Appendix A: Claim form
Background
Well-designed claim forms help claimants give correct and sufficient information to award benefit, and help processors input information efficiently. LAs are not obliged to use any particular claim form design, although legal provisions mean that certain information must be obtained.
Findings
Claim forms are available from HB/CTB processing teams and from the area offices. Claimants can ask for visiting staff to help them fill in forms.
General design issues
Commendably, LB Haringey’s new claim form has been awarded the Plain English Campaign's Crystal Mark.
LB Haringey uses 2 forms for claiming HB and CTB. We consider shortened renewal forms bad practice because it is likely that information needed to assess initial claims is just as important for a renewal claim. The law does not recognise a difference between new and renewal claims so a renewal assessment needs as much information and evidence as an initial claim. We therefore suggest that the renewal claim form is abandoned.
Also, we recommend that LB Haringey stops issuing pre-completed renewal claim forms to IS and JSA(IB) claimants as this greatly increases the risk of fraud and error entering the system.
Type and layout
The form generally uses a grid-based layout to help claimants establish a consistent position for question and answer areas, but this convention is often broken. This sort of random approach can confuse people, and it is easy to miss questions. We recommend the consistent use of a grid-based layout which takes account of subsidiary questions, a variety of sizes of answer boxes, instructional text and tick boxes. A grid of 6 equal columns usually gives enough variety of layout.
All page layouts use a grid. This is a way of dividing the page into columns defining specific areas for text, graphics, answer boxes or pictures. Most forms need a carefully structured and versatile grid to take account of subsidiary questions, a variety of sizes of answer boxes, instructional text and tick boxes.
A grid makes sure that layout is consistent. This helps the customer because the questions and the answer boxes always start in the same place. If the layout is not consistent, people miss questions or get confused about the sequence.
Using a grid also makes sure that questions start at the left margin. This is the usual place for the eye to start reading. Questions that start away from the left margin are often missed, unless there is some other pattern that draws the eye to them.
In Part 1B there are 2 different sizes of type. It is not effective to change the size of the type simply to fit words into a space. It is always better to increase the amount of space to let the words fit in. The Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) recommends a minimum type size of 12 points on any public document. BA generally produces forms in 10 or 11 point type. Anything less than this is very difficult to read for a lot of people.
Part 16 would be better being switched with Part 18. This would mean that the claimant could tear off the last page and keep it to refer to once they have sent the claim in.
Signposting
Helping a claimant navigate through a form, avoiding sections that are irrelevant, is usually done by providing a simple filter question. If the answer to the leading question is No, the claimant is told to go straight to the next section. The best format for Yes/No filter questions is vertical rather than horizontal, for example –
Are you or your partner working? No Go to Section xx
Yes Please tell us about this here
Putting the No option first has 2 advantages. Firstly, this layout means that the routing and instructional text runs off the box that the claimant writes in, saving them reading beyond the filter question to an If Yes/If No instruction. Conditional statements like these can be confusing for some people. Secondly, it means that where information is needed directly from a Yes answer it appears more logically.
Terms used in the forms
The phrase does he or she…? appears in Part 3. It would be better to use the term do they…? It is perfectly acceptable to use the singular they.
References to the claimant’s partner in Part 5 states What is their…? and When did they…? The questions should be the same as for the claimant (What is your…?)
In Part 6:
- the reference to Family Credit should be changed to Working Families’ Tax Credit
- Disability Living Allowance would be better placed under the sub-heading Money for sickness or disability
- there is no mention of Disabled Person’s Tax Credit.
Content of the claim forms
Figure A.1 sets out particular questions that we expect a fully effective claim form to contain, but which are missing from LB Haringey claim forms. "Y" means that the claim form has the question or a suitable alternative, "N" means that it does not.
| New claim form |
Renewal claim forms |
Renewal claim form IS/JSA(IB) |
|
|---|---|---|---|
|
Date of moving in? |
Y |
N |
N |
|
Date tenancy began? |
N |
N |
N |
|
Previous claim? |
Y |
N |
N |
|
Nationality? |
N |
N |
N |
|
Date of entry into the common travel area? |
N |
N |
N |
|
Last date of entry into GB? |
N |
N |
N |
|
Costs for personal care and support? |
N |
N |
N |
|
Backdating requested? |
Y |
N |
N |
|
Benefits claimed but not paid? |
N |
N |
N |
|
Is the claimant in arrears with rent? |
N |
N |
N |
Source: BFI and LB Haringey claim forms
Income certificates
The claim forms contain certificates that claimants are asked to have completed by their employer. We do not recommend the use of 'Certificate of earnings' forms being sent by the claimant to the employer. This can encourage collusion or forgery. Only in cases where an LA cannot verify earnings from wage slips should earnings certificates be used, and in these circumstances, the forms should be sent directly to the employer by the LA.
Renewal claims
There is no difference in law between a new and a renewal claim, so the examination applied to first claims should not be relaxed when the claim is renewed. We therefore suggest that LB Haringey abandons the renewal claim form.
Effectiveness of the claim forms
The overall effectiveness of claim forms can be gauged by the need to ask for further information. During our new and renewal claims sampling, we found that:
- 38 out of 43 (88%) new claim forms were fully completed
- 55 out of 57 (96%) renewal claim forms were fully completed.
Figure A.2 sets out the number of cases where further information was sought by GCC following receipt of a claim form.
|
Complete forms |
Incomplete forms |
|||||
|
Total claims |
Required further information |
% |
Total claims |
Required further information |
% |
|
|
New claims |
38 |
17 |
45 |
5 |
4 |
80 |
Source: BFI analysis
As would be expected, further information was needed in a higher proportion of claims where the form was incomplete than where the form had been fully completed. However, even where the forms had been fully completed by the claimant, staff had to ask for further information in 20% of all claims.