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MEASURING BURDENS EXPERIENCED BY JOB SEEKERS ALLOWANCE CLAIMANTS (JSA)

MEASURING BURDENS EXPERIENCED BY JOB SEEKERS ALLOWANCE CLAIMANTS (JSA). Jane Francis Strategy Directorate . Date: 13 th June 2008. Structure of the presentation. Citizens burdens Complexity of the benefit system The Citizens Burden Project. Introduction – What is a burden?.

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MEASURING BURDENS EXPERIENCED BY JOB SEEKERS ALLOWANCE CLAIMANTS (JSA)

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  1. MEASURING BURDENS EXPERIENCED BY JOB SEEKERS ALLOWANCE CLAIMANTS (JSA) Jane Francis Strategy Directorate Date: 13th June 2008

  2. Structure of the presentation • Citizens burdens • Complexity of the benefit system • The Citizens Burden Project

  3. Introduction – What is a burden? • Any information obligation or data requirement the government requests from an agent • Burdens accrue through undertaking activities associated with compliance • Burdens for businesses may be seen as a consequence of their day to day functioning • For citizens, the way in which burdens accrue is different

  4. Measuring burdens • Burdens affect customers experience i.e. could explain low benefit take up • Evidence suggests, most vulnerable customers experience the heaviest burden • Burden measurement – Can help us understand benefit complexity • Difficulties in measuring burdens on customers because it is not just about the claim process but also maintaining the claim and conditionality.

  5. Dealing with complexity • The Department has established a ‘Benefit Simplification Unit’ as a counterweight to the increasing complexity of the system. • However, there is no established methodology for measuring the complexity of the benefit system over time in order to track progress. • DWP investigated a number of different methodologies for measuring the complexity of the benefit system over time including monitoring aspects such as: • The number of benefits in the system • The number of benefits that an average DWP customer receives • The number of computer systems used to administer the benefits • The number of different payment methods • Length of regulations associated with the system etc

  6. Dealing with Complexity (cont..) • Issues associated with measuring complexity in the system directly: • Very time consuming • Hard to develop a robust methodology (are we measuring the complexity of the underlying system?) • Doesn’t measure complexity from the customers point of view • DWP Conclusions: • “…better to measure complexity from the customers point of view : time and financial burdens…”

  7. Citizens Burden Project • The DWP Strategy Unit have commissioned a research project that will assess the burdens placed on customers making a new claim for Jobseekers Allowance (JSA) • Jobseekers Allowance is for people who are actively seeking and available for work • The project will assess the burdens placed on a claimant from first enquiry at the Jobcentre or Call centre to the point where the first payment of benefit is made

  8. Citizen’s Burdens Project Objectives • To expand DWP’s knowledge of how customers experience the claims process • To develop a signpost function to identify areas in greatest need of simplification • To investigate the feasibility of a headline figure against which to measure reductions in the level of administrative burden experienced by our customers • To collect information that will make DWP more customer focused, reducing burdens and potentially increasing compliance and take-up

  9. High Level Research Questions How long in total does it take an individual to complete a JSA application? • Where does the process start and end? • What is the route taken by an application that goes smoothly? • Do some customers experience more burdens than others? How much does making a JSA application cost the claimant? • Does the individual incur any financial costs? • Where do financial costs start and end?

  10. Methodological approach • A telephone survey of approximately 900 new JSA claimants: Main vehicle for collecting information on customer experiences and the incidence of burden. • A qualitative phase that will be used to inform the questionnaire for the quantitative stage

  11. Update on the project • Qualitative stage In progress (Cardiff & Nottingham) until 13th June – Results expected by mid-July 2008 • Quantitative stage Results of pilot samples and main samples to be expected by early November 2008.

  12. Additional information Further details about the research project can be obtained by contacting: • Leslie Torres (Project Manager) – Leslie.Torres@dwp.gsi.gov.uk • Jane Francis (Research Advisor) – Jane.Francis@dwp.gsi.gov.uk

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