Pension and Pension Credit timing

viv0147

I live alone at 76 years of age and the cost of living has hit hard, I get a pension and savings credit, and I have help with my rent and council tax will I qualify for the winter heating allowance? Thanks

Savvyscotland

My Mum applied for pension credits 11 months ago. She has called about 6/7 times, but gets told every time to wait 10 working days, which she does. But nothing. Now she's very anxious about winter fuel bills. Any advice from anyone? It's really impacting on her mental health and she doesn't want to leave home in case they gets a call and doesn't have the required information on her. 

peteuk

Murphybear said:

There are at least 4 petitions from different organisations asking the government to not axe the winter fuel allowance.  At least 2 of them have already reached the 100,000 signatures which will force Parliament to discuss the issue.  

Does this include the debate and vote they have already had?

Murphybear

peteuk said:

Murphybear said:

There are at least 4 petitions from different organisations asking the government to not axe the winter fuel allowance.  At least 2 of them have already reached the 100,000 signatures which will force Parliament to discuss the issue.  

Does this include the debate and vote they have already had?

Sorry I don’t know the answer to that.  

Murphybear

Savvyscotland said:

My Mum applied for pension credits 11 months ago. She has called about 6/7 times, but gets told every time to wait 10 working days, which she does. But nothing. Now she's very anxious about winter fuel bills. Any advice from anyone? It's really impacting on her mental health and she doesn't want to leave home in case they gets a call and doesn't have the required information on her. 

Contact your MP.  Some MPs are very good and will contact the DWP on your half.  This often spurs them on a bit.  I am hoping when they get flooded with PC applications and MPs chivvying them up they might do something about it.  I have contacted my MP about these issues and he sent me a long reply about how he was concerned about us pensioners and what and his Lib Dem colleagues were trying to do.  I thought they were weasel words

What is really annoying is last time I looked at the Pension Credit info on the government website it said it would take about 2 months to hear from them.  Judging from many have said on MSE that is probably wishful thinking from them.  

Oysterseeker

Savvyscotland said:

My Mum applied for pension credits 11 months ago. She has called about 6/7 times, but gets told every time to wait 10 working days, which she does. But nothing. Now she's very anxious about winter fuel bills. Any advice from anyone? It's really impacting on her mental health and she doesn't want to leave home in case they gets a call and doesn't have the required information on her. 

My Mum applied in May. In August we were told they were still processing applications from March. Still nothing but of course since then with the WFA announcement there will be many more applications. I don't understand why the huge delays are not getting any news coverage. If you apply now presumably successful applicants won't get anything until after this winter, assuming their survival!

Murphybear

Oysterseeker said:

Savvyscotland said:

My Mum applied for pension credits 11 months ago. She has called about 6/7 times, but gets told every time to wait 10 working days, which she does. But nothing. Now she's very anxious about winter fuel bills. Any advice from anyone? It's really impacting on her mental health and she doesn't want to leave home in case they gets a call and doesn't have the required information on her. 

My Mum applied in May. In August we were told they were still processing applications from March. Still nothing but of course since then with the WFA announcement there will be many more applications. I don't understand why the huge delays are not getting any news coverage. If you apply now presumably successful applicants won't get anything until after this winter, assuming their survival!

It took me 13 months to get Pension Credit.  I couldn’t get any sensible reason from them why it took so long.  I’ve sent the details to my MP and the 2 main age charities but don’t think there’s been any publicity about the delays.

 

peteuk

Murphybear said:

Oysterseeker said:

Savvyscotland said:

My Mum applied for pension credits 11 months ago. She has called about 6/7 times, but gets told every time to wait 10 working days, which she does. But nothing. Now she's very anxious about winter fuel bills. Any advice from anyone? It's really impacting on her mental health and she doesn't want to leave home in case they gets a call and doesn't have the required information on her. 

My Mum applied in May. In August we were told they were still processing applications from March. Still nothing but of course since then with the WFA announcement there will be many more applications. I don't understand why the huge delays are not getting any news coverage. If you apply now presumably successful applicants won't get anything until after this winter, assuming their survival!

It took me 13 months to get Pension Credit.  I couldn’t get any sensible reason from them why it took so long.  I’ve sent the details to my MP and the 2 main age charities but don’t think there’s been any publicity about the delays.

 

There has been multiple mentions of the current delay in claiming PC, the government have also noted this and extended the claim period of the winter fuel allowance until April.  Therefore if your application is approved in the new year you can still claim the WFA. 

Alice_Holt

Robbie64 said:

I know this is more of a reply about benefit policy / politics and therefore not what we should be posting about, but I really can't undertand why politicians / media people / journalists aren't making more of a big thing about the delay to dealing with Pension Credit claims. It's a national disgrace.

20 years ago the Pension Service was the most efficient part of the DWP and even employed visiting staff to take PC claims as PC was rolled out. Since then the system has been allowed to fall into the mess it is now.

It will only get worse as the DWP are going to undertake another take-up campaign to encourage people to claim Pension Credit, this time to ensure claimants can access Winter Fuel Payments. A big backlog of outstanding claims will just get bigger.

I know Martin (of MSE) has previously highlighted the problem of lengthy waits for a Pension Credit claim to be assessed but someone at MSE needs to flag it up to him to turn it into a campaign. At least politicians might sit up and take note if he highlights the problem over and over again.

      I completely agree. 

     When I first started volunteering at my local advice charity some 18 years back, the Pension Service (PS) was brilliant - knowledgeable staff, quick to respond, and empathic with our clients.
We attended housing association events to help their tenants with benefit, etc issues and a representative from PS would be present at events for older tenants promoting Pension Credit and helping with applications.

   Now SP & PC seem subsumed into the general DWP chaos, with long waits.

So, for forumites reading this thread - the message has to be apply early (at least 4 months) for both SP and PC. Even applying in late Aug when you turn SPA in Nov may be liable to leave financially short.

Newcad

The DWP has employed 450 extra staff to process pension credit claims.

https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/dwp-failure-winter-fuel-payment-cut-impact-condemned-3329994

Note, you can read that article once but then it will be paywalled.

Of course all these new staff are going to need training, which will take a couple of months at least.