Interview under caution help

Dunroamin

Lizzy12 wrote: »

That's the reason why I phoned income support, they said they had checked with my uni on the hours I said I was doing and that it was all fine. I said I don't want to be claiming anything that I'm not entitled to and he said I wasn't doing.

Take along the written confirmation of this incorrect advice or tell them the dates you were given it so that recordings of telephone conversations can be checked.

Lizzy12

Dunroamin wrote: »

Take along the written confirmation of this incorrect advice or tell them the dates you were given it so that recordings of telephone conversations can be checked.

I have just dug out a letter from DWP. "because there has been a change in your circumstances we have looked again at your claim for carers allowance. Having looked at te details of your claim, we have decided that you are still entitled to the benefit" dated 14th September 2011. This would have been the same day that I telephoned them to make sure this was correct.

carerof3

I was interviewed under caution about 7 yrs ago, about council tax benefit. I had started work & the 'back to work' bloke at the job centre told me that they would hear from Income support that my benefit would stop. I emailed to tell them anyway, but they ignored it and didn't contact me. As council tax isn't actually something you receive and I hadn't had a bill to pay for about 6 yrs(having been on benefit) I forgot all about it and wouldn't have remembered until the next bill came in April. My work apparently told them I was working and claiming benefits - someone didn't like me obviously!

Anyway, I took copies of all correspondence, wages slips, benefits letters etc & a statement about what happened, who said what etc. and gave it to them to read, as I would be confused if they started asking lots of questions. I also took someone with me as a witness. I never go to official meetings without a witness, as I feel vulnerable to bullying tactics. The result was they said I had to pay back what I owed (about £60 I think), I'd only been working about 3 months, I got out my cheque book and they said they didn't want it now!

The only result is that I would be destitute before I claimed Council Tax Benefit again - so I prefer to pay the bill. Fortunately it's reduced to 50% at the moment as my son has severe learning difficulties and I'm his carer and there's no-one else living in the house.

Lizzy12

carerof3 wrote: »

I was interviewed under caution about 7 yrs ago, about council tax benefit. I had started work & the 'back to work' bloke at the job centre told me that they would hear from Income support that my benefit would stop. I emailed to tell them anyway, but they ignored it and didn't contact me. As council tax isn't actually something you receive and I hadn't had a bill to pay for about 6 yrs(having been on benefit) I forgot all about it and wouldn't have remembered until the next bill came in April. My work apparently told them I was working and claiming benefits - someone didn't like me obviously!

Anyway, I took copies of all correspondence, wages slips, benefits letters etc & a statement about what happened, who said what etc. and gave it to them to read, as I would be confused if they started asking lots of questions. I also took someone with me as a witness. I never go to official meetings without a witness, as I feel vulnerable to bullying tactics. The result was they said I had to pay back what I owed (about £60 I think), I'd only been working about 3 months, I got out my cheque book and they said they didn't want it now!

The only result is that I would be destitute before I claimed Council Tax Benefit again - so I prefer to pay the bill. Fortunately it's reduced to 50% at the moment as my son has severe learning difficulties and I'm his carer and there's no-one else living in the house.

Thank you.. I was thinking of taking a printed off statement with me to explain everything like you have just said, because I know I will end up getting upset over something and I might forget to say important things etc

Dunroamin

Lizzy12 wrote: »

I have just dug out a letter from DWP. "because there has been a change in your circumstances we have looked again at your claim for carers allowance. Having looked at te details of your claim, we have decided that you are still entitled to the benefit" dated 14th September 2011. This would have been the same day that I telephoned them to make sure this was correct.

That's good as long as you're certain that you stated that you're a full time student when you made the claim or notified them of this when you started university.

Lizzy12

Dunroamin wrote: »

That's good as long as you're certain that you stated that you're a full time student when you made the claim or notified them of this when you started university.

Yes they have the course name, Uni course code etc plus income support have all my student finance breakdown so as someone else said, to get student finance it has to be a full time course, which income support would have known with me getting the loan/grant etc

Dunroamin

Lizzy12 wrote: »

Yes they have the course name, Uni course code etc plus income support have all my student finance breakdown so as someone else said, to get student finance it has to be a full time course, which income support would have known with me getting the loan/grant etc

Great, but did the people dealing with the CA claim know this as well?
(Just checking all the angles.)

Lizzy12

Dunroamin wrote: »

Great, but did the people dealing with the CA claim know this as well?
(Just checking all the angles.)

Yes, the letter was from DWP: carers allowance so I phoned the number on that letter to chec everything was correct. I remember saying its a full time course and he said yes we have checked the hours you have given us with your university so its all fine. That's when he said its good to hear from an honest person etc thanks for your help. I am starting placement soon so will obvuously be letting them know then, as I will be doing more hours and of course won't be entitled to it anymore

Dunroamin

Lizzy12 wrote: »

Yes, the letter was from DWP: carers allowance so I phoned the number on that letter to chec everything was correct. I remember saying its a full time course and he said yes we have checked the hours you have given us with your university so its all fine. That's when he said its good to hear from an honest person etc thanks for your help. I am starting placement soon so will obvuously be letting them know then, as I will be doing more hours and of course won't be entitled to it anymore

It sounds as if the person you spoke to made a mistake but I really think that you might need be prepared to lose the CA as, according to my reference above, you may well not be eligible as hours are irrelevant if the course is designated as full time. Of course, there may be exceptions allowed that I'm unaware of.

Alternatively, I can't really see why you should be getting any HB as it's normally only students who are disabled themselves (or who are lone parents) who can claim it. I wonder if someone assumed that this was why you were claiming IS, rather than because you're a carer?

Anyway, it doesn't sound as if you personally have done anything wrong, so it shouldn't take much to sort it out.

Lizzy12

Dunroamin wrote: »

It sounds as if the person you spoke to made a mistake but I really think that you might need be prepared to lose the CA as, according to my reference above, you may well not be eligible as hours are irrelevant if the course is designated as full time. Of course, there may be exceptions allowed that I'm unaware of.

Alternatively, I can't really see why you should be getting any HB as it's normally only students who are disabled themselves (or who are lone parents) who can claim it. I wonder if someone assumed that this was why you were claiming IS, rather than because you're a carer?

Anyway, it doesn't sound as if you personally have done anything wrong, so it shouldn't take much to sort it out.

Thank you, yes I am a single parent to 2 children