Work and Income part 3

back to:

Articles and Stories

WORK AND INCOME NZ

part 2

Special Benefit Review

Sheryl received a letter requesting her to send in the completed SPECIAL BENEFIT review form it had sent. I immediately got my A into G. and obtained from our bank all the necessary information Work and Income needed. This was:

a. Confirmation that Sheryl was still paying the finance company
$60.43 a fortnight for Hire purchase repayments on our car.

b. Confirmation that Sheryl was still repaying the bank $40.75
a fortnight for a loan taken out for another hire purchase item.

24 February 2005

Confirmation of the above costs and the completed Special Benefit renewal form was handed in to the Foxton WINZ office, stamped and placed on our file.

WINZ letter dated 28 February 2005

It read "Thank you for returning the renewal of your Special Benefit". The Attorney General also notified me that Peter Ireland had been appointed Sheryl's new case manager and that he would be in contact "shortly" to discuss Sheryl's Special Benefit renewal. That should have been the end of the matter. But it wasn't.

WINZ 2^nd letter dated Wednesday 16 March 2005

“We are reviewing your Special Benefit but we don't have all the information we requested....we can't continue your payments (Transport disability) until we complete the review so they have been stopped from 08/3/05”.

Peter Ireland did not contact Sheryl to "discuss" her Special Benefit, instead he cancelled all Sheryl's transport allowances needed for treating her chronic illness.

The words "we don't have all the information we requested" is the standard second letter by Work and Income NZ to almost all those who are receiving a Special benefit for Hire Purchase. The statement is more often than not a lie - such in Sheryl's case. The Department had all the information it needed as the information had been sent in response to Work and Income's first letter a month earlier.

This second letter is not concerned with facts or truth. It is sent to bully and harass a beneficiary into giving up any further claim for assistance by way of a Special Benefit.

Many, already living in poverty; the sick and disabled and others who are just unable to fight this type of corrupt policy procedure are destined to a lifetime of struggle, unhappiness and stress, while those who perpetrate such wickedness receive by way of bonus's a percentage of the money which they had denied needy New Zealanders.

As noted, Work and Income had received all the information it needed on the 24/02/05 but "temporarily stopped" all Sheryl's disability allowances needed for her treatment. The phrase 'temporarily stopped' is merely another phrase for 'cancelled'.

The face of Work and Income NZ you do not see

Link to: Benefit Review Committee a farce Deception-name of the game Duk-here's Bea! Duk-here's Jill! Elderly deceived - part one Elderly deceived - part two Elderly deceived - part three Elderly deceived - part four Misinformation Poor crushed Service centre managers Superannuates misled part 1 Superannuates misled part 2 Temporary Additional Support – T.A.S. The lie Tricky-dickey stuff WINZ – bullies

This type of bullying is a Work and Income NZ institution. It is the nature of the beast and one of the reasons why the majority of New Zealanders look upon Work and Income NZ and its employees with contempt.

16 March 2005

Once again all Sheryl's Disability allowances for her transport costs relating to her treatment of Resinual Schizophrenia were cancelled without prior notice and without justification. In other words there were no change of circumstances.

Section 81 of the Social Security Act 1964 was not enacted to establish whether or not a "change of circumstances had occurred". This was not a slip up, but was, and has been for years a deliberate policy to corrupt lawful procedure in order to deny disabled persons - such as Sheryl - already approved State assistance for essential disability transport costs by way of court decisions, Benefit Review Committee decisions, and Work and Income decisions.

Anyhow, and as noted, Work and Income had confirmation from our Bank Manager that Sheryl was still making regular hire purchase payments, and repayments for a loan on a previous vehicle. These two costs are the only costs on Special Benefit.

The decision by our new case manager, Peter Ireland, to cancel Sheryl's disability allowances again was a contemptuous act, unfitting of the Attorney-General and a clear breach of trust under the Crown Proceedings Act.

david.taylor1@clear.net.nz