As the form is addressed to ‘the householder’ and their son Jamie (37), lives with them, Terry and Yvonne Laffoley say they were left with the clear impression that his benefits could be at risk unless they declared their own assets.
That was confirmed by the Employment and Social Security Department when they rang to check, but they have now been reassured by Employment Minister Paul Routier that this is not the case and that they do not have to declare assets because they are not claimants.
When they received the forms last week Terry (61) and Yvonne (60) Laffoley were very worried, partly because the paperwork was so confusing.
The department sent out the 29-page forms with 17 pages of explanatory notes addressed to householders primarily to save money and to prevent duplication.
The department’s strategy analyst, Sue Duhamel, said that some households will have two or three claimants receiving different benefits, and that rather than send out a number of forms to each, they have sent out one to the householder.
‘We could not win either way,’ she said.
‘If we sent out three or four to each place, we would be accused of wasting money and duplicating effort.’
