Seek advice on claiming benefits

Over the last year, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has admitted that it has been routinely under-assessing the amount of benefits owed to some of society’s most vulnerable, disabled people. The benefits affected have included personal independence payment (PIP), employment and support allowance (ESA) and universal credit (UC). For PIP, claims are assessed by healthcare professionals who follow guidance which has been shown to be wrong. Some PIP awards may have been lower in cases involving medication/therapy, mental illness and any safety issues, and in some cases no award was made. The Government will be going through all such claims to check if anyone has been underpaid, and has guaranteed that no existing award will be reduced as a result. Any increases will depend on individual health needs and it could be a complicated process. People who think they may be affected can ask for more information from the DWP or us. In a separate matter, as many as 75,000 ESA claimants could have been underpaid when they were moved or “migrated” from previous incapacity benefits. The DWP is carrying out a review of all cases they believe to be affected and claimants may be asked to provide financial information for the years following their migration to ESA. The amount could be thousands of pounds. In some cases, it may also have an impact on other entitlements, like free prescriptions. If your readers think they are affected and don’t want to wait until the review is completed, they can call the DWP and make an enquiry. Anyone who has heard from the DWP and has any concerns, can ask us for advice. In yet another case, some disabled claimants who have been moved onto universal credit have found their benefit income much reduced because of the way UC is worked out. Following legal challenges in two court cases, the Government has agreed this is unfair and will reimburse those affected, but probably not until next year. People may still lose out if they are moved to universal credit before July 2019. We would urge your readers who are receiving disability related benefits and are thinking of claiming UC to ask for advice before doing so. We can be contacted on 0344 848 7919 on Monday to Friday, from 10-4, or at the One Stops Shops in Bath, Keynsham and Midsomer Norton. Details are on our website www.cab-banes.org Sian Francis Research and campaigns manager, Citizens Advice Bath and North East Somerset