Terms & Conditions

[karent]

Given that the BFI have a ‘tick list’ mentality and they firmly believe that an LA can’t be compliant to VF standards if tick sheets aren’t laboriously completed for everything before a claim is processed, has anyone been brave enough to ditch the recommended tick sheets and show the BFI that their actual procedures confirm compliance?

[Andy Thurman]

Perhaps a few too nervous to respond! 8)

The VF module on Academy (for example) acts as a checklist & I would see no reason to expect staff to produce an additional document. My only concern is the requirement in the Security Manual for assessors to “sign & date” decision on ID (1.340). It could be argued that completing the system checklist provides a date & a “digital signature” – I personally think this should be sufficient.
As I’m assisting in VF implementation currently, I’ll be putting this as a point for management to consider & will probably contact Adelphi.

[karent]

thanks for your reply Andy. Good to hear that at least one other person out there is challenging this, given that if you are confident in your procedures and that your staff are competently trained, the exercise of ticking a list to duplicate the assessment process already made is absolutely pointless. Gawd i’m out of breath now!

[Alex G]

As a benefit processor, I continually gurn about things in my workload that isn’t to do with the actual processing of benefit. Although the calculation of PIs is top of my list (by a mile), checklists come a close second. At out last BFI visit they advised:

[quote:d9014ad828]3.13 From our sampling, we found that the means of verifying identity and National Insurance numbers was recorded on the Benefits IT system in all appropriate cases, but that the evidence used to verify other components such as income, capital and liability to pay rent was not recorded. The council did use a manual checklist for staff to confirm that these components were verified and that crosschecks were conducted, but this did not record the means of verification or crosschecking.[/quote:d9014ad828]

Oh good, now we will have to tick [i:d9014ad828]what[/i:d9014ad828] we use for verification….

[karent]

ha! goodness me – are they admitting what I think they are admitting???!! we always keep all evidence of NINO/ID/income/cap used & at any time can call that evidence up on our DIP system. To me it’s absolutely pointless to duplicate this – another claim could have been put into payment using that time

Thanks for your reply

[Andy Thurman]

I wouldn’t get too carried away!! 😉 I read the BFI recommendation as proving that a system record is sufficient 8) but they would want more than “it’s all on DIP…” – either a VF ‘module’ such as on Academy processing system or a DIP ‘templating’ system that held evdience verified on a claim with that claim would be required.

Still, the ‘digital’ OK bit is a plus!

[karent]

yep they’ll get the verification via a filenote done summarising what’s been used to calculate the claim. All evidence will be sitting with the claim details for anyone to come & check upon. I’m still carried away on my white charger with the view that checklists are unnecessary bureaucracy (with the exception of new assessment staff) 😉

[Author]

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