On behalf of friend - backdating CTC

brittone05

Quick post to seek some advice form my friend.

she rang tax credits to initiate a claim for CTC on 5th December after having some various issues with her claim being stopped some months previous. they were told they were not entitled to any help but were readvised late November that this was not the case and to reapply.

She rang CTC office on 5th December, went over the details and was told claim pack on way.

5th Jauary arrived, still no sign of claim pack ( sh was patient due to Christmas etc so waited 4 weeks ). Rang them again on 5th January to be told there was no record of her call and that she would need to initiate the claim again while the original call was traced via the investigations department.

Still heard nothing by end of January but had a claim pack arrive beginning of Feb which she filled in and returned again ( this was 2nd form and, as advised, she included a letter stating that she wished to have her claim investigated for the backdate to December 5th which was her orignal dat of initiating the claim. )

12th this month she received a payment backdting to 5th January and has now received an award letter saying she will receive CTC basic rate for her 1 child weekly and that the clai has been backdated to her 5th January phone claim.

She rang to raise the question as to why the December 5th claim was never recognised and was told that she was not able to claim back that far despite this being the date she originally rang them.

Is there anything she can do - appeal or similar as she is i a dire situation with her benefits and things right now and could really use all the help available.

Thanks in advance xxx

( should add, due to health issues, her husband lost his job some months ago and, since then they have been told they are not entitled to any help from benefits resulting in the loss of their home and the breakup of their family. Children's services are now involved and helping them to find housing as a family unit, hopefully they have a place to moveinto by Monday but still no attempt from anyone to help with their benefits claim for JSA or the like? ) xx

Icequeen99

She can submit request for extra backdating if she can prove the call on 5th December and get a copy of the recording. I suspect she will find it difficult to get the evidence though.

IQ

brittone05

Thanks IQ.

I do not believe she will ever get admittance that there was a call on 5th December from them despite having the date, time and name of the person she spoke to written down

Least she has got one aspect of her benefits sorted now though xxxx

Horseunderwater

brittone05 wrote: »

Thanks IQ.

I do not believe she will ever get admittance that there was a call on 5th December from them despite having the date, time and name of the person she spoke to written down

Least she has got one aspect of her benefits sorted now though xxxx

Has the husband not tried to claim ESA if he has health problems that resulted in him losing his job. And if things are bad mobility or him needing care - he might also qualify for DLA as well. Get them to into that. They should also get housing benefit once they are in either social housing or a private rental.

brittone05

They were told that as he lost his job ( I beleive the boss let him go as his mental health caused his work to deterioate ) that they wouldn't be eligible to claim. They have tried since then, July last year at the very earliest to get help and have faced continual brick walls.

Children's services have now become involved as their 14 year old daughter is living with family and they are literally sleping whereever they can due to not being rehoused after being evicted from their HA property due to rent arrears after benefits stopped.

Their support worker has gone through it with her hubby to restart a claim for JSA but his nervous state and mental health are not great and I would imagine he would struggle to cope ( although I am not a doctor nor psychiatrist s can't really comment as such )

xx

Valli

brittone05 wrote: »

Thanks IQ.

I do not believe she will ever get admittance that there was a call on 5th December from them despite having the date, time and name of the person she spoke to written down

If she has this information then, IMO, she should write to them again, with these details, and request her claim be backdated to this date. Sometimes a bit of stubbornness works.

And maybe get her MP involved?

Sounds like a dreadful mess for them.:o

brittone05

Thanks Valli.

It has possibly been the most traumatic time for them this last 8 months or so. We have stored the best of her furniture that we could fit in for her otherwise she would have lost it all. Her 14 year old daughter is going through the most stressful of it all, her hair is falling out, she has had flare ups of bad skin and is so stressed the poor girl xxx

narabanekeater

I dodnt suppose the phone line she phoned from has an intimised bill does it? This would prove that she phoned