It is the intention of Service Centre Managers to mislead and confuse disabled persons in respect of their entitlements. This is part of their job. They are mercenary in their approach to anyone whom they perceive as receiving too much assistance, or, as in most cases, anyone who is trying to obtain assistance over and above the meagre basic benefit. Their willingness to prevent or cancel an existing supplement without a change of circumstances - no matter how essential the assistance - is a position requirement. This is the major reason for their being appointed to this senior position.

Telephoning sick and disabled persons after working hours is common. It provides a grand opportunity to employ tricky dickey stuff upon the unwary.

Deception is the name of the game. Never forget it.

Untold lives have been ruined. Many have lost their health. Families have been torn apart. All because Work and Income bosses refuse to apply legislation as the legislators intended. Nor are they pro-active in granting assistance to the needy; which was a promise given by Mr Maharey, a Labour Minister of Health.

Use of the telephone to achieve WINZ dirty work is high on its priority of weapons to attack the disadvantaged. No wonder it is recorded internationally that New Zealand has the worst record in the western world in treating and taking care of its sick and disabled.

PAST EXPERIENCE

In 2004 a Service Centre Manager whom I had never met telephoned one evening. Her manner was overbearing and quite frankly arrogant. I wrote to the CEO and laid a complaint and requesting that the practice cease. Thankfully it it did. But not before all my wife's medical and judiciary approved transport cost were canceled without notice. Without a change of circumstances.

See: Duk-here's Jill!

HARASSMENT NEVER CEASES

The issue has raised its ugly head again. A Work and Income NZ employee telephoned me at home a couple of days ago, (September 13/06) saying she was an Acting Service Centre Manager. She told me her name was Rosalie Feyen – nick named Roz. I had never heard of her.

As she began talking she led me to believe she was phoning about a query I had made to the Department:

“Why had the 'Standard Costs' of $242 not been included in the calculation of our Special Benefit when clearly it should have been due to our high deficit.” Standard Costs are those weekly living expenses WINZ reckons are required to keep a couple for a week: food, clothing, power, household and personal items.

In fact her real reason for calling concerned an earlier letter my case manager had sent in which the Department had declined my application for 100% of our power bill to be included in our special benefit. I had already spoken to my case manager and indicated to him that I would NOT proceed to the next stage of applying for a Benefit Review committee hearing. In other words I would accept their declination.

Luckily, I smelled a rat, and informed her that I was not going to answer any question over the phone; and insisted upon a written response to my question in regard to the 'Standard Costs'.

If I had not. (take note reader) she would probably have said something like: “I understand you are not going to apply for a Benefit Review Committee hearing?” I would have replied 'NO” believing she was referring to our power/heating costs. Once she heard the word “NO”, she would have reported to her superiors that Mr and Mrs Taylor have withdrawn their question/application to have their Standard weekly Costs included in their Special Benefit. Case closed. Our hopes for the $256.35 a week to be included in our Special Benefit would be almost nil. There would be another round of battles with the Department.

This type of deception is common place. You would be well advised to hang your phone up the moment a Work and Income Employee, especially a Service Centre Manager telephones you out of the blue, you can guarantee the caller is about to tricky-dick you in order to cancel assistance already approved, and without any change of your circumstances. Or, as in our case do everything possible to deny an entitlement to further assistance.

The person you contact when you are harassed by Work and Income Service Centre Managers, via the telephone is:

 Peter Hughes
CEO
Ministry of Social Development
P.O. Box 12 136 Wellington.

Office of the Ombudsmen
70 The Terrace
P.O. Box 101 52
Wellington

PS. I contacted the Call Centre who informed me that Rosalie Feyen was not an acting Service Centre Manager, but a case manager. So there you go.

The title 'Acting Service Centre Manager' is used to impress a disabled beneficiary such as my wife who has no idea of the secret workings of Work and Income NZ.

It seems too, that any Tom, dick, or Rosalie can be called a Service Centre Manager for just as long a telephone call lasts, and depending on the situation at any given moment. Deception is the name of the game.

These misleading claims by a WINZ employee as to their position within the Department are all approved by the Minister of Social development and the CEO of Work and Income NZ.