Temporary disability grant reapplications & overcrowding at SASSA: update with Minister

Meeting report

The Chairperson welcomed the Ministry and said that DSD and SASSA would provide a progress update on the action plan to address the reapplications for lapsed temporary disability grants and overcrowding at SASSA offices. 

DSD and SASSA briefing
Mr Linton Mchunu, DSD Acting Director-General, said the briefing gave updated progress on the Action Plan’s implementation and also discussed interventions to address particular problems such as queue management, automation and communication. SASSA aims to improve the experience of clients and address the matter of dignity raised about SASSA offices. 

SASSA CEO, Ms Busisiwe Memela, recapped that the Temporary Disability Grant (TDG) is awarded to those who are unable to work as a result of functional limitation caused by disability or medical condition which is usually temporary. TDGs are provided for a period of 6 to 12 months, after which the grant lapses in terms of Social Assistance Act.

Ms Memela said the presentation dealt with the operational plan of how and when SASSA and DSD plan to address the challenges for the reapplications of the 200 000 lapsed grants. Based on previous meetings with the Committee, SASSA and DSD had created interventions to alleviate problems caused by the TDG lapsing all at once without the capacity for reassessment, communication and management of the number of clients.

SASSA identified a total of 214 473 lapsed TDGs beyond the period for which they were approved for the period from February to December 2020, which had continued under the Disaster Management Act. The extensions lasting 31 December accrued R1.8 billion in costs which were funded from existing budget allocations. 

The 16 024 reinstatements of the most vulnerable categories of temporary disability grant (TDG) clients have been completed :
- Those who are 59 years old: 9 295
- Those receiving TDG and grant in aid: 6 079
- Those receiving TDG through procurator: 577
- Those receiving TDG through administrator: 73

Ms Dianne Dunkerley, SASSA Executive Manager: Grants Administration, presented TDG progress to date per province.  The Western Cape accounted for majority of the total population of lapsed TDGs with 24.5%. DSD and SASSA will provide weekly updates of booked clients from the baseline number compared to the number of clients who have already been assessed.  

Due to the Committee's previous concern about medical assessments, SASSA has increased the number of medical assessments from 40 to a maximum of 80 within an eight hour session by contracted doctors where necessary. Doctors contracted by SASSA will be remunerated at R164.80 per assessment. Total costs for medical assessments for lapsed TDGs will not exceed R32 307 557 which will be compensated for within the SASSA budget allocation.

Ms Dunkerley explained that bookings and reassessments are to be completed by 31 March 2021. She noted that two Gauteng hospitals responsible for conducting most assessments, are not available due to being inundated with COVID-19 cases. SASSA is in the process of getting these hospitals to assist in paper-based medical file and telephonic assessments to compensate for the lack of physical assessments. This method of assessment has been implemented in the Western Cape and will be further employed in other provinces affected with high COVID-19 numbers. 

Risks and Mitigation Strategies
She stated that 70% of the medical reassessments for Care Dependency Grants were completed using paper-based assessments, while the remainder are in the process of finalisation. After which, caregivers of the children will be called in to physically complete the application. DSD and SASSA have identified that many children have not been able to obtain identification documents due to the Department of Home Affairs not processing new applications. DSD has resolved this by negotiating with the South African Post Office (SAPO) to create accounts for these children based on their birth certificates to allow for grants to be processed and paid out to Care Dependency Grant (CDG) beneficiaries. 

Ms Dunkerley identified the following potential risks:
• Not completing all lapsed TDGs by 31 March 2021
• Limited availability of community halls 
• Limited availability of doctors/fatigue of healthcare professionals
• Temporary closure of offices due to risk of staff contracting the virus
• Limited number of people that can be accommodated at service points
• Criminals queuing and selling spaces.

Plans to Operationalise the Interventions 
SASSA completed the reinstatement of 16 024 selected lapsed TDGs and these were paid out on 4 February 2021. SASSA aims to complete 80% of the reassessments of lapsed grants by 31 March 2021. Currently 38 484 reassessments have been completed countrywide, while a further 75 434 are booked for assessment. The introduction of paper-based assessments serves to accelerate the re-assessment, especially in circumstances where healthcare facilities are experiencing challenges. SASSA has completed 75% of the 11 243 CDGs that lapsed. 

Ms Dunkerley said queue management has been a major cause for concern, especially poor management of overcrowding and lack of social distancing and a lack of visibility of queue volunteers. She reported an improvement in queue management due to separate queues for different services, increased management team support, telephonic bookings and referral letters available at queue level or online. 

SASSA  has made progress to improve communication with TDG and CDG beneficiaries through publishing referral forms on the SASSA website and appointing a communication agency to assist SASSA staff with communication challenges. Communication has become more accessible at a national, provincial and local level using radio stations. Loudhailers were procured for queue management and effective communication purposes. 

SASSA has also communicated on an ongoing basis with stakeholders such as organisations working with persons with disabilities, traditional authorities, churches and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), to improve communication to the affected individuals. SASSA has updated its website and all social media channels and looks to further modify the website to reflect urgent and emergency issues on the landing page by 15 February. Modernising the website and social media channels will help clarify the misinformation that has been spread about the grants on social media.  

To mitigate problems with SASSA’s capacity to manage client numbers within the universal access design principle, it has availed community halls, SASSA offices and service centres to serve as TDG service points. SASSA has arranged that healthcare practitioners conduct medical file assessments supplemented by telephonic interviews. In Mpumalanga, a hospital set up a tent to allow healthcare practitioners do medical reassessments without entering the hospital facilities and facing risk of infection. Manual in-person booking systems at SASSA offices or telephonically have helped to improve movement within queues. A call centre facility was established to supplement and improve telephonic accessibility for six months, since 18 January 2021. Staff work on a rotation basis to comply with COVID-19 protocols and are assisted by mobile trucks supported by full teams to maximise facilities. Chairs have also been placed outside SASSA offices to reinforce dignity and social distancing practices. 

SASSA is in an ongoing process of addressing long queues at the South African Post Office (SAPO), especially as many grant beneficiaries had not yet received their payments.

Ms Dunkerley reassured the Committee that all beneficiaries who have been approved and are yet to collect their grant will receive their payments, even though the grant concluded at the end of January 2021. Queue management systems based on the last digits of a person’s ID, staggering of payment collection, SMSes and cash flow projections were all implemented to ensure sufficient available resources for recipients on their collection dates. She requested that the Committee allow SASSA and SAPO to jointly present a detailed plan on social and disability grant payments. 

Ms Dunkerley explained that communication and marketing will be accelerated from February to March 2021, where the primary focus will be on sharing information on TDG. Other areas of priority include strengthening social media activations, internal staff communication and stakeholder engagement. SASSA plans to place an emphasis on making information accessible through the exploration of partnerships with existing retail and banking infrastructure and more modernised website management.

Automation
Legislative restrictions are being addressed through draft regulations which are currently out for public comment which eradicates the need for face-to-face appointments and is targeted for implementation on 1 April 2021. The grant application processes for the Child Support Grant (CSG) and Foster Care Grant (FCG) have been automated for older persons. Automative services are set to expand in the future through electronic assessment forms for medical officers and increasing accessibility through cellphone access. By the end of March 2021, it is planned that a service provider will include elements of automation in the relevant call centres, including features such as chatbots, clearing resolved email enquiries and call answering for the national number after hours. 

Communication Campaign Progress
The Integrated Communication Plan developed to run until 31 January 2021 has implemented or continues to endorse multiple activations, such as Digital Information, Community Media, Community Education and Staff Information campaigns.

Key areas of focus in activations from December 2020 to February 2021
– Social Relief of Distress  (SRD) Appeals Cut off Date
– SRD Extension to January 2021 with no extensions
– Temporary Disability Grants Lapse
– Care Dependency Grant Lapse
– Financial Literacy
– Broad Social Grants Information awareness.

Discussion
The Chairperson thanked SASSA and DSD for the presentation which embodied the goals of eliminating stress and frustration experienced by South Africans when applying for and awaiting payments. He asked why assessments are low in comparison to the number of bookings when looking at the revised baseline of TDG recipients. When would SASSA and SAPO present the plan addressing general social grant system issues across the country?  

Ms L van der Merwe (IFP) said the Committee would have appreciated greater clarity on specific details of the plan that have been successfully implemented. This includes specifics on spreading TDG awareness on social media, number of calls successfully dealt with by call centres, email backlogs compared to number of emails addressed, information on where mobile trucks operate and doctors available per province and patients assessed per day to date.

Ms van der Merwe reported that her calls to SASSA call centres in the provinces were either unanswered or agents insisted that grant forms must be filled out in person at the SASSA offices. This increases foot traffic to the offices and does not promote the available online booking facilities. She requested information on the call centre company offering services to SASSA. She asked if the skills from the call centre service provider would be transferred to SASSA call centre staff.

Ms van der Merwe encouraged that the website become more user-friendly to promote TDG information with a simple navigation system to direct people to application forms and booking. She asked if it was possible to create a dedicated number for TDG. She asked if the website revamp would be completed by 15 February 2021. The move towards automated services in the near future is of great importance. 

She asked which NGOs representing people with disabilities and KwaZulu-Natal mayors were working with SASSA. Are volunteers who assist with bookings available at all SASSA offices? Will the queues for beneficiaries with special needs include assistants for the visually impaired? She expressed concern about the quality of assessments conducted in a six minute appointment if 80 patients are seen in a day. Having remuneration on an appointment basis has potential for fraud. 

Ms van der Merwe requested that SASSA, SAPO and DSD immediately have a joint meeting to address people sleeping outside SAPO offices and increased criminality at offices, specifically in KZN. She requested clarity on the collection of food vouchers from SAPO offices. 

Ms L Arries (EFF) said that SASSA reported a R1.2 billion shortage for the rest of 2019/20. She asked  if there are available funds to support temporary grants. Does the R32 million in funding apply only to the TDG. Is there funding for people with permanent disability status? She asked if the SRD grant will be extended. Is there is opportunity for a basic income grant higher than R350?

Ms Arries noted that minor progress has been made in the TDG backlog in the Western Cape and Gauteng. She asked if progress will be made by 31 March. The Committee should receive more specific reports detailing the number of doctors appointed for assessments per province, specifically in Western Cape and Gauteng. She expressed concern about the manageability of 80 assessments in eight hours for fatigued doctors. 

She urged SASSA to move towards digitising booking processes to shorten queues outside offices. She expressed concern that food vouchers distributed in KZN may become politicised due to vouchers being withheld from some of the most disadvantaged individuals. She suggested that SASSA create a total system where services are brought to local community centres by SASSA employees to obtain information about the people in the area.

Ms A Abrahams (DA) asked for an indication of how many doctors are available per province to complete the reassessments by 31 March 2021. She asked that future progress reports provide an indication of clients who are confirmed and receiving their TDG. Is the Delft civic centre being used to alleviate pressure on the Bellville offices? The briefing is not reflective of operations on the ground, offices not opening punctually, insufficient chairs for clients and long queues. 

Volunteers for queue management should be punctual, trained and equipped to answer general SASSA queries. Poor queue management can be relieved through the use of loudhailers and through ensuring the effectiveness of the booking system. Misinformation on SASSA processes builds a distrust in DSD. She requested information on who the communication agency is and if the radio stations communications are successful considering relevant regional demographics. 

Ms Abrahams asked the Minister if the police report on the water cannon incident has been received and when the Committee can expect a copy of the report. She also expressed concern for the six minute reassessments conducted by SASSA-contracted doctors. Where families are dependent on the TDG which has lapsed, is DSD responsible for offering support through government services and is this already in effect? 

Ms B Masango (DA) questioned SASSA’s approach of physical assessments during Level 3 Lockdown putting high risk persons with disabilities in danger, who were the most impacted during COVID. She asked about the uptake of the R500 SRD to date in light of bookings continuing until 31 March. How long does it take in totality to go from booking, to assessment, to the grant being paid? TDG grant recipients who did not receive payment in January will not have any income until mid-April. She felt that the grants should nevertheless be paid to beneficiaries until assessments have been successfully completed. 

Ms Masango reported that many clients do not receive the follow-up phone call following assessments. What is the post-assessment process to avoid panic and increasing queues to query this. She asked if the special needs queue had leniency to include other vulnerable individuals such as mothers with babies. She requested a breakdown of the number of TDG applicants compared to the disability grant in the Western Cape to investigate the high number of beneficiaries. 

Ms N Bilankulu (ANC) asked if there is an appeal process available to people who did not qualify for reassessment explaining why they failed to meet the requirements and what they can do to qualify when reapplying. She repeated concerns of whether the project had sufficient funding to see it through to  completion in March. Is there a follow up on grant beneficiaries who fail to present themselves for medical assessment?

She asked if other provinces could also set up tents as temporary medical facilities like Mpumalanga to prevent long queues. She expressed doubt about the success of loudhailers especially since employees working in the offices are working from home. Provincial and local officials should have a job template beyond food parcels, distributions and risk management to ensure that all challenges are addressed on the ground. She asked the Minister if there was a plan to debrief people who were hospitalised to help them cope with their trauma.

Ms T Breedt (FF+) commended SASSA for their infographics and media releases to address misinformation. These issues should be highly publicised on the SASSA website landing page. The website for mobile phones should be more user-friendly to navigate. She reported that information does not always get passed on clearly to local level such as in the Free State and Gauteng. Officers are still asking clients to physically come in for a booking, without referring clients to services available on the website. Gauteng is experiencing severe backlogs in terms of bookings. 

For the R500 SRD grant, Ms Breedt asked what is the process for TDG clients interested in the grant and are officials informed enough to assist these unemployed individuals. She asked what would be the procedure in circumstances where an early appointment opens up and would that allow earlier bookings for the people meant to be assessed in March. Where are the additional doctors and facilities contracted by SASSA being used? She greatly appreciated the automation improvements and requested quarterly updates on progress in this area. What is the amount that the communications company has been contracted for? 

Ms A Motaung (ANC) asked what contributions are made by the paper-based assessment to alleviate pressure in the system. She asked if paper-based assessments were used in all provinces. She requested a high level briefing on the challenges experienced by SASSA and SAPO and how they plan to address these in the social grant system.

Ms J Manganye (ANC) asked what lessons were drawn from the intervention measures put in place and how would this be used to ensure that the deadline is met. The communication service and SAPO should work with DSD. She suggested that the House of Traditional Leaders and radio stations should be utilised to spread information in rural areas. 

The Chairperson said that the progress report requires restructuring to reflect beyond intervention deadlines to avoid moving the goal posts. Interventions should describe the problem along with the preferred solutions. DSD and the Committee should have one clear idea of the ideal objectives they hope to accomplish. This allows there to be unison in identifying that the preferred state has been assumed and the matter has been resolved. He asked for an explanation whether doctors have breaks within the eight-hour work day. 

Mr D Stock (ANC) said based on the data on progress to date, there is a variation between booked and assessed numbers against the target envisaged. He asked the reason for this variation. He asked for the causes of the high targeted numbers in the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng experiencing problems with bookings and assessments. How are these problems being addressed and within what timeframe can these challenges expect to be addressed?

DSD and SASSA response
Mr Mchunu agreed with the Chairperson that firm norms and standards need to be put in place to determine the specific preferred state. This would allow for checks on efficiency in the provinces while addressing the root cause of the problems.

The Chairperson added that the Auditor-General’s report commended DSD for its response to findings on root causes. This indicated progress in the desired direction for the Committee. He attributed this success to the cordial relationship between the Committee and DSD. The open nature of the relationship allows for criticism of the Department in a robust and constructive manner. 

Ms Dunkerley replied about the number of assessments conducted by doctors and the reason for not using previous medical assessments. She explained that the referral form is of importance for indicating current information on the treatment of the client. Using the medical reports attached to SASSA files present challenges which the Committee can expect an update on in the future. The referral form allows the doctor to quickly perform an assessment, allowing for assessment within the six-minute appointment. She stressed that 80 assessments per day is the maximum a doctor is allowed to perform within an eight hour shift. Doctors are entitled to breaks and very few doctors work an 80-patient shift.

Ms Dunkerley replied that currently 2880 applications have been processed and R1.4 million social relief has been provided to clients awaiting assessments. The process will continue while unemployed TDG beneficiaries are awaiting assessment. Where applications were rejected, a reconsideration and appeal process is based on merit assessed by independent lawyers and doctors. These forms are only available in SASSA offices and will shortly be available on the website. The reconsideration by SASSA is no longer required due to it being merely an administrative step. People are allowed to appeal immediately or within 90 days from the outcome. 

Ms Dunkerley said that the South African Disability Alliance and Doctors Without Borders are examples of NGOs that have began to engage with SASSA to assist in making information available to clients. A more detailed list can be provided of organisations assisting to get information out to clients with disabilities.

She reassured the Committee that SASSA has sufficient financing to pay for the approved grants. The R32 million refers to the available amount for medical assessments for the lapsed TDG. SASSA contracted 286 doctors per province along with public sector doctors. She clarified that 500 doctors referred to were those doctors who had expressed interest in doing disability assessments. There are 33 doctors who expressed interest from the Western Cape who are going through the contracting process. The Social Assistance Act requires SASSA to use doctors who are employed by the state to counteract fraud. 

Ms Memela replied that SASSA has eight mobile trucks in different areas of the Northern Cape, with 20 trucks that are not being utilised currently. She asked the National Development Agency CEO to clarify what training has been conducted for volunteers to perform their tasks. 

Mr Paseka Letsatsi, SASSA Head of Communication, replied that a document on volunteers will be made available to the Committee. SASSA has made the decision to do a total revamp of the website before the end of February. He acknowledged that certain information is not yet available on social media due to SASSA prioritising information uploaded to the website. Improved communication is necessary to ensure that only recipients required to come physically into the offices – this can be done through the allocation of set days for specific queries. Loudhailers play a critical role in delivering messages throughout communities. He referred to them as an investment that can be used in local areas when using the trucks.

Mr Themba Matlou, SASSA KZN Regional Executive Manager: Operations, acknowledged the challenges within the call centre. On average between 140 to 200 calls are phoned into each call centre per day, each with varying capacity of agents to assist clients. The hunting lines available are not reflecting the number of calls – this could be on account of technical difficulties. SASSA is exploring the possibility of establishing more lines to manage the volume of calls coming in each day. On stakeholder engagements, the spread of information is occurring at ground level with local SASSA managers engaging with local councillors. 

Ms Thamo Mzobe, National Development Agency CEO, replied that the NDA has been working with SASSA and DSD for the past six months. Due to the sudden, large influx of clients in January, the NDA had to institute the volunteers available after the programme had lapsed in December 2020. Training for these volunteers depended on the nature of what was needed. Special training for volunteers occurred within two weeks in response to this sudden influx. NDA is reflecting and restrategising as per the guidance of the Chairperson to address the immediate problems at hand. 

Mr Mchunu replied that all questions not dealt with in the meeting will be responded to in writing. On food vouchers in KwaZulu-Natal, he reported that no local council has received food parcels. Instead a company has been responsible for issuing food vouchers which are redeemable at all retailers. He agreed that SAPO should be involved in a meeting to address the range of challenges before the Post Office. There is a council involving both Ministers and a technical team to address challenges such as payment of grants, insufficient funding for recipients due to robberies and technical challenges. Working with SAPO, DSD is trying to create solutions to these challenges.

Queues at SASSA are predominantly due to registration enquiries or new applications, whereas queues at SAPO are often due to collecting the R350 grant. He predicted that this would fade out shortly due to systems put in place to address queues, such as loud-hailing and the presence of volunteers. He appreciated the idea of dealing with the root causes of problems as suggested by the Chairperson to allow for swift, effective and reliable services for clients.

The Chairperson asked when the joint meeting with SAPO to address similar challenges in the social grant system would be scheduled.

Mr Mchunu replied that he would report back with SAPO as soon as possible. 

Minister’s Response
Minister Lindiwe Zulu thanked the Committee for their continual support in providing helpful information. DSD will continue to strive for a cordial and harmonious relationship as it is helpful to meet the needs of the people and for strengthening the existing institutions. She thanked the Committee for their dedication to ensure that clients are assured through the available resources and services. It is important for DSD, SASSA and the Committee to agree on the preferred state of affairs in terms of services available to the people. 

On volunteers, Minister Zulu replied that the cohort should be properly managed to empower the volunteers to create opportunities after the COVID-19 pandemic has subsided. She felt similarly about communications stating that it must include the transfer of information for individuals to empower themselves. Call centre agencies should be connected to the radio to express accurate information on the state of affairs. Clients visiting doctors for reassessments should have the opportunity to report doctors who do not fulfil their job properly in pursuit of earning R13 000 a day from SASSA. On communication, behavioural changes can be implemented through engaging with faith-based organisations for the purposes of empowerment.

The Minister reported that she is yet to receive a report from the South African Police Service (SAPS). She had emphasised in the previous meeting that no order had been given by DSD or SASSA to spray water on defenceless people waiting in line. It is of interest to DSD and SASSA that people coming to their offices are treated well and with dignity. The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) and SASSA are to meet with SAPS on the situation. Once the report has been dealt with through the relevant structures, she will report back to the Committee on the findings. 

Minister Zulu said that the project will require continual presentations to the Portfolio Committee. Recurring issues should not be coming back to DSD and the Committee, especially since new interventions are constantly being constructed to mitigate these problems. Quality service and customer care is of priority to DSD clients. It is also important for DSD to go into the more rural areas to get an accurate reflection of the situation in those areas.

The Chairperson thanked the Committee, DSD and SASSA for their contributions in restructuring the TDG interventions. 

The meeting was adjourned.