Don’t ignore claim calls

LANCASHIRE residents who made a Universal Credit claim at the onset of the pandemic are being warned that they might now have to provide proof that they were entitled to it - and urged to watch out for attempts by benefits assessors to contact them.

Just over 60,000 people in the county applied for Universal Credit between March and May 2020, amid a nationwide surge in demand for financial support as the Covid crisis struck.

At the time, the usual process of verifying claims for the benefit - which involves presenting corroborating evidence of identity and personal circumstances - was suspended because applicants were unable to produce the necessary documentation in person at a Job Centre.

It was replaced by a system called Trust and Protect, which allowed the applications to proceed without the normal confirmatory checks. However, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has now set up a team tasked with examining all claims made under this fast-track process since last spring.

If a claimant cannot be contacted within three attempts by officials seeking to verify their claim, their payments could be suspended or altered.

The Lancashire branches of the Citizens Advice charity are now urging Universal Credit recipients not to ignore phonecalls.

“The big thing people need to do is answer calls from withheld numbers,” said Joanna Young, who supports claimants in the county.

“I don’t like doing it [myself], but if the DWP tries to call you three times and you don’t answer the phone, that might be that.”

Anyone claiming the benefit is also being reminded to check their online DWP journal, if they have one, for messages.