    9,480    11,100
Eastleigh    5,320    6,160
Epsom and Ewell    3,710    4,330
Esher and Walton    4,800    5,440
Fareham    3,360    4,650
Faversham and Mid Kent    5,510    7,070
Folkestone and Hythe    8,880    11,400
Gillingham and Rainham    6,480    8,250
Gosport    6,180    7,380
Gravesham    7,480    9,030
Guildford    5,030    5,310
Hastings and Rye    12,230    14,550
Havant    7,630    9,170
Henley    3,150    3,780
Horsham    4,370    5,030
Hove    9,590    9,960
Isle of Wight    11,490    15,250
Lewes    5,080    6,720
Maidenhead    3,870    4,360
Maidstone and The Weald    5,400    6,440
Meon Valley    3,580    4,770
Mid Sussex    4,300    5,090
Milton Keynes North    9,690    9,930
Milton Keynes South    10,490    11,050
Mole Valley    3,680    4,230
New Forest East    4,180    5,300
New Forest West    4,230    5,560
Newbury    5,620    6,080
North East Hampshire    2,730    3,280
North Thanet    8,330    11,020
North West Hampshire    5,060    5,530
Oxford East    9,820    9,230
Oxford West and Abingdon    4,230    4,700
Portsmouth North    7,190    8,250
Portsmouth South    11,870    11,500
Reading East    6,610    6,760
Reading West    8,180    8,870
Reigate    4,350    4,850
Rochester and Strood    7,020    8,550
Romsey and Southampton North    4,040    4,760
Runnymede and Weybridge    4,480    5,320
Sevenoaks    4,430    5,550
Sittingbourne and Sheppey    8,520    10,820
Slough    10,830    11,130
South Thanet    9,610    12,130
South West Surrey    4,390    5,070
Southampton, Itchen    10,020    10,880
Southampton, Test    10,720    10,580
Spelthorne    4,640    5,430
Surrey Heath    3,800    4,600
Tonbridge and Malling    5,160    5,980
Tunbridge Wells    5,730    6,340
Wantage    4,770    5,200
Wealden    4,220    6,010
Winchester    4,360    4,600
Windsor    4,000    4,460
Witney    4,480    5,170
Woking    4,630    5,190
Wokingham    3,000    3,550
Worthing West    6,100    7,780
Wycombe    5,970    6,830

Bath    6,290    6,680
Bournemouth East    9,930    10,210
Bournemouth West    8,740    10,220
Bridgwater and West Somerset    8,430    10,450
Bristol East    8,630    10,210
Bristol North West    8,760    10,230
Bristol South    11,770    14,040
Bristol West    12,100    11,160
Camborne and Redruth    7,310    9,760
Central Devon    4,510    6,090
Cheltenham    6,850    7,880
Chippenham    5,210    6,340
Christchurch    4,270    6,390
Devizes    4,720    5,280
East Devon    4,930    6,550
Exeter    8,350    8,910
Filton and Bradley Stoke    4,140    5,220
Forest of Dean    4,900    6,870
Gloucester    9,050    10,260
Kingswood    4,280    5,810
Mid Dorset and North Poole    3,720    5,190
Newton Abbot    5,460    7,670
North Cornwall    6,060    8,130
North Devon    6,620    8,530
North Dorset    4,320    5,760
North East Somerset    3,970    5,500
North Somerset    3,720    5,110
North Swindon    6,600    7,970
North Wiltshire    3,430    4,590
Plymouth, Moor View    9,310    11,300
Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport    12,970    12,910
Poole    6,720    8,220
Salisbury    5,090    5,530
Somerton and Frome    5,370    7,050
South Dorset    7,400    8,660
South East Cornwall    5,910    7,810
South Swindon    7,920    8,480
South West Devon    3,230    4,970
South West Wiltshire    5,980    7,390
St Austell and Newquay    8,120    9,870
St Ives    7,070    9,200
Stroud    5,400    6,850
Taunton Deane    7,350    8,400
Tewkesbury    4,480    5,950
The Cotswolds    4,920    6,020
Thornbury and Yate    2,840    4,150
Tiverton and Honiton    5,460    7,470
Torbay    10,770    13,580
Torridge and West Devon    5,800    8,300
Totnes    6,280    8,920
Truro and Falmouth    6,070    7,800
Wells    6,270    8,180
West Dorset    5,820    7,280
Weston-Super-Mare    9,430    11,120
Yeovil    7,190    8,600

Aberavon    6,830    9,670
Aberconwy    4,000    5,390
Alyn and Deeside    4,900    6,690
Arfon    4,350    5,660
Blaenau Gwent    7,780    10,540
Brecon and Radnorshire    3,870    5,250
Bridgend    5,880    7,730
Caerphilly    7,060    9,950
Cardiff Central    6,380    6,930
Cardiff North    4,170    5,750
Cardiff South and Penarth    11,490    13,590
Cardiff West    9,070    10,890
Carmarthen East and Dinefwr    4,040    6,290
Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire    5,200    7,040
Ceredigion    4,210    5,880
Clwyd South    5,590    7,190
Clwyd West    5,240    7,460
Cynon Valley    6,640    9,600
Delyn    4,530    6,380
Dwyfor Meirionnydd    3,580    5,550
Gower    4,180    6,280
Islwyn    5,810    7,930
Llanelli    7,030    9,880
Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney    7,880    10,590
Monmouth    4,610    6,430
Montgomeryshire    3,590    4,910
Neath    6,520    9,630
Newport East    6,400    8,130
Newport West    7,580    8,740
Ogmore    6,240    9,130
Pontypridd    5,040    7,470
Preseli Pembrokeshire    5,270    7,000
Rhondda    6,800    10,800
Swansea East    8,770    11,270
Swansea West    8,020    9,500
Torfaen    8,050    10,090
Vale of Clwyd    6,570    9,180
Vale of Glamorgan    7,040    8,950
Wrexham    5,660    6,870
Ynys Môn    4,890    6,880

Aberdeen North    9,530    9,810
Aberdeen South    4,910    5,200
Airdrie and Shotts    8,720    11,320
Angus    7,580    8,700
Argyll and Bute    6,650    8,250
Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock    10,000    12,220
Banff and Buchan    5,890    7,170
Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk    7,350    8,740
Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross    5,010    6,550
Central Ayrshire    8,420    10,670
Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill    9,150    12,020
Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East    6,810    9,010
Dumfries and Galloway    7,880    9,780
Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale    5,650    7,330
Dundee East    8,090    9,310
Dundee West    11,970    12,770
Dunfermline and West Fife    6,770    7,900
East Dunbartonshire    2,420    3,950
East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow    6,620    9,340
East Lothian    6,840    8,080
East Renfrewshire    3,730    5,290
Edinburgh East    10,330    10,870
Edinburgh North and Leith    9,370    9,680
Edinburgh South    4,700    5,500
Edinburgh South West    8,710    9,160
Edinburgh West    5,670    6,860
Na h-Eileanan an Iar    1,490    3,150
Falkirk    8,930    10,540
Glasgow Central    14,450    14,790
Glasgow East    15,420    17,730
Glasgow North    8,640    9,120
Glasgow North East    16,730    18,550
Glasgow North West    12,560    14,450
Glasgow South    10,210    12,150
Glasgow South West    12,750    15,090
Glenrothes    10,060    11,740
Gordon    3,230    4,000
Inverclyde    9,290    11,320
Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey    6,780    7,760
Kilmarnock and Loudon    9,790    12,170
Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath    9,910    11,610
Lanark and Hamilton East    8,590    11,030
Linlithgow and East Falkirk    9,980    11,480
Livingston    9,150    10,390
Midlothian    6,310    7,490
Moray    5,290    6,500
Motherwell and Wishaw    11,000    13,060
North Ayrshire and Arran    10,060    12,430
North East Fife    4,010    5,050
Ochil and South Perthshire    7,210    8,570
Orkney and Shetland    1,970    2,730
Paisley and Renfrewshire North    6,860    8,880
Paisley and Renfrewshire South    10,200    12,040
Perth and North Perthshire    6,670    7,640
Ross, Skye and Lochaber    3,980    5,660
Rutherglen and Hamilton West    10,830    13,990
Stirling    5,780    6,870
West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine    2,630    3,320
West Dunbartonshire    11,760    14,100

Daily Mail – Spreading the Cancer of Hatred

Posted by soiniciulacht on July 16, 2012
Posted in: accountability, benefits, Comment, daily mail, democracy, Factual, news, politics, sleaze, Tories, welfare reform. Tagged: , , , , , , , , .

Paul Dacre, the only editor in Fleet Street to the right of the EDL and with the honesty of Jeffrey Archer and the integrity of a Borgia, is currently running an editorial in which screaming lies and half truths, the norm for a newspaper whose online presence demonstrates their hypocrisy admirably with tits down the side of the screen and tits down the centre, are being roared out for the support of Duncan Smiths’  Welfare attacks.

Duncan Smith is a lying, inept, vindictive, fool running a team who have been found to be serial liars, incapable and totally lacking in understanding the requirements of the brief, all traits to which the Daily Mail can only aspire.

A Few Facts

The Work Programme

Costs so far well in excess of three billion, 5 billion allocated .

The results:

Provider Contract Target (%) Actual (%)
A4e (Surrey and Sussex) 50 13
A4e (South East Wales) 33 12
A4e (West Yorkshire) 32 14
A4e (North and Mid Wales) 32 13
A4e (Devon and Cornwall) 31 16
A4e average 36 15
Reed (London South) 32* 9
Reed (London West) 9
Reed (London North) 7
Reed (Cambridgeshire & Suffolk) 10
Reed average 32 9
Average Performance across all Providers (to date) 37 12

1. Private Providers performing worse than Jobcentre Plus

KEY FACTS

25 per cent    an estimate of the percentage of people on previous schemes that actually found work
36 per cent    the percentage of people referred to the Programme the Department expects to find work and which leads to a payment to providers
http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/hc1012/hc17/1701/1701.pdf

From the DWP’s own statistical analysis released July 2012:

7,000 (24%) people had a continuous break in claim of 13 weeks, and
3,900 (14%) had had a continuous break of 26 weeks.
7,100 (25%) people were off benefit at the end of the 36 week tracking period.

Note the phrase ‘off benefit’ ie not necessarily in work

So that’s a great success for the DWP, 5 billion for nothing.

The Benefits ‘Cap’

The headline £26,000 benefit cap is the figure that is banged out time and again.
It affects very few people outside London and the South East and is a reflection of high housing costs; the money goes to landlords not the claimants.

The real world – as opposed to the delusional shit that pours out of DWP

- housing benefits set at 30% median for the area and linked to CPI
- Council tax benefits cut meaning that claimants, including the disabled, will be liable for finding up to 25% of the bill
- social housing being put up to 80% of market rents in many areas means that the cost of the housing will exceed the local cap
- under 25′s only able to claim shared rate and proposal that they not be given any housing benefits at all
- private sector providers are asking for more people to be sanctioned, Chris Grayling has said that claimants should be sent on to mandatory work activities for showing the ‘wrong attitude’ this is what the Social Security Advisory Committee said in March 2011:

The SSAC report on the proposal highlights a number of concerns, in particular the lack of clarity about whether the scheme is intended as training or punishment.
MERITS OF STATUTORY INSTRUMENTS COMMITTEE.

- The analysis of sanctions shows that those with mental health needs and those from ethnic minorities are over-represented.
- the requirement that those receiving Working Tax Credits find extra hours puts 470,000 children at risk of being plunged back into the extreme poverty that the Tax Credit System was designed to alleviate
- benefits and housing are being removed from the Legal Aid System whilst local funding cuts mean the CAB and Welfare Advice Centres are either closing or grossly under-funded
- crisis and social funds have been eviscerated

Conclusions

The DWP Ministers are extremely happy to line their pockets off the attacks on the poor, a quick glance at their behavious and attitudes during the expenses fiasco shows the kind of people they are – greedy, duplicitous narrow-minded scum. Dacre’s Mail is the coward that stands at the side wetting themself with excitement as they watch the bully kicking someone in the head.

I wouldn’t wipe my arse with the fucking Daily Mail – a newspaper run by scum who have no hesitation in resorting to hate crime incitement for the benefit of a few quid.

Work Programme sub contracts by region (incomplete only those where contracted payment available)

Posted by soiniciulacht on July 9, 2012
Posted in: accountability, benefits, Factual, freedom of speech, news, politics, welfare reform. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , .

South east

London

South West

East of England

East Midlands

West Midlands

North West

Yorkshire

How far along is DWP privatisation?

Posted by soiniciulacht on July 8, 2012
Posted in: benefits, employment, Factual, Government, news, politics, Tories, welfare reform. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

A Job advert from Maximus

maximus

Here’s their Wikipedia entry:

1994- MAXIMUS INC was disqualified from bidding on a State contract in West Virginia because a state employee was convicted of taking a $20,000 payment from Maximus.[14]

November 1997- The Hartford Courant reported that MAXIMUS “gets minimal results” when it was hired by the State to manage a Welfare program.[15] When MAXIMUS realized they could not make a profit on the initial they demanded more money from the State and threatened to terminate the contract if they didn’t get it.[16]

March 1998- MAXIMUS INC was awarded a new contract by the state of Connecticut to manage a day care program despite “bungling” their previous contract for the same program. According to the Record-Journal, MAXIMUS “hired too few people, installed an inadequate phone system and fell weeks or months behind in making payments to day care providers”. [17]

December 1998- The Sarasota Herald Tribune reported that the State of Florida had paid MAXIMUS $4.5 Million for a Child Support Recovery contract. MAXIMUS was only able to collect $162,000. “On average taxpayers paid MAXIMUS $25 for every 3 cents collected” [18]

May 1999- BusinessWeek reported that unionized employees complained that companies like MAXIMUS “work their employees harder and pay them less.”[19]

May 2000- The state of Wisconsin decided to conduct an audit after finding that MAXIMUS INC. had billed the state for 272 hours of work that was done elsewhere in the country. Maximus officials said those wages totaled $7,647 and agreed to pay it back.[20] Once the audit was complete, it was discovered that MAXIMUS INC had billed the state of Wisconsin $485,208 in improper charges[21] including $23,000 to hire Broadway singer Melba Moore for entertainment purposes.[22].

April 2000- A NY judge ruled that a MAXIMUS INC procurement process was “corrupted” and that MAXIMUS INC. “misled” the city’s Human Resources Administration about the role a former senior policy adviser to Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani played in the company’s proposal.[23]

August 2000- The U.S Equal Employment Opportunity Commission determined through an employee complaint that MAXIMUS discriminated against female employees by paying them at a lower rate than men. They also determined that after MAXIMUS received the complaint they began hiring men at the lower pay rate. [24]

October 2000- Six State lawmakers in Wisconsin called to “fire” MAXIMUS INC. saying the firm has “broken faith with the state and poor people the agency serves in Milwaukee County” on a welfare reform contract.[25]

June 2001- The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that two MAXIMUS employees filed discrimination complaints against the company. The employees stated that MAXIMUS is so lacking in diversity that the companies minority employees referred to it as “White Castle”.[26]

May 2002 The Maryland Attorney General’s office conducted an investigation regarding a MAXIMUS INC child support enforcement contract. The Attorney General’s office alleged that “Maximus had manipulated data to make its performance look better”.[27] The contract was awarded to competitor Policy Studies Inc. (PSI). MAXIMUS appealed the decision and lost.[28]

December 2002- Eight MAXIMUS employees were found guilty of Medicaid Fraud when they fraudulently enrolled themselves into New Jersey Medicaid.[29]

2005- MAXIMUS came under fire when the Chicago Sun Times reported possible links between campaign donations made to former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich made by MAXIMUS and company lobbyists.[30]

April 2006- MAXIMUS fired CEO Lynn Davenport for “unethical conduct” and replaced him with former CFO Richard Montoni. [31]

January 2007- The Commonwealth of Massachusetts revoked a component of the MassHealth Customer Service Contract because the staff was “overwhelmed and under trained” [32]

July 2007- MAXIMUS settled a lawsuit brought against it by the United States government for involvement in falsifying Medicaid claims for $30.5 million, to avoid being found guilty.[33] MAXIMUS continues to be under a Corporate Integrity Agreement with the Office of Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services.

July 2007- The Department of Health and Human services conducted a consumer eligibility audit of the State of California’s medicaid program and found that MAXIMUS INC “did not verify all information provided to support beneficiaries’ applications.” The Department of Health and Human Services estimated that the federal government paid between $2,081,901 and $14,248,14 on behalf of ineligible beneficiaries.[34]

November 2007- State of Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal sued MAXIMUS, Inc. for breach of contract after it failed to provide the state with a functioning computer system used to access criminal justice information and conduct immediate criminal background checks.[35]

December 2007-The Houston Chronicle reported that the city of Houston threatened to sue MAXIMUS INC due to a malfunctioning municipal court computer system designed by MAXIMUS INC.[36]

Maximus was involved in the persecution of Anthony Laine. Employees of the company created documentation of fictitious children, on the basis of which Maximus pursued fraudulent child support claims against Laine.[37]

December 2007- A report by the Massachusetts Inspector Generals office found that a MAXIMUS run call center for the Commonwealth Care program had a high rate of abandoned calls. They found that up to 47% of calls went unanswered by call center staff. According to the report, up to 10,000 calls went unanswered per week.[38]

October 2008- MAXIMUS INC lost a bid for a case management contract for the GAIN Program in Los Angeles County. MAXIMUS INC filed a complaint with the county accusing the county of not properly reviewing the proposals. The Los Angeles County auditors office reviewed the complaint and determined that the review was done properly and “did not support any of MAXIMUS’ allegations.”[39]

January 2009- MAXIMUS INC lost a Juvenile Court contract in 5 counties in Tennessee. Atty. Gen. D. Michael Dunavant, cited the company’s declining efficiency and customer complaints was the reason for the contract termination.[40]

June 2009 The Santa Fe New Mexican reported that MAXIMUS INC had been hired by the State to implement the SHARE program in order to receive federal reimbursement for highway projects. Between 2006 and 2009 the state spent over $5 Million on the project. The system was plagued with problems, the most serious of which caused the federal government to stop payments to the state until the issues could be fixed. The newspaper also pointed out that several thousand dollars in campaign contributions were donated to Governor Richardson’s PAC.[41]

2009- According to a Massachusetts report released in 2010, 85 of the companies 250 Massachusetts based employees were receiving MassHealth Medicaid benefits costing the taxpayers over $150,000 [42]

2009- The Boston Globe ranked the slowest health insurers payers in the state for 2008. MassHealth was the slowest payer with an average turnaround time of 56 days. MassHealth also had the highest percentage of denied claims at 23.8%. MAXIMUS handles all claim processing for the MassHealth Medicaid program.[43]

August 2009- The state of Oregon hired MAXIMUS INC. to perform an audit of their telecommunications contracts. The audit was never finished due to “staffing issues”.[21]

March 2010- The Southeast Missourian reported that a federal audit discovered that the state of Missouri over billed the federal government $20.5 Million in Medicaid claims. According to the report, most of the errors discovered involved the state medicaid contractor MAXIMUS INC.[44]

2010- According to the Los Angeles Times, when MAXIMUS faced the risk of losing a $32 million welfare-to-work contract with Los Angeles County in 2010, the company reacted by outspending its competitor on lobbying efforts by eight to one. But after MAXIMUS spent $200,000 in lobbying fees and thousands more in campaign contributions, the paper explains, Los Angeles‘s five county supervisors voted to ignore the year-long review process and re-bid the contract to give MAXIMUS another chance.[30]

April 2010- The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services conducted an audit of New Jersey’s Medicaid School-Based Health Claims Submitted by Maximus, Inc. Of the 100 claims audited from 2003-2006, 51 were determined to not comply with Federal and State guidelines. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services required the state of New Jersey to pay the federal government back over $8 Million in fraudulent claims that were submitted fraudulently by MAXIMUS. The contract with MAXIMUS had already been terminated when the audit took place.[45]

June 2010- Umass Medical School partnered with COPC Inc. to research the strengths and weaknesses of the MAXIMUS MassHealth Customer Service Center. They found that ” On average, it takes two contacts with MassHealth to resolve an issue. 36% of issues are resolved in one contact–substantially lower than the 62% COPC Inc. benchmark for healthcare.” [46]

September 2010- The New Jersey Inspector General’s office determined through an investigation of a MAXIMUS Adoption Subsidy contract that MAXIMUS double billed for services. As a result, the State of New Jersey was required to pay back $4.8 million to the federal government.[47]

October 2010- The Los Angeles Times reported that 146 medical workers, including doctors, nurses and pharmacists were allowed to keep working despite failing drug tests. MAXIMUS was awarded a $2.5 Million a year contract to run California’s confidential “diversion programs”. MAXIMUS contracted the work out to a subcontractor who in turn subcontracted the work to another company. The drug testing company was using the wrong standard of drug test from December 2009 to August 2010, resulting in medical workers who tested positive for drugs to continue working.[48]

October 2010- The State of Massachusetts extended their contract with MAXIMUS causing 40 people to lose their jobs at a subsidiary of The University of Massachusetts Medical School.[49]

March 2011 The Los Angeles Times reported that the Director of the California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs testified to a state Senate panel that the “diversion” program that MAXIMUS INC is paid $2.5 Million to run, is a “untenable and, in some cases, dangerous situation”. She also testified that the MAXIMUS INC run program did not have a medical director.[50]

June 2011- Boston based Fox 25 news uncovered a wanted fugitive by the name of Maureen Simonetti had been working for the company as a manager on the MassHealth (Massachusetts Medicaid) project. According to Fox 25 News this manager had access to the personal information, including Social Security Numbers for more than one million Massachusetts residents as well as access to doctors social security numbers and financial information. The company later admitted that she had revealed her criminal past to MAXIMUS before being hired.[51]

September 2011- MAXIMUS INC. was sued by EEOC for disability discrimination. Maximus, Inc. allegedly violated federal law when it refused to promote a female employee because it regarded her as disabled, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit it filed.[52]

January 2012- MAXIMUS INC. made recommendations to cut 82 city workers from the payroll in Springfield IL. The city rejected most of the MAXIMUS proposal and only eliminated 13 positions. Other recommendations by MAXIMUS INC. were also rejected by the cities mayor and called “unnacceptable.[53]

February 2012- The Boston Globe reported that Governor Deval Patrick’s Political Action Committee was boosted by several health organizations in the Boston area. According to the report, MAXIMUS INC. contributed $9000 to the Governor. MAXIMUS INC. officials declined to comment on the story.[54]

March 2012- IBM sued the MAXIMUS President of Federal Services, Thomas Romeo for breach of contract. According to IBM, Romeo must pay them $165,000 in stock because he left IBM for a competitor.[55]

March 2012- The Boston Phoenix reported that Raymond Ruddy, Vice Chairman for MAXIMUS INC, donated $100,000 to the Mitt Romney Super PAC. MAXIMUS INC was awarded a $72 Million MassHealth contract in Massachusetts in 2005 while Mitt Romney was governor.[56] The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is currently seeking new bidders to replace MAXIMUS.[57]

March 2012- Marketwatch.com reported that MAXIMUS officials were present at two private Pfizer sponsored receptions and dinners for the Democratic Governor’s Association (DGA). The event was closed to the press. The first dinner was for attendees that donated more than $100,000 to the DGA. The second was for attendees that donated more than $250,000. The dinners gave MAXIMUS and other attendees direct access to Democratic Governor’s.[58]

June 2012 MAXIMUS Inc. came under fire after a worker in Canada illegally viewed personal health records of 43 Canadians. “NDP health critic Mike Farnworth said the incident was disturbing. “It’s concerning, we’ve had concerns about Maximus in the past,” he said. “I think what I would like to know – is this an isolated incident? Has it happened in the past?”[59]

June 2012- The State of North Carolina threatened to fire MAXIMUS Inc after they failed to properly oversee a contract that costs the state a whopping $851 Million for a new Medicaid system. [60]

 

 

If you’re wondering what W-2 is that’s ‘Wisconsin Works’ that state’s TANF (Temporary Assistance for Need Families) programme.

By a strange coincidence I wrote this about child poverty in Wisconsin just a few days ago http://cynicism.me/2012/07/05/who-is-driving-the-policy-to-redefine-poverty/

It also just so happens I was looking at TANF a short while ago – some people might even start jumping to the conclusion that some thought is occasionally being put into this.

This is the type of success the Grayling and the defrocked madman from Opus Dei are bringing to the UK:

3-13-12tanf-f1

usa-welfare

Work programme providers and contracts for every region except the north of Ireland

Posted by soiniciulacht on July 8, 2012
Posted in: accountability, benefits, Factual, freedom of speech, news, politics, welfare reform. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , .

Children in households affected by WTC changing from 16 to 24 hours (link)

Workfare providers (link)

Work programme contracts by region

Total value of contracts (millions)

1/  (link) Scotland

2/ (link) East of England

3/ (link) West London

4/ (link) East Midlands

5/ (link) East London

6/ (link) North East

7/ (link) Merseyside

8/ (link) North west

9/ (link) Hampshire

10/ (link) Stockbroker belt

11/ (link) South west

12/ (link) Glos & Wilts

13/ (link) Wales

14/ (link) Birmingham

15/ (link) Staffs and salop

16/ (link) W Yorks

17/ (link) S Yorks

18/ (link) N Yorks