Cold weather payments: quickly check if you're entitled

geoff11

geoff11 wrote: »

you need to be in recipet of other benefits as well as what you get for your disabled child im afraid, look on the last page i have posted the qualifying benefits that apply, hope that helps you a bit.

if in doubt ring this number and ask if you qualify for a cwp payment 0845 6001651, from what your wrote though id say theyre correct.

JodieR_2

I'm in exactly the same position. I have contributed PAYE and NI for 27 years but now that I'm claiming contribution-based JSA I seem to be excluded from things such as cold weather payments and free prescriptions. I am single with no children and receive £64.30 per week which has to pay for everything. Fortunately I have savings and no debts apart from a morgage but it seems very unfair that I have contributed for so many years but am ineligible for financial help when I need it.

hsf18uk wrote: »

...this offer of financial help from the government does not apply if you were made redundant through no-fault-of-your-own and happen to be single and seeking work; unless you have kid(s), partner, disability or pension.

Seems again that it's tough luck to those who have less income coming in and now have to pay out £70 per week to try and be warm. Oh, that's right - that's more money than we're given by the government each week. Shucks!

On a positive note - Martin, your site has saved me loads over the past unfortunate year. Here's to even more savings and good fortune for 2010 :-)

justlikethat_2

This may have been covered in previous posts ('fraid it was too depressing to read them all) but please note whatever they say payments are not always automatic. We would have missed payments last year if I had not complained, in the end I had to involve my MSP to get a response from our BDC (Benefit Delivery Centre).
Their excuse for not paying out was that they had to rely on getting a list of those eligible from the DWP (I think). This had to be on paper and then each entry had to be transferred manually!!!!!!

Anyway surprise, surprise the same has happened this year so I will have to go a dig out last years correspondence and go through the process again. I remember last time I had to send them bank statements to prove I had not received the payments! They claimed to have no other way to tell.
I am in Scotland and my BDC is Clydebank who are notorious for not replying to you unless you get your MSP or MP involved.
I am just worried that there might be lots of others who miss out on the money altogether because they don't complain. Anyone else had this experience? It would be interesting as last year they insisted I was one of very few people affected.... which I find hard to believe.

karenccs67

Could someone please answer my question, I know for CWP to be paid, the temperature has to be zero for seven consecutive days, but does it have to fall to zero at anytime during the 24 hours or is there a time of day that qualifies? Just curious.

DX2

justlikethat wrote: »

This may have been covered in previous posts ('fraid it was too depressing to read them all) but please note whatever they say payments are not always automatic. We would have missed payments last year if I had not complained, in the end I had to involve my MSP to get a response from our BDC (Benefit Delivery Centre).
Their excuse for not paying out was that they had to rely on getting a list of those eligible from the DWP (I think). This had to be on paper and then each entry had to be transferred manually!!!!!!

Anyway surprise, surprise the same has happened this year so I will have to go a dig out last years correspondence and go through the process again. I remember last time I had to send them bank statements to prove I had not received the payments! They claimed to have no other way to tell.
I am in Scotland and my BDC is Clydebank who are notorious for not replying to you unless you get your MSP or MP involved.
I am just worried that there might be lots of others who miss out on the money altogether because they don't complain. Anyone else had this experience? It would be interesting as last year they insisted I was one of very few people affected.... which I find hard to believe.

Clydebank BDC have always replied to me I am aware like others on MSE there are problems with people who qualify for a CWP, if they get CA and IS and thier child gets a disability premium with CTC. They do have to manually process these hth.

DX2

karenccs67 wrote: »

could someone please answer my question, i know for cwp to be paid, the temperature has to be zero for seven consecutive days, but does it have to fall to zero at anytime during the 24 hours or is there a time of day that qualifies? Just curious.

dx2 wrote: »

1 the current system
[font=arial,arial][font=arial,arial]payments are made from the social fund to certain recipients of certain means-tested benefits during periods of cold weather. A period of cold weather is defined as seven consecutive days in which the average mean daily temperature is 0°c or less. Payments can be ‘triggered’ by actual temperatures recorded during the previous seven days falling below this threshold, or if temperatures are forecast to do so by the meteorological office for the day of the forecast and six days hence. [/font]
[font=arial,arial]http://www.parliament.uk/commons/lib/research/briefings/snsp-00696.pdf[/font]
[/font]

.................................

Lou76

geoff11 wrote: »

mines in the bank this morning just as income support said it would be when i rang them last friday.

Hi Geoff, just checked my online banking and, sure enough, I've received £50 CWP today for the last 2 triggers (2nd trigger appeared on the 8th according to the postcode checker).

I received £50 on the 6th January, so that's all 4 payments received ok.

Ohh, I'm in the G51 area, don't know if all the Glasgow areas are paid at the same time but just thought I'd mention this incase anyone, who comes under the same weather centre, has not received their payments yet.

p.s. Yourself, DX2 & Di have been brilliant on this thread. Thankfully I haven't needed your advice, as my payments have gone through ok, but have been reading your replies to other posters and wanted to thank you all for the invaluable help you have given. :T

LoobyLou1957

My area has thus far had three payments triggered, and as of this morning, I have only just received the second one. This system is very hit and miss and it doesn't give you the confidence to turn your heating up knowing it will be covered or partially covered by the CWPs. It's all well and good for people on the TV to tell us to turn up the heating and worry about it later, but I bet British Gas and their ilk will be harrying us when we can't pay our bills.

The time has long since passed for the disabled to be able to claim the equivalent of the winter fuel allowance that the OAPs get. A lot of OAPs I know are hale and hearty and in fact could pop into town, the library, a friend's etc and keep warm there if they need to. A lot of disabled people are stuck at home unable to move around with no way of warming themselves up short of paying for expensive heating.

As for the Government consistently saying that DLA covers the heating bills. Does that mean that in the Winter DLA is set at the right amount and in the Summer they are paying us too much?

DLA is meant to be for care and/or mobility not blinkin heating.

DX2

I thought I would throw this up again, as I noticed CWP's have been mentioned in the email

DX2 wrote: »

To get CWP you must be getting the following:

IS (Income support) and have a child under 5
IS (Income support) and CTC (child tax credits) with a disability premium/severe disability premium
IS (Income support) and Incapacity benefit with a disability premium/enchanced disability premium or severe disability premium.

PC (Pension Credit)

IB JSA (Income based Jobseekers allowance) and have a child under 5.
IB JSA (Income based Jobseekers allowance) and CTC (child tax credits) with a disability premium/severe disability premium.
IB JSA (Income based Jobseekers allowance) and a disability premium/enchanced disability premium or severe disability premium.

IR ESA (Income-related Employment and Support Allowance) with a support or work related activity component in the main phase and have a child under 5.
IR ESA (Income-related Employment and Support Allowance) with a support or work related activity component in the main phase and CTC (child tax credits) with a disability premium/severe disability premium.
IR ESA (Income-related Employment and Support Allowance) with a support or work related activity component in the main phase and a disability premium/enchanced disability premium or severe disability premium.

At the moment the only group of benefit claimants who are having problems getting an automatic payment of CWP are
IS (Income support) and CTC (child tax credits) with a disability premium/severe disability premium.
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/BenefitsTaxCreditsAndOtherSupport/Inretirement/DG_10018668
http://pensions.direct.gov.uk/en/cold-weather-payment/home.asp

NewRoc84

if you think this may sound too good to be true thats cos it is... i just tried to get the cold weather payments and told them what income i have and such and such... anyways i have been told the only way im going to get cold weather payments is if i am on a very low income (funded by the jobcenter) i think this is actually wrong i think everyone should be eligable for this... this is not fair on the elderly and the young children who have to still go to school or when the heating dont want to work properly then we dont get a pennys worth of help considering the people who do work and contribute to the government funded things (income support and job seekers) dont get a slight bit of help this is so annoying... i might as well live of benefits then i might be better off...