Customer standards: Benefits service

The following customer standards have been set following consultation with customers and landlords who were surveyed. 

We aim to meet the following standards of service: 

• to assess new claims within 20 calendar days of the benefits service receiving your application (this should be less if you give us all the information we need with your claim form)
• to assess 90% of all new claims within 14 days of receiving all the information required to assess your application.
• to assess reported changes of circumstances within 11 calendar days
• to be no less than 99% accurate in assessing benefit claims
• to ensure that staff who process claims have a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of benefits legislation that is kept up to date
• to carry out revisions (look at your claim again where you disagree with the assessment) and appeals within 26 calendar days
• to ensure that all decision letters/notifications comply with the housing  benefit, council tax benefit and decision and appeal regulations
• to process claims for discretionary housing payments within five days of referral following receipt of all the information
• to refer claims that are identified as potentially fraudulent to the audit and investigation team within 48 hours
• to make welfare visits within seven days of the request

Our performance in 2010/11

The benefits service’s priority is to pay customers the right benefit at the right time. Shown below are details of our results for the financial year 2010/11.

• Processing accuracy for new claims and change of circumstances was 98.8%
• Average time to process new claims and changes of circumstances 13.6 days
• Average time to process new claims 19.6 days
• Average time to process change of circumstances 11.7 days
• Average time to process appeals 23 days
• Average time to process revisions 26.5 days

The times shown above are in calendar days.

If you would like to comment on our standards you can write to us or email at:

Benefits Service, Ealing Council, and PO BOX 32251, London W5 5XA
Email: benefits@ealing.gov.uk