Suspension of HB after Change of Circumstances

Bollotom

Here is rather a puzzling one. I went into the council with my occupational pensions notice for 2013/2014 as it was a change of circumstances due to my provider increasing my pension for this year. I was surprised to get a letter, an extract being pasted below this. When I took my state pension notice in, and my partners, my Housing Benefit wasn't suspended so why now? Puzzling.

Further to your application for Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction I must inform
you that your claim has been suspended on 3 May 2013. Your Housing Benefit has been
suspended because of a change of circumstances. and your Council Tax Reduction has been
suspended because of a change of circumstances..
You must also tell the Benefit Section at London Borough of ******* immediately, in
writing, of any changes that may affect your entitlement. Some examples of changes are
increases in your or your partner's income/savings, if someone leaves or joins your
household, and any rent changes. You may also lose entitlement to Housing Benefit if you
do not tell us within one calendar month of any changes.
If you are overpaid because you failed to report changes straightaway you will have to
pay it back.

Is this normal?

Blackpool_Saver

a pure guess... state pension is up to a means tested level, and occupational pension is extra income... and at this point it has gone over what you are allowed and they have to do a re-assessment? or maybe you just got unlucky

Bollotom

I was told my HB would be approx £85/week just two days before and the pension increase amounts to about £5/month so it seems strange they would suspend it for that amount when they haven't done in the past. It's been about 3 weeks now and they said I can ask for a revision after 28 days. I'm sure I have a trainee handling my case, lol. Thanks Blackpool_Saver.

Housing_Benefit_Officer

When you handed the document in they suspended your claim to prevent any overpayment.

When your documents are eventually seen by an assessor the claim will be reopened and recalculated.

In all probability your change of circumstances is still sitting in the backlog waiting to be allocated to someone.

In an ideal word your change of circumstances will be dealt with within a few days but where there are large backlogs in dealing with post claims are suspended until the claim can be recalculated.

Bollotom

Thanks, HBO, I guess the latest modifying HB abd CT Reduction have contributed to a large backlog as I am in a London borough. I did ask my Landlord what would be the effect, though I can still afford to pay my rent, and he said he would wait as we were generally on-time payers. Have to wait patiently and get my booze from the supermarket. lol

Housing_Benefit_Officer

willber wrote: »

And if this takes many weeks, what explanation should be given to a landlord as to why the rent isn't being paid - the council are slow in re-calculating the benefit?
I don't think that would go down very well.

Is it any wonder why people don't tell the council of each and every change when it happens if the benefit is suspended for weeks on end. What happens if there is a change in income of say £5 every week with wages - the claimant would never get any benefit if it was suspended at the end of every week.

At the end of the day in these types of cases it shoud be done within days not weeks just to make sure that the claimant doesn't have any difficulties - get more staff on the job or give some overtime to those that are working there. It should be a case of finishing when the job is done not when the clock gets to 5pm!

Since October 2012 we can now slap claimants with a £45 civil penalty for failing to declare a change of circumstances on time even if that change gives them more benefit.

At the beginning of each financial year there is always a backlog as every claimant get housing benefit and LCTS notifications and council tax demands for the year - this results in an avalanche of queries.

Also this year every working age claimant has had their council tax support cut resulting in demand for the first time - and more complaints and appeals - plus bedroom tax queries.

In an ideal world every change of circumstances would be dealt with within a few days of coming in - but Housing Benefit departments are slowly being decommissioned and run down and the DWP grant to Local Authorities is being cut year on year so they have less and less money to spend on administration - when Universal Credit eventually replaces Housing Benefit there will no longer be a Housing Benefit Department at your local council.

turkleton

[QUOTE=willber;
Is it any wonder why people don't tell the council of each and every change when it happens if the benefit is suspended for weeks on end. What happens if there is a change in income of say £5 every week with wages - the claimant would never get any benefit if it was suspended at the end of every week.

At the end of the day in these types of cases it shoud be done within days not weeks just to make sure that the claimant doesn't have any difficulties - get more staff on the job or give some overtime to those that are working there. It should be a case of finishing when the job is done not when the clock gets to 5pm![/QUOTE]

In addition to the previous post a £5 a week change in wages shouldn't be treated as a relevant change if the wages normally fluctuate as the assessment officer should have used an average that reflected the ongoing wage when processing the claim. The claim therefore wouldn't be suspended. An increase to a pension, like an increase to a rate of pay or a salary will generally count as a relevant change so the claim is likely to be suspended in order to prevent any further overpayments.

missapril75

Bollotom wrote: »

When I took my state pension notice in, and my partners, my Housing Benefit wasn't suspended so why now?

HB offices have limited access to DWP computer records but it would include state pension details

Perhaps there was some procedure already in place whereby they already assess for the uprated amount?

Housing_Benefit_Officer

missapril75 wrote: »

HB offices have limited access to DWP computer records but it would include state pension details

Perhaps there was some procedure already in place whereby they already assess for the uprated amount?

All Housing Benefit staff have full access to the DWP and HMRC Tax Credits records via our CIS system so we can check everything the DWP hold on a claimant. We can read their notes see reasons why claims have stopped or been suspended. What the DWP see we can see.

Local Authorities are connected to a system called ATLAS where all state benefit changes (except Child Benefit) are automatically notified to the local authority - separately we also receive ETDs and LAICI and LAIDS files from the DWP so things normally get updated automatically - soon this system will be fully automated.

We normally get claimants complaining we have included tax credits in the Housing Benefit claim when they don't receive it - because we are notified as soon as the claim is processed while the claimant has to wait for the HMRC letter days later.

missapril75

Housing_Benefit_Officer wrote: »

All Housing Benefit staff have full access to the DWP ... What the DWP see we can see.

That's an improvement then:)

Local Authorities are connected to a system called ATLAS where all state benefit changes (except Child Benefit) are automatically notified.. so things normally get updated automatically - soon this system will be fully automated.[/QUOTE]
Another improvement then.

Must save a ton of phone calls.

Housing_Benefit_Officer

missapril75 wrote: »

That's an improvement then:)

Local Authorities are connected to a system called ATLAS where all state benefit changes (except Child Benefit) are automatically notified.. so things normally get updated automatically - soon this system will be fully automated.

Another improvement then.

Must save a ton of phone calls.[/QUOTE]

If we get DWP cancellation we can check to see if the ESA/IS/JSA/Pension Credit/Tax Credit has stopped and then we phone the customer to see what their circumstances are.

If we get a new claim we can check the progress of their social security benefit claim.

Double edged sword as less work means fewer staff - gradual automation of the system as things are streamlined for Universal Credit.