My client was overpaid in 03-04. When her renewal form is processed her 04-05 award will be cut by 25% to recover the overpayment, but - because this recovery won't start till about September - the reduction in payments will be about 40%+. This will cause her hardship & she will need immediate relief.
The Code of Practice on overpayments (COP26) says (page 8)that recovery can be spread over a longer period in cases of hardship, but there is no information about how to claim hardship or how long TCO take to make a decision on a claim.
I have spoken to the Helpline, and to 2 people in different sections of Customer Relations. None of them have any information on what to do. The only suggestion is to ring the number in COP26 - 0151 966 1151. However, in my experience over the last few months this number is always engaged.
Does anyone have any information please? Is there a form to complete to claim hardship? If so, where can it be obtained? Is there an office dealing with claims, and is its address & phone number available?
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