Has anyone got a link to updated HB Reg 2 as DWP circular A21/2005 advises it has changed from 10th November.

The circular states:

"Insertion (ccc) enables the date of any HB claim to be treated as the date on which the applicant first notifies a designated office of the LA (or DWP for a claim linked to IS/Jobseekers Allowance (JSA)/Pension Credit/Incapacity Benefit (IB)), typically by phone, of their intention to make a claim, provided that the claim is received (either at the DWP or LA office) within a month of the date the claim form is issued, or such longer period as is considered reasonable. This irons out anomalies in the date of claim rules which had meant that certain applicants were being treated more favourably resulting in benefit being awarded about a week earlier than in other
cases."

We are in a CMS IS-JSA-Incap telephone claim area and the LA never gets the start date of HB claim right.

"Reg 2" in the context of A21 is an amendment reg - it relates to amendments made to Reg 72 of the GENERAL (i.e. "full / normal") regs.

The amendment reg is found in SI 2005/2894 (*may* be on bailii www.bailii.org). Alternatively, a google search may unearth it (I don't have a copy of the SI to hand).

Beware - discussions on HBinfo have already identified several contentious issues...... (nice of the DWP to make it so straightforward - again). Also, A21 contains a couple of errors, so always double check back with the regs.

Regards

Thu 24-Nov-05 02:48 PM by ken

Summaries and links to the Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit (Miscellaneous Amendments) (No.4) Regulations 2005 (SI.No.2894/2005) and HB/CTB Circular A21/2005 are available from the following rightsnet news stories -

Miscellaneous changes to housing benefit and council tax benefit rules - New statutory instrument

Miscellaneous changes to housing benefit and council tax benefit- New DWP guidance


Direct links to SI.No.2894/2005 and HB/CTB Circular A21/2005 are available here.

Thank you.

regards,

Brad