State Pension - please help **Update again**

hec2308

I would be really grateful if someone could help me out with what to do about this. I'm helping my grandmother get on top of her affairs, my grandfather has dementia and she has Power of Attorney. It's still all a bit confusing to her and I was trying to help her complete an R40 form. When I asked her about what my grandfather receives for his State Pension she wasn't sure so I looked at their bank account and couldn't find anything until I got back to June 2013. They haven't been paid their State Pension for over 3 years.

I've been on the phone to them today and they say they sent a letter and did a visit (why???) just to check on them and there was no answer so they have noted my grandfather as dormant/deceased and stopped paying. Number one, this didn't happen. We keep everything they get letter-wise and my grandfather has not been able to leave the house for years and therefore my grandmother is always there caring for him. The only time she gets a break is when someone comes round on Wednesday afternoons to sit with him for a few hours. Number two, what do I do about this??? It's going to take a while to sort out but I want an explanation as to how this could possibly happen. I also want to know if it's been done to other people. We are absolutely incensed at this, my 82 year old grandmother was reduced to tears on the phone by someone who was blaming this on her. She hasn't done anything wrong. What do we do next to take this further?

bigadaj

Doesn't sound good at all.

Contact them and say you want to raise a formal complaint, probably also worth contacting your/ their MP which should push things along.

xylophone

Neither your grandfather nor your grandmother has received a state pension for three years?

In view of your grandfather's condition, was he receiving Attendance Allowance?

Presumably one or both receives a private pension?

Are they paying tax on these pensions?

If so, at least HMRC knows that they are in the land of the living?

DWP should also have been able to check whether death was certified for either party?

Your grandmother never checks her/their bank account?

saver861

This does sound strange. I'm not sure why they would send a letter and follow up visit and then decide to cancel the pension on the basis of being dormant or deceased? Are you saying 'they' have not been paid their pension since 2013 - either of them?

Normally pension would be paid ongoing until they get correspondence notifying of death. There must have been come contact initiated for them to write and/or do a visit.

I understand you may well be incensed by the situation, but you need to try to establish what has happened first, e.g. is it possible that grandmother inadvertently provided them with with incorrect info?

You need to contact them and ask to get through to a senior case handler. I think you will probably find they will actually do all they can to help you out with your situation and, while you may be angry, its not the best approach in these circumstances.

You need to ask them to send you a copy of that letter that the apparently sent as presumably that will give you some information on the source, reasoning etc which will help you unravel this.

xylophone

I've been on the phone to them today and they say they sent a letter and did a visit (why???) just to check on them and there was no answer so they have noted my grandfather as dormant/deceased and stopped paying

I have found this https://www.gov.uk/dwp-visit

I wonder has it anything to do with the OP's situation?

saver861

xylophone wrote: »

I have found this https://www.gov.uk/dwp-visit

I wonder has it anything to do with the OP's situation?

Possibly.

This will be random checking for fraud I'm guessing, though its saying its about national stats. However, OP states that they sent a letter and then visited which she does not believe happened. OP states she neither has the letter and its likely someone was in when they called.

However, even if they did call, it would seem unusual that they then stop paying the pension because nobody answered the door. Surely there would have been one or two follow up letters to inform that the pension was being stopped. If they had not heard from the recipient in a specified time then they would stop the pension ... or maybe suspend it until confirmation of the existence of the recipient.

One letter and one visit just does not seem sufficient to stop a pension.

badmemory

Is it possible that they stopped paying at the same time as the POA was given to DWP? Just wondering if someone there confused it with a grant of probate. Has your grandmother been receiving the inheritable parts of your grandfather's state pension?

Yes they have done this before. There was a thread on here a couple of years ago about one case. Hopefully someone will be able to find it for you.

xylophone

Has your grandmother been receiving the inheritable parts of your grandfather's state pension?

It appears that the OP's grandfather is still alive.

It seems that neither of the grandparents has received any state pension for the past three years.

I suppose that it is possible that the grandfather was in receipt of AA and the DWP decided to make a random visit as detailed in link above?

I seem to recall reading on the Benefits Board ( it was fairly recently, but I cannot find the post) that if a letter from DWP is returned by Royal Mail, benefits can be suspended pending investigation.

This may have happened here.

It is strange that grandmother did not realise that SP was not being paid but it is conceivable that other income is adequate for their needs and she was simply too preoccupied to notice?

greenglide

DWP have been carrying out home visits etc for years as part of their push to persuade people to take up Pension Credit which they are probably entitled to but dont claim.

It is possible that there has been some confusion over addresses or NINOs. Have they moved house some years ago that DWP maybe unaware of? Remember payment direct to a bank account will continue successfully for years with the wrong address until they realise at which point they would suspend payment if they are unable to establish the current address.

Or, of course, this may relate to another person entirely who they have genuinely lost contact with and the suspense has been placed on the wrong NINO? An error like this would normally be noticed immediately when the pensioner complained.

badmemory

Has grandmother's stopped too, I wasn't too sure about that?

saver861

xylophone wrote: »

I seem to recall reading on the Benefits Board ( it was fairly recently, but I cannot find the post) that if a letter from DWP is returned by Royal Mail, benefits can be suspended pending investigation.

This may have happened here.

But there don't seem to have been an investigation. I'm guessing if they looked into it then they would have found both Grandfather and Grandmother were alive and should have been getting their pension.

xylophone wrote: »

It is strange that grandmother did not realise that SP was not being paid but it is conceivable that other income is adequate for their needs and she was simply too preoccupied to notice?

That's why I'm wondering if the Grandmother is slightly confused also.

badmemory wrote: »

Has grandmother's stopped too, I wasn't too sure about that?

The OP did say that 'they' meaning both grandparents I'm guessing, had not received any pension since 2013. It does seem a long time to go without anyone noticing ... presumably they have not gone into overdraft at the bank etc.

As with all of these things, until the OP can come back and clarify some points, its always second guessing from one post. It is likely also that the granddaughter is not near pension age and thus probably less familiar with pensions.