Need to speak to a human being at DWP...

Board_Room

Hi,

I am writing on behalf of a disabled friend who has been trying to contact DWP by phone without success. He only has his mobile and due to low income he prefers to use the freephone numbers.

He has tried several freephone numbers but ends up in a loop of menus that are of no help or take him back to where he started.

Any suggestions or have alternative numbers?

Is it possible to contact them via email?

Thanks for your time.

B R

elsien

There are contact numbers for DWP but they differ depending which benefit he is asking about and whether he already has a claim or is looking to start a new one.
For ESA or UC he should be prepared for a minimum hold time of 45 minutes to get through. That is my experience when I have been supporting people to phone. Only tried to call PIP once and that was nearly an hour.

If he is on UC then they prefer people to use the online system.
Which benefit is he asking about?

poppy12345

The free phone numbers are the only numbers you should use. DWP have a lot of different numbers, depending on which benefits you're claiming.



I rang ESA Income Related last week and was on hold for almost 1 hour and this was 8am.

NedS

Number for UC is: 0800 328 5644
Number for legacy benefits (JSA/ESA/IS): 0800 169 0310

There are sometimes long waits to get through, and at other times you'll get through straight away.

You can always call into a jobcentre to talk to someone face to face.

[Deleted User]

Board_Room wrote: »

Hi,

I am writing on behalf of a disabled friend who has been trying to contact DWP by phone without success. He only has his mobile and due to low income he prefers to use the freephone numbers.

He has tried several freephone numbers but ends up in a loop of menus that are of no help or take him back to where he started.

Any suggestions or have alternative numbers?

Is it possible to contact them via email?

Thanks for your time.

B R

If you post what exactly it's in regards to then people would be able to assist better.

Robbie64

It's best to phone the DWP at 8am or soon after though, as poppy12345 posted above, even then you can sometimes still be waiting a while for someone to answer. But you are more likely to get through quicker at that time of day. That said a Monday morning is often more hectic and regardless of the time of day it can involve being on hold for a considerable time.

Board_Room

Thank you all for responding so quickly.
My disabled friend had been on ESA but is now on UC. He had to retire early on health grounds due to rheumatoid arthritis and a heart condition.
It seems that he has been poorly or incorrectly advised.
Several months ago he became legible to receive his pension and also draw a lump sum.
As he had lived on the charity and generosity of friends and family for some time, he wanted to repay the loans he received to those who had helped him. The lump sum allowed him to do this.
It is my understanding that he would be allowed to have so much in savings and in his bank account before it would affect his benefits. I’m not clear what the limits are.
He used all of the lump sum to repay all the loans as well as replace some household things that were faulty e.g TV, cooker, microwave, fridge, cooling fans, new clothes etc.
My friend couldn’t understand why his ESA suddenly stopped.
It is no surprise to me that as soon as he received the lump sum he exceeded the allowable limits.
My friend was under the impression that as he had spent the lump sum entirely by repaying loans and buying essential items and has no savings he was under the threshold and that he would still receive ESA.
I think my friend has misunderstood and/or was badly advised.
Unfortunately, my friend isn’t the most organised of people ie paperwork lost or in disarray.
He needs to find out when the pension lump sum was paid and when his monthly pension started and the date the ESA was stopped. Hence the need to contact DWP.
He wants to appeal the cessation of the ESA and reclaim anything that he may be entitled to.
Sorry this is so long winded.
Thanks for your time and any advice.
B R

pmlindyloo

Board_Room wrote: »

Thank you all for responding so quickly.
My disabled friend had been on ESA but is now on UC. He had to retire early on health grounds due to rheumatoid arthritis and a heart condition.
It seems that he has been poorly or incorrectly advised.
Several months ago he became legible to receive his pension and also draw a lump sum.
As he had lived on the charity and generosity of friends and family for some time, he wanted to repay the loans he received to those who had helped him. The lump sum allowed him to do this.
It is my understanding that he would be allowed to have so much in savings and in his bank account before it would affect his benefits. I’m not clear what the limits are.
He used all of the lump sum to repay all the loans as well as replace some household things that were faulty e.g TV, cooker, microwave, fridge, cooling fans, new clothes etc.
My friend couldn’t understand why his ESA suddenly stopped.
It is no surprise to me that as soon as he received the lump sum he exceeded the allowable limits.
My friend was under the impression that as he had spent the lump sum entirely by repaying loans and buying essential items and has no savings he was under the threshold and that he would still receive ESA.
I think my friend has misunderstood and/or was badly advised.
Unfortunately, my friend isn’t the most organised of people ie paperwork lost or in disarray.
He needs to find out when the pension lump sum was paid and when his monthly pension started and the date the ESA was stopped. Hence the need to contact DWP.
He wants to appeal the cessation of the ESA and reclaim anything that he may be entitled to.
Sorry this is so long winded.
Thanks for your time and any advice.
B R

There are two possible reasons why his Universal Credit has stopped.

1. His pension income is more than his Universal Credit award (does he know how much his pension is? Can he look on his bank statement?) Does he claim housing costs? What is the total amount he receives for Universal Credit?

2. His capital was over £16000 and a decision was made to treat this as notional capital (i.e he still has it)

Has your friend got an online Universal Credit account? Can you help him access it and see if there is any information about what has happened?

Come back when you have the answers and we may be able to help further.

elsien

I read it that his ESA was stopped but he has since started a UC claim. It is the earlier ESA he is now enquiring about.
OP, can you confirm which is correct?

Board_Room

elsien wrote: »

I read it that his ESA was stopped but he has since started a UC claim. It is the earlier ESA he is now enquiring about.
OP, can you confirm which is correct?

Thanks for replying. He had been on ESA. When ESA stopped he had no income at all. Didnt have money for food, rent, bills etc so arrears began to accrue on all of them.

He is now receiving UC but due to his monthly pension the UC has been reduced. Now he doesnt have enough to cover rent, bills and food.

Talk about punishing those who did the right thing. Worked hard for decades, got a good pension then had to retire early.

Seems he would be better off if he hadnt bothered with the pension!

Sorry rant over.

B R

Alice_Holt

I suggest he gathers all his relevant paperwork and visits his local advice agency / CAB for a face to face appointment on this complicated situation. Because there is a huge demand for help and CAB's etc are volunteer based, he will need to be patient, persistent, organised, and willing to help himself.

Appeals are time limited, so if he wishes to launch an ESA appeal - he needs to do it asap.
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/sick-or-disabled-people-and-carers/employment-and-support-allowance/while-youre-getting-esa/challenging-an-esa-decision/

How much was the lump sum?
https://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en/articles/how-do-savings-and-lump-sum-pay-outs-affect-benefits

Was he on Contribution-based or Income-based ESA?

Is he in receipt of PIP?
If not would he be eligible?
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/sick-or-disabled-people-and-carers/pip/

Is he getting Council Tax support?

Does he need debt advice, Is his inability to cover daily expenses due to debt repayments?
https://www.stepchange.org/

UC is an income related benefit and will top up his income to a minimum amount. He won't be worse off because of his pension.

Have you looked at his UC journal with him?
Is he getting all the relevant additions - for instance is he getting the housing costs addition?
https://www.turn2us.org.uk/Benefit-guides/Universal-Credit/Additional-Elements-of-Universal-Credit
What UC group is he in?

Rather than speak to a call-handler / gatekeeper at the DWP, I suggest he urgently wants to get accredited advice on his situation, i.e -
a) Can he appeal the ESA decision;
b) Is he getting the correct amount of UC;
c) Could he claim PIP - is he maximising his income:
d) Does he need debt advice;
e) Is he eligible for social water / fuel tariffs etc.

The best help you can give him is to get him to an advice agency with all relevant paperwork, and a clear explanation of events, etc.