Could you please explain how having a DLA award will protect people from bailiffs and debt collection agencies if you owe people money? Does having a DLA award somehow wipe away debts? I'm just thinking - I have a DLA award (HRM & MRC) and also have a mortgage. Is there any way that that debt can be cleared? I've never heard anything like it. If you owe money, you have a responsibility to repay it in full. Using an excuse that you receive DLA certainly would wash with me if I was knocking on your door or trying to sieze your goods.

Ummm yes - a most delightful chappie that failed at most things. His CV is a pack of lies, his military career (all 6 years of it) was lacklustre - general dogsbody with the intention of avoiding being shot at!. Would I employ the guy? No way, for the main reason that he failed at so many things that he had to invent where he went to university, pretended to have a management qualification (failed to even turn up for tutorials and never qualified at anything!) He tried to become an award winning author - but failed miserably, his political career went downhill, that is until he spotted something that he could make a mark at - cutting one of the biggest costs that any government faces - Welfare - oh what a lovely boy you are!!

I thought that that was already the case in some parts of the country! I sometimes wonder where some people live given their total lack of social skills and good manners - maybe they do live in the deepest of woods or in underground shelters as it is quite clear that some parts of our cities are over run with ferral humans at night.

I've just noticed this thread. What's on offer? A course, totally free of charge, to learn the basics of tiling, plastering and bricklaying! I think mosy guys would jump at the chance to improve on their DIY skills especially with these three skills especially when the government are paying for it. Being proficient in all three would cut the cost of building your own home by at least 50%. If I could, I would be the first in the queue.

That is what I should be getting if and when the Pension Service make the award of approx. £180 a week including housing costs of £69 to which I am entitled to. Up to now they owe that figure as from the 29th March 2013, £720 and counting. By the time I have finished, the debt should be in the region of £1800 and they would have taken from the 13th March 2013 until mid June to sort it out. So far they have had three letters to which I haven't received a reply - so that now warrants a formal complaint. The MI12 is being held back by me from the bank to see how long they take to get in touch with me to say that the bank hasn't returned it. That should keep them busy for the next 12 months. Obviously that will result in another formal complaint - intolerable delay in awarding housing costs!

Let's put it this way, they are fully aware of me but using my true name.

All I am doing is exactly what they did to me in 2010. What would you do if say the DWP shafted you for well in excess of £10,500 of benefit that you were entitled to? Take it on the chin and walk away? Or would you fight back in the only way possible?

Selfish??? Where were you when I made my first claim in Sept 09, the first payment was made on the 20th January 2010, without housing costs? I made a total of 42 telephone/letter contacts with the Pension Service between September 2009 and August 2010. I received just one written reply and no return telephone call! When they by the time they closed the claim down in February 2011, I had never received a penny in housing costs and had no GPC from August 2010. And you call me selfish! Now that the tables have turned, and they have decided to get their act together with this new claim, I am supposed to jump when they say 'Jump'. Be advised there is no need to contact the Pension Service - they know full well what I am about - I wrote and told them that I will use every excuse and regulation to make their life as difficult as I can. Maybe that is why I have a 'Specialist Decision Maker' dealing with this claim?

Of course the money would come in handy. But I put into place a contingency fund that will see me through the next few months. To be honest whilst the claim was submitted in early March, I am fully aware that my actual entitlement cannot start until the 28th March due to other income coming in up to that date that takes me over the 'Appropriate Amount'. All that the Pension Service can do is treat my claim as 'defective' and close it. It would have no bearing on a new claim with a request that it be backdated up to 3 months. Do I particularly care what the DWP/Pension Service have to cope with? No, not at all, that is their problem. The more of their time that I waste the better I will feel and in a way feel compensated for the shambles that they created back in 2010 with that claim. No I agree, the Pension Service for a change are actually 'pushing' to get my claim into payment. Totally different than it was back in 2009/2010 when I used to hear nothing for months on end. No as I have already said, nothing can change the stress that I suffered at the hands of the Pension Service in the past. Do I just cow down to them now because THEY want to deal with it faster than they previously did? However, it does give me some level of satisfaction that I am causing THEM for a change, disruption and annoyance and no doubt playing havoc with their targets. As I have said previously, I intend to string them along for as far as I can take them - money isn't everything, the feeling of taking control over the way they deal with my current claim gives a far better feeling of satisfaction.

There must be something wrong with the Pension Service. My first claim was put in in Sept 09 first payment Jan 10, suspended in Aug 10 and terminated in March 11. Why? all because they had the wrong figures from one of my pension providers. I then got a job and gave up with them - didn't need them anymore. Made a claim 12th March 2013 and they requested evidence on the 9th April 2013. Wow, must be a record!! Anyhow They are the ones that are now pushing to get the award out (£118 a week due + Housing costs of £69 a week). So the tables have been turned. I'm making life very difficult for them for a change - evidence one bit every couple of weeks, 'misunderstanding what they want'. ignoring their 'urgent' (so they say to my wife) telephone calls, cancelling at home visits for 'medical reasons'. I've gone from 'Customer Services' looking at the claim to a 'Specialist Decision Maker' whatever that is when it is at home. They have now put me on a 30 day time limit to co-operate - runs out 9th May 2013. Telephoned today and told the guy who answered the phone that that isn't enough time to get it all together - 'don't worry' he said 'I'll get them to extend the deadline - I do this all day long for people'. Told him that if they do shut me down, a new claim will be in the post within 24 hours with a request to backdate to 1st March!! Hoping to string them along for as long as it took them to sort out my first claim -3 months!!

Having just had a look at the ESA3 myself (in the Support Group - Contribution based), the form actually asks about your health condition etc. It gives the impression that the DWP have the right to re-assess your entitlement to ESA if you are simply applying for a 'top up' of Income based ESA. Is this true? I'm wondering if Pension Credit would be more applicable as a 'top up' instead of ESA -- it will avoid another ESA50 & ATOS re-assessment if you are over the age of Pension Credit eligibility. For those that are, I am aware that you cannot cancel a contribution based claim (ESA of JSA) to claim a means tested benefit on it's own. There are deprivation rules that come into play if you do.

What is the problem with people asking and for others being honest and saying that you are? The normal questions I get are "how do you manage now that you don't work - I'll bet it is a shock to the system?" I tell them straight that I am on benefits which taking everything into account gives me a similar income as I used to get when I was working. Some ask, and I tell them - "in total about £650 a week - why do you think I retired at 60!" That soon shuts them up!! Personally I don't care what others think or say or even how they treat me. I've grown a thick skin in my employment which now serves me well. One thing that irritates people is when I comment that I don't get out of bed before 9am anymore and plan my day to suit myself and my wife. I really would like to see the first guy to try to make any comment that I consider is out of order.

My thoughts precisely. It is no good just throwing your toys out of the pram because you think that the DWP/provider is being unfair or unreasonable, you have to follow protocol. The claimant should have taken advice at the earliest opportunity and dealt with matters in a more business manner - letters not conversations. You should always bear in mind when dealing with the DWP or it's agents 'what could they do, 'what might they do' and 'what will they do' You should protect yourself at every step. I have had the DWP in the past try to use terminology used by me in a letter I sent them against me when they attempted to close down one of my benefit claims. It was simply a play on words and the words put together could be viewed in two different ways. Be very very careful when dealing with these people or their agents!!

What a sad turn of events but fully understandable. In the eyes of the law the OP is the only one that has been found guilty of fraud. The other two have a 'clean record'. In my opinion you can't change that, guilt was admitted and the others pleaded not guilty. Given that scenario any future civil action (rent arrears) will go ahead and as nothing has been 'proved' (there is a difference between 'proved' and voluntary admission of guilt' that there was a crime committed it would succeed on the higher rent figure. I can, like the other poster liken it to a case of benefit fraud, where the CPS & the police took the case instead of the DWP and the claimant just admitted anything and everything (without taking legal representation), was sent to prison for 1 month with the remaining 5 months suspended and ordered to repay all of the benefit obtained. The case when the DWP demanded their money back was appealed against and with representation the Tribunal agreed that due to the circumstances involved no order for recovery was made - the claimant & his representative proved that no offence actually took place! It still doesn't change the fact that he pleaded guilty in the criminal trial and he was punished - in other words he was punished for something that he did but that it wasn't illegal! He was punished for saying it was to the police and the court!! Always have proper legal representation and never admit guilt and never ever point an authority in the direction of a fraud that you actually took part in. The LA would probably have never been the wiser if the poster had kept quiet and walked away. He only has himself to blame and his conscience got the better of him or was it a case of the poster trying to get one over on the LL and came unstuck?

Good luck but remember the LA will want the info direct from the Pension Service themselves. In my experience the letter you have will not be accepted as proof.

That sounds like the norm for the Pension Service. I had Guaranteed Pension Credit from October 2009 until August 2010. I appealed against the loss of it. In doing so I received a whole wad of papers from the Pension Service that they sent to the Tribunal (with a copy for me) I lost the appeal, but that isn't the point. In those submissions the Pension Service stated, quite correctly those dates that I was awarded it (Oct 09 - Aug 10). However the LA had been told by the Pension Service that my award was from April 2010 until August 2010. I refused to pay the Council Tax for the period October 2009 to April 2010 (28 weeks) as it was covered by the Pension Credit award. The LA now have a Magistrates Court Order to pay it and last week I had a visit from a bailiff!! The LA fully accept what was in that document that I was awarded it, but refuse to allow Council Tax Benefit to be given to me for that 28 week period until the Pension Service sort the thing out. They have been 'sorting it out with the LA for over 6 months now and still no one from the Pension Service will speak to the LA. I am having to pay over £700 in Council Tax plus bailiff costs and court costs because the Pension Service gave duff info to the LA back in 2010 and I am not even liable to pay it!! The LA are very sympathetic and say that based on the legal documents sent by the Pension Service to the Tribunal and my award letter dated October 2009 I shouldn't have to pay it, BUT, their hands are tied.

Less bureaucratic????? The Pension Service are the worst agency under the DWP banner. They are very dogmatic, and you can never get anybody to telephone you. They seem to be having a purge at the moment with claims that may not be 100% complete. They are giving 1 month to supply all evidence etc. I am aware of one claim that was closed down because the evidence had to come from a third party. The claim was closed dead on the 31 day limit - From when they received the written claim through the post to when it was closed was 6 weeks!! They say to make another claim.

For some reason if there is going to be a breakdown in communications between the DWP and a local authority you can guarantee that the Pension Service are involved in it somewhere. Get the council to tell you what they have been told and by whom.