The joys of the DSS!

The inevitable has happened, PG has had to approach the dreaded DSS office in what is turning out to be the not unexpectedly unpleasant business of claiming benefits.

What a bloody nightmare! Bear in mind here that I worked in the civil service for 12 years and in an equally unpopular department, yes I worked for the Inland Revenue so pelt me with tomatoes now if you wish) I know the drill, I know how it works and yet it is still a maze of what seems mostly to be pointless stupidity and red tape.

I appreciate there are those that 'work the system' to put it politely but hell, between the two of us we have worked something in the region of 45 years and only claimed on weeks unemployment benefit in total and still the attitude of the department seems to be that if you claim any benefit at all you must by definition be a chav with the I.Q of a peanut!

The system has changed it seems and the first point of contact is by phone where myriad details are asked for. Once that is over another phone appointment is made where one is required to put aside and hour to be interviewed by phone. Next is the required visit in person to an office where one is greeted tersely by an almost underage upstart with an attitude Vinny Jones would be proud of...who again goes through the same endless list of questions! Can you believe, and I exaggerate not, I was asked how much money I had in my purse...right down to the loose change! I'm sorry but I just couldn't resist asking the aforementioned upstart if he would also need to know what colour my underwear was!

Throughout this delightful meeting 'upstart' seems unable to prevent himself from treating us as though we couldn't possibly be doing anything other than fiddling the system and manners or sympathy were barely skills he had heard of, let alone practices.

During the 'are you looking for suitable employment' stage of this it was suggested incidentally that because PG felt that to travel 40 miles each way to a job of 20 hours a week duration for only minimum legal wage was not quite what he considered worthwhile, it was suggested that his attitude wasn't all it should be! Give me strength. Do any of these people actually think for themselves?

And so, torture over and once home again, having been dragged though all this hoo ha for what will doubtless be only pennies what happens? yesterday, two days later onto the doormat falls the written proof of just how little PG is entitled too....followed this morning by another missive telling him that they got it all wrong and have to start over!!! FFS, is it really worth it?

It would seem that the principle that is oft bandied about, that if you are honest the whole thing just falls apart is way too close to the truth, hey, I knew I got it wrong somewhere in life...... I'm sure if I was 17, we had never done a days work in our lives and had 6 kids we'd be worth a fortune in payouts! As it is the term 'social security' is in practice neither sociable or secure!

Gah! I think I'd rather starve than deal with this lot again. Can you tell I'm a little less than impressed!?