Annual Report 2007-08 - the Parliamentary and Health Service ...

Parliamentary and health service ombudsman annual report 2007-089Case StudyFailure to refer widower forbereavement interview preventedbenefit claimMr P’s wife passed away suddenly in November 2003. Hisdaughter (Mrs Q), who had also been Mrs P’s carer, telephonedher local Jobcentre Plus office to report the death, and to askif her father was entitled to any help with funeral costs. Shewas put through to the social fund team who told her, correctly,that her father was not entitled to a funeral payment from thesocial fund. She accepted what she was told and made nofurther enquiries. Some 18 months later Mr P was told by arecently bereaved friend that he could have been eligible fora bereavement payment (but by then he was out of time tomake a claim).Mr P asked Jobcentre Plus to review his case. It interviewedhim and Mrs Q about the advice they had been given in 2003,but refused his request for a special payment. Mr P thencomplained to the Ombudsman; he said he had found it difficultto cope financially following the death of his wife, and the lackof a bereavement payment had added to his distress andcaused him avoidable inconvenience.We upheld the complaint. Although the social fund officer’sresponse was correct, it was maladministration not to havesignposted Mrs Q to the bereavement benefit team, whocould have told her about a bereavement payment. We alsofound that Jobcentre Plus was maladministrative in not actingon the notification of death and not offering Mr P abereavement interview, which was normal practice. Weconcluded that the guidance according to which the officerswere operating restricted their ability to provide a joined-upservice to customers, and had led to injustice for Mr P.We recommended that Jobcentre Plus apologise to Mr P,award him an extra-statutory payment of £2,000 in respectof the bereavement payment plus interest (£293.28) and aconsolatory payment of £200. Jobcentre Plus agreed to do so.During the course of our investigation, Jobcentre Plus revisedits guidance so that the relevant sections on funeral paymentsfrom the social fund and bereavement payments cross-referenceeach other.23