Operating a paperless system in Basildon
Basildon District Council offers an environmentally friendly, paperless claims process providing customers with a faster and more accurate service. Since moving to the electronic system it has:
- increased accuracy, as electronic completion highlights missing information and errors;
- reduced processing times as manually entering, processing, searching and retrieving physical documents was more time-consuming;
- achieved a small drop in the costs associated with printing large volumes of information;
- reduced data protection risks, as paperwork is easier to misplace than electronic information;
- reduced the office storage space needed as hard copies used to be stored on-site.
Online application forms can be completed by customers and submitted via the Council's website. Those who want help can use terminals in the Council's central library and ask library staff for assistance, or contact the local Citizen's Advice Bureau (CAB).
Alternatively customers can phone the Council, where a preliminary assessment takes place. A staff member arranges to call the customer back at the Council's expense. An online form is completed on the customer's behalf, taking around 20 minutes. Paper forms are available on request, but few choose this option.
A suitable time and date is arranged for an officer to visit the customer in order to verify documents and check the claim for accuracy. An assessor based in the Council office checks the claim using dual screens and makes a decision, notifying the customer by letter or by email.
The average time taken to assess a new benefit claim in 2009/10 is between 17 and 18 days, from the date of first contact.
An online form is also available for customers to notify the Council of any change in circumstances that may affect their entitlement.