Welfare rights news and case law

5 January, 2016

Tribunal hearing overpayment appeal not bound by earlier non-entitlement decision; use of money in daughter’s trust fund to pay off claimant’s rent arrears did not transfer ownership of capital to claimant

CIS/327/2015

5 January, 2016

Funds transferred to a deceased’s account prior to death but not credited until after death are not assets of the deceased’s for the purposes of a funeral payment, regardless of the motive of the transfer

CIS/1694/2015

4 January, 2016

Matters such as pain are relevant to assessing whether a claimant can move distances 'to an acceptable standard'

CPIP/2377/2015

4 January, 2016

Claimant can satisfy PIP descriptors if they only apply for part of the day

CPIP/2054/2015

24 December, 2015

Homes of up to 440,000 vulnerable people could be at risk through benefit changes and cuts to social housing rents

Network of more than 100 housing associations calls for exemptions for supported housing schemes

24 December, 2015

Where a claimant suffers from two or more conditions, probability of PIP descriptors applying on more than 50 per cent of days must be calculated

UK/972/2015

24 December, 2015

Claimant not entitled to widowed parent’s allowance because neither she nor deceased spouse were entitled to child benefit immediately before he died

CG/1859/2014

23 December, 2015

Bedroom tax: Claimant not entitled to an additional bedroom for children who live with him at weekends and in school holidays because he was not receiving child benefit for them

CH/2100/2015

23 December, 2015

Work and Pensions Committee to explore possibility of welfare state based on residency and contributions

Converting eligibility for 'welfare as we know it' would see the most serious reform of welfare since 1945, says Committee Chair

23 December, 2015

Bedroom tax is ‘promoting more effective use of housing stock’ says government

Lord Freud responds to DWP evaluation that found that half of tenants affected by the bedroom tax fail to make up the shortfall in their rent

23 December, 2015

Tribunal entitled to find claimant failed to disclose earnings without evidence of DWP telephone record system; several years delay in appeal proceedings did not breach right to a fair hearing under Article 6 ECHR

CG/3549/2014

22 December, 2015

HMRC sets out criteria to identify people at a 'particular disadvantage' who will not be considered for Direct Recovery of Debts

New policy paper confirms that those identified as vulnerable will be given 'alternative support' to help them pay the money they owe.

22 December, 2015

Meaning of a ‘week’ for the purposes of statutory paternity, adoption and shared parental pay

New statutory instrument

22 December, 2015

Uprating of figures for council tax reduction schemes

New statutory instrument

22 December, 2015

National insurance credits and introduction of the new state pension from April 2016

New statutory instrument

21 December, 2015

Work and Pensions Committee expresses concern that day-to-day benefits delivery is being neglected in drives for efficiency and change

Errors and delays can leave vulnerable people in desperate situations, say MPs

21 December, 2015

DWP's approach to universal credit is 'explicitly designed to ensure the service is continuously improved based on user feedback'

Director General of universal credit programme responds to issues raised by Social Security Advisory Committee

21 December, 2015

Overall standard of benefit decision making accuracy in Northern Ireland is 'satisfactory', says Standards Committee

However, Committee finds an unacceptable level of error in relation to overpayments decision making

21 December, 2015

2016/2017 housing benefit administration subsidy arrangements

New DWP guidance