help needed Dwp asking to repay £1500

sapman17

help needed Dwp asking to repay £1500 i told them my wife worked 6 hours at the beginning of my unemployment and as a carer at £7.00 per hr and she only does this much because she has a horrible hand condition which comes up in sores so she should really could claim disability as she has seen a specialist all of which I have told them and my MP but still to no avail they won't even tell me how they come to such a high figure I even in the last 6 months of my unemployment fillled out forms telling them how much I was recieving from my wife which were faxed or sent in the post I am sending these in the post this week but is there any thing else I can do as I have debts with the utilities and catalogues who i am slowly try to pay off which make that figure quite impossible to pay off as well I have being seing an iapta counsellor for depression they don't even care about that. how do some mainly asylum seekers or immigrants let off £1000's ? help very much appreciated

kingfisherblue

Your post is quite hard to read as there is so little punctuation, and your comments about asylum seeekers and immigrants are unnecessary.

However, from what I can gather, you are unemployed and have a debt with the DWP. You have asked for this to be explained but have not received a satisfactory reply.Your wife works (or worked?) six hours a week and has a skin condition which prevents her from working longer hours. You have other debts that you are trying to pay off, in addition to the DWP debt.

I hope I have the main points there.

OK, first, your wife. If she cannot work due to her skin condition, she may be able to claim ESA. However, a skin condition rarely stops someone from working, as there are some things that she can do to help herself. She could ask her employer for suitable gloves - my daughter is a carer and wears non-latex gloves. Her employer provides them, but my daughter also carries some that she has bought herself, so that she is never in a position of there being none in stock at work.

Regarding your other debts, you need to prioritise them. Catalogue debts are nowhere near as important as utilities debts or the DWP debt. You might want to pop over to the Debtfree Wannabe board and post a Statement of Affairs (there is a sticky to help you at the top of the board). The posters over there can help you to identify any areas where you can make a saving, and can also advise you on which debts should be paid first.

Now, the DWP debt. Who have you asked for an explanation? Have you asked in writing? I don't have any experience in this area, but creating a paper trail is always a good idea. That way, you have proof that you have not ignored the issue. So, if you haven't already done so, you need to write a letter asking about the debt. You need to ask for a full breakdown to show how it has occurred. If you have already asked someone, and you knkow who they are and when you asked, note this in your letter and state that you have not yet received a reply. It may be worth sending recorded delivery, even though it costs more, as the DWP cannot say they have not received it. Initially, I would send it to the address on any corresponndence that you have - this is probably a central collections department, not your local Job Centre.

If you do not receive a reply, track the letter to see when it was received by the DWP and who signed for it. Don't forget that it will take a few days to get from the post room to the person who should deal with your enquiry. You could ring a week or so after sending the letter to ask when you should receive a reply. After 2-3 weeks, send another letter. Remember to refer to your first letter, and point out that you have not received a reply.

I hope this helps.

kingfisherblue

sapman17 wrote: »

help needed Dwp asking to repay £1500 i told them my wife worked 6 hours at the beginning of my unemployment and as a carer at £7.00 per hr and she only does this much because she has a horrible hand condition which comes up in sores so she should really could claim disability as she has seen a specialist all of which I have told them and my MP but still to no avail they won't even tell me how they come to such a high figure I even in the last 6 months of my unemployment fillled out forms telling them how much I was recieving from my wife which were faxed or sent in the post I am sending these in the post this week but is there any thing else I can do as I have debts with the utilities and catalogues who i am slowly try to pay off which make that figure quite impossible to pay off as well I have being seing an iapta counsellor for depression they don't even care about that. how do some mainly asylum seekers or immigrants let off £1000's ? help very much appreciated

I always mean to quote the OP if I am first to reply to a query, but usually forget! It's here now, in case the OP decides to edit it and other posters want to read it.

Dunroamin

I notice that you've asked about this a couple of times before and received suggestions as to how to progress.

I'm sure you (and everyone else) would find it easier to deal with if you didn't bring in a variety of issues; your other debts, your wife's health and certainly not your views on immigrants (!) aren't relevant.

You need to concentrate on finding out how this overpayment has arisen, query it if the facts are wrong and then negotiate a repayment plan if you do actually owe the money.

kingfisherblue

I didn't realise that the OP had already asked this Dunroamin.

In that case, OP, maybe you should read what other posters have advised and put it into practice. Use your time to contact the DWP instead of repeatedly asking the same question. You are likely to always receive similar answers.

sapman17

"Your post is quite hard to read as there is so little punctuation, and your comments about asylum seeekers and immigrants are unnecessary". i am afraid there are some times we are picked on just because we are British and we get the raw end of it I hope your not one of the politically correct brigade I only comment on what i see and get from reading the press.
I sent the letter stating to the dwp how did they come up with this figure but they won't tell me so I have asked again with forms i filled out about 6 months into my unemployment telling them how much work my wife was doing I also told them any way right at the beginning in the first booklet you fill out on your first signing on but not getting anywhere with them. I did not ask for any comment on how much work my wife does all i will say is that is she has tried gloves and they make her hands hot and blister more with larger sores but she doesn't like to claim disability. Don't answer peoples questions if you only want to knock me down as well I was only asking again this question as i still haven't got anywhere I am also contacting mind as i am suffering depression on a number i got from the MSE newsletter. some of you need to lighten up or just don't respond. I only wanted any additional advice not harp on that i had asked it b4 i wanted to see if antything new could be added. It also none of your business but i am know working doing 45 hrs a week as this is all my employer will let me do so this is
not me doing this when i should be looking for work I wouldlove to more haven't found anything else yet and still can't afford to pay this off

heartbreak_star

The replies are correct in that your bigotry is unwarranted and unwanted.

Paragraphs and punctuation would also be useful.

Finally, good luck with sorting this out - here are a few pointers from my observation. "Not liking to claim disability" is not really an option if she can't do anything else. Has a doctor diagnosed the hand condition? If it's an allergy, are other protectives an option - barrier creams maybe? Has your doctor diagnosed your depression? If not, then your employers are unlikely to believe it exists and will not be sympathetic.

HBS x

rogerblack

In addition - if the hand condition is only triggered by some work - say dishwashing - that would not qualify her for ESA, as many jobs do not involve this.
Even having only one hand does not qualify you.

Only in very extreme cases - if it prevents her from cooking a meal or washing herself, ... would she be entitled to DLA.

Morlock

sapman17 wrote: »

how do some mainly asylum seekers or immigrants let off £1000's ?

Give one example, just one.

sapman17 wrote: »

i am afraid there are some times we are picked on just because we are British and we get the raw end of it I hope your not one of the politically correct brigade I only comment on what i see and get from reading the press

It is obvious that you are regurgitating bile that you have read in the press, they have their own agenda. You would not appear to be so ignorant and unintelligent if you made up your own mind and didn't believe all of the racist rubbish printed by the likes of the Daily Mail.