cold weather payment

3onitsway

My son gets DLA higher, i get CTC and WTC including the disabled child element - which looking on Direct.gov.uk we'd be entitled to the payment if it got cold enough!!

Not sure where they take the temperature readings from though - temperature reader in my car has been on 0 or - figures for at least the past week!!

[Deleted User]

I am both a pensioner and disabled.In the past 7 years I have never received a cold weather payment ,but I do get the annual payment in December.
I too have difficulty in my joints and when it is as cold as it has been for the past few weeks they get stiffer and stiffer. I have my heating on as if it drops below 18c they I'm in serious trouble.My next bills are due at the end of February and it will be a case of if I've got it then they will be paid,if not then they will be paid in due course when I have got it .I am with EDF, and as I'm registered disabled with them then I will not be cut off. I also apparently get a 15% discount as well on both electric and gas,this I learned from my friend who told me to phone them up and tell them about my problems .I spoke to a very nice lady and she was very helpful. I pay a set amount every month to both my utilities and at the moment have £125 on my gas and £80 on my electric account.I shall pay a bit more as each pension cheque comes into my account so hopefully I will be o.k.
This year the cold has been a lot more severe ,but as I live in the south east it does warm up ! to a huge 1-3 c during the day so I don't hold out much hope for any extra cash. I had my home wall insulated a couple of years ago and the roof with 10c of insulation.I also had a new boiler fitted two years ago via the Warm Front Grant although I still had to pay over £700 towards the eventual bill. This helps quite a bit in keeping my home warm.I am lucky that I only live in a very small mid-terraced house so it holds the heat aa bit better.I still find that in the evening I have a blanket over my knees and a hot water bottle. I layer up with clothes as much as possible, the past few days have been very cold and it has woken me up during the night. Hot flask by my bedside has helped, but what a way to live. I 'm sure the Government hasn't a clue as to how 'normal folk' get by on a day to day basis.
As a previous poster said let them try it .
I am not as badly off as some, so I can't complain really and I do feel for people who are dreading the big bills in the next few weeks.
I have not yet had to choose whether to heat or eat. With the price of oil dropping the price of heating should come down accordingly but we are told that the energy is purchased months in advance ,that sounds like a cop-out to me .With this in mind we should see the bills dropping during the summer, which they would do anyway as we all use less ,but I bet they don't.
Right, off to make another hot water bottle for my toes

Jake'sGran

foxxymynx wrote: »

will we get letters saying that we've qualified for a cold weather payment with a giro, or will it go into the bank without any letter?

My son receives incapacity benefit and he told us the payment just appeared in his account. This has reminded me that I meant to look up the rules. It seems obvious to me that last week will qualify as a "cold weather" week. I don't remember such cold weather before.

bluey1_3

can someone tell me who can get the payment as i get dla low rate and whether i will get this payment

upferret

bluey1 wrote: »

can someone tell me who can get the payment as i get dla low rate and whether i will get this payment

Hi, yes Im sure you do EDIT- well I think I remember on my letter is said DLA was one of the qualifying benefits but I just read a post further up saying its not. My OH gets low rate DLA and IB and we got it, I was sure both were on the list.

upferret

Jake'sGran wrote: »

My son receives incapacity benefit and he told us the payment just appeared in his account. This has reminded me that I meant to look up the rules. It seems obvious to me that last week will qualify as a "cold weather" week. I don't remember such cold weather before.

We got a letter last time telling us it would go in the bank in the next few days.

Dobiesmon

((Hi
I have sent the powers that be an email asking about the cold weather payment as I get carers premium and income support , my son gets dla and incapacity benefit , but we have not received it .
my friends daughter has the same benefits as my son and it was paid into her bank .)) my friends girl gets dla and income support .


Well I had a phone call from the powers above yesterday I get CA and IS my son gets DLA and IB .
we are not entitled to get the cold weather payment

Broken_hearted

Wow we have now had two payments this winter, so thats £50 towards an over £400 bill.

bignosemac1

Let's try and clear a few things up. Those eligible for the £25 Cold Weather Payment [CWP] are set out as follows (information in italics from direct.gov.uk):-

You may be eligible for a Cold Weather Payment for each week of very cold weather in your area if you get Pension Credit.
You may also be eligible for a Cold Weather Payment for each qualifying week if you are getting Income Support or income-based Jobseeker's Allowance and have a child under five or get one of the following:
- A pensioner premium, higher pensioner premium or enhanced pensioner premium.
- A disability premium or severe disability premium.
- A disabled child premium.
- A Child Tax Credit that includes an individual element for a child or qualifying young person who is disabled or severely disabled.

Incapacity Benefit [IB] claimants are NOT eligible, neither are those in receipt of contribution based Jobseekers Allowance.
Claimants of Disability Living Allowance [DLA] (for themselves) and Attendance Allowance [AA] at ANY rate (lower, middle, higher) are NOT eligible. OF course in you get DLA/AA in addition to the eligible benefits listed above then you will qualify. An award of DLA/AA usually unlocks one of the additional premiums. However it is because you receive THAT premium and not receipt of DLA/AA that you will get a CWP.
Claimants of DLA for disabled children MAY get a CWP, but only if they are also claiming a Child Tax Credit for the disabled child.

Here's some examples:-

- An OAP in receipt of Pension Credit. YES
- A single parent with a child under 5 AND in receipt of Income Support YES
- A sick or disabled person receiving Incapacity Benefit NO
- A sick or disabled person receiving Income Support AND a disability premium YES
- A person in receipt of DLA/AA and no other benefit NO
- An unemployed person in receipt of contribution based JSA NO
- An unemployed person in receipt of income based JSA with a disability premium YES

That list is not exhaustive and ALL people who receive a state benefit should check their entitlement. Calls to the DWP may provide the correct information but rarely do, I suggest using a Welfare Rights advisor or Citizens Advice (most local authorities provide a Benefits/Welfare rights service).

Now here's the meteorological criteria for CWPs to be activated.

You will get £25 when the average temperature where you live is recorded as, or forecast to be, zero degrees Celsius or below over seven consecutive days during the period from 1 November to 31 March. Specified Meteorological Office weather stations are used to obtain this information.

The actual calculation of the temperature is made by averaging the highest and lowest temperatures in a 24hr period (0000 to 2359) and if this average is at or below (or forecast to be at or below) 0 degrees celsius for 7 consecutive days then CWPs will be issued. So if on day x the temperatures were +4C (high) and -4C (low) that day would qualify. But if that days high was +5C then it would not qualify. 7 consecutive days need to be on average at or below 0C. The temperature DOES NOT have to be at or below 0C for the entire 7 day period.
The temperature recordings are taken at numerous Meteorological Office weather stations across the UK and your postcode determines which stations information is used in calculating whether a CWP is due. The temperature information is passed to the DWP who then contact District Offices when a weather station in that district has recorded (or is forecast to record) CWP qualifying temperatures. As at 6/01/09 nearly 50 of the 72 monitoring stations have triggered CWPs (http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/business_money/freeze+triggers+weather+payouts/2898277) with some being triggered more than once. Those who qualify get £25 for each trigger period.

Payment of CWPs will usually accompany your qualifying benefit on your usual payment day, after the trigger period(s) (but not necessarily on your next payment day) and in the same method as you receive that benefit. However I am not sure this is happening in every case as there are numerous posts on many forums that say otherwise. Officially payments are automatic but they can be issued clerically. Also you may receive a letter confirming your award of CWP from your local Benefit Delivery Centre, but again this is not always the case.

If after reading all this you think you qualify for a CWP then I suggest waiting until your next payment day to see whether you have an additional amount. You need to check carefully as many benefit claimants will also be receiving an additional £60 "Christmas" bonus in the next few months (see other threads). If you believe you are entitled and do not receive a payment then you need to inform the DWP for a Decision Maker to look into your claim and decide on your eligibility. The usual appeals route is open to decide on CWP eligibilty.

Finally, I think I've covered everything but please bear in mind that this information is not a statement of fact, however I have checked it carefully against statutory regulations, official DWP publications, official government websites and with a friendly DWP employee!

kiz1

New to this site.
the thing i dont get is my sister in law get income support and my family get incapicity benefit we are both on the same amount of money so what is the difference really between the both of them. When i first applied they asked me which benefit to gone on i had the choice of income support or incapicity and i said either one i doesnt make a difference does it and she replied NO!!!
I now know there is a huge difference in bonuses cos if your on incapicity not only do you not get cold weather payments but you also not entitled to a budgeting loan either.I cannot make it out personaly because income support and long term incapicity are the same benefit so i heard so where is the difference if we get the same money then why are we not entitled to the extra bonuses to,Just because me and my family are on incapicitybenefit does that mean we dont feel the cold as much as others on income support or dont need help with large purchases i'e washing machine,dryer,settees.It needs to be looked at because where i'm standing and probably thousand of others it does not seem fair.