Employing disabled individuals, businesses are complaining that they are owed thousands of pounds from the government. They fear having to fire their staff as a consequence.
According to a BBC investigation, businesses that use the Access to Work Scheme are experiencing massive payment delays and backlogs.
Companies and employees can apply to the Access to Work Scheme for grants to support disabled workers in the workplace.
BBC reported that one company was owed almost PS200,000 and was worried about having to shut down. One company said that it was forced to close down partly because of the problems with the program.
The program is designed to compensate individuals with disabilities, and employers who employ them, for the additional costs that come with working. The programme covers a wide range of assistance, including paying for powered wheelchairs and taxis.
The investigation revealed that the Access to Work programme owed 186,000 pounds sterling to Yateley Industries, a Hampshire-based charity which employs nearly 60 people with disabilities.
Sheldon McMullan, the BBC’s chief executive said: “It is an existential danger to us.” If we don’t receive it, this magical place could be closed forever. That would be a tragedy both for the locals and the government agenda.
He adds, “It’s annoying that we’ve been given money.” He added: “We have all the paperwork that shows what each person has been awarded. But the claim system does not allow us to withdraw the money efficiently.”
Other businesses have said that in addition to poor internal processes within the DWP there has been a significant increase in bureaucracy in recent months associated with Access to Work, where many more forms must be filled out and then sent to the DWP – they cannot be uploaded or emailed.
Steven McGurk is the president of Community Union, a trade union.
He added, “It is very bureaucratic and difficult to claim. It’s the greatest threat to disabled peoples’ employment.”
Access to Work is not only a question mark because of the BBC investigation. The Times reported in March that more than 60 000 disabled people face waiting times of over nine months before they can receive assistance from the scheme.
The minister for disabilities, Sir Stephen Timms , acknowledged recently that the program is experiencing a backlog. He told MPs that the system had slowed down due to the large number of applications.
He said that the number of people with disabilities receiving assistance had doubled over the past seven years. Support for disabled people has increased by over 15,000 in the last year. This will increase from 34,800 to 49,920 claims in 2023-24. However, there are still thousands of unresolved cases, which leads to long waiting times.
The DWP said in a BBC statement: “Last Month, we introduced a streamlined claim process to ensure that outstanding payments to businesses are made quickly.
We also work with employers to find ways to make the Access to Work Plus claim process easier for their employees, so that people with high needs in the workplace can thrive in employment.
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