The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) have revealed that in the region of 1,000 benefit claimants may be eligible for a 'special payment', after they were advised to claim a different benefit to the one they should have claimed - leaving them with less money.
The DWP explained to The Mirror that some 1,000 claimants could be in-turn eligible for the lumper, publishing new guidance on qualifying criteria as well as how to make a claim. Those who are eligible will still be in receipt of Income Support, or have moved onto income-related Employment Support Allowance or Universal Credit.
If you're still receiving Income Support, you'll be entitled to a payment should you have made a claim for benefit on or after January 31, 2011 due to a disability or health condition, and you weren't receiving Incapacity Benefit or Severe Disablement Allowance (DSA) when you made your claim.
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If you've moved over to income-related ESA or Universal Credit meanwhile, you may still be eligible if the following factors apply.
- You made a claim for Income Support on or after January 31, 2011 because of a disability or health condition
- You were not getting Incapacity Benefit or Severe Disablement Allowance when you made that Income Support claim
- You had a Work Capability Assessment when you moved from Income Support to income-related ESA or Universal Credit and you were found to have 'limited capability for work' or 'limited capability for work and work related activity'
If you meet the qualifying criteria, then you can create a claim by getting in touch with your local Jobcentre and enquiring about the 'Income Support Claims Review exercise'. Following this, you'll be told if you need to provide further info to support your claim.
The DWP will then compare what you were paid on Income Support with the sum you should have received on income-related ESA, and if you would have been paid more, you'll get the money you should have had. While the DWP said it isn't possible to estimate an average payment amount that people would receive, they expect the overall cost of pay-outs 'to be low'.
The DWP also was unable to provide an average figure on how much successful claimants can expect to receive, as it will fall on a personal basis due to individual circumstances. Should you have received more Income Support than you would have through income-related ESA, you will not be asked to pay the extra cash back.
The scheme will continue to be offered 'as long as there are applications', and if the DWP has not received any for six months - the process will be reviewed. A DWP spokesperson, said: "We have identified an administrative error affecting a small number of Income Support claimants and encourage anyone who thinks they may have been affected to check if they’re eligible for a special payment."
