Has DWP changed the payment method/frequency?

[alfwithhair]

Does any boby know if there has been a change in the way benefits are paid?

 

Wife used to get IB/IS paid to one account fortnightly and her DLA paid every 4 weeks to another account.

 

Her DLA award was increased from 05/08/2011..

 

today the 18th aug is when she is due her usual IB/IS fortnightly payment, but they have paid the usual IB/IS amount plus 2 weeks DLA at the new award rate.

 

The DLA is not supposed to go into the same account as the IB/IS. This is not the account details put on the re-newal form.

 

I hate ringing them unless absolutely necessary, costs fortune, if you ever get through, but will have to unless you folks have any info about new payment methods

[ErikaPNP]

If her award was increased from 5/8/11, she'd be entitled to DLA from 5/8/11 - 11/8/11 and from 12/8/11 to 18/8/11, to take her up to date. The payment would credit on the 'payment due' date, which is today. Her next payment if she's usually paid monthly, should be on 15/9/11. I could be wrong - but that is what it appears to be to me.

 

It should not be paid into any account other than the one specified on the form.

 

If you need to phone DLA, I normally find 0845 7 123456 is answered relatively quickly. It's open from 7.30 am to 6.30 pm Monday to Friday.

 

You can email them too: [email protected] but I doubt they would answer personalised questions via email as it is thought to be a security issue.

[alfwithhair]

Thanks for the info Erika.

 

I have had a look at this months bank statements and will give you some more details which might help you advise further.

 

The old DLA awards was for LRC. This award ended Thurs 04/08/2011.

The last 4 week payment was made Tues 02/08/2011. However they paid 1 week LRC on Tues 09/08/2011.

These payments were made to the nominated account for DLA.

New DLA award from Fri 05/08/2011 for HRM & LRC

 

Wife's IB/IS is paid fortnightly into a different account on a Thurs. Standard two weeks paid on Thurs 04/08/2011.

Today Thurs 18/08/2011 2 weeks IB/IS & 2 weeks HRM/LRC paid in this account.

 

I under stand what you are saying about being paid up to date. But find it odd they just didn't wait 4 weeks since the last DLA payments and do not understand what the odd 1 week payment is.

 

The two benefits were never paid on the same day ever before. Has always been Tues (4 weeks) for DLA and Thurs (2 weeks) for IB/IS.

 

So if you suspect 15/09/2011 as the next DLA payment, that again is a Thurs IB/IS day.

 

Did try to ring to day but got fed up after the 4th time being in a queue for over 20 mins.

[ErikaPNP]

That is odd, I've not seen a DLA payment worked out that way before, it should follow on, but saying that I normally deal with people who are making new claims or appealing. I rarely deal with renewals. Sorry Alf, but it beats me!

 

I know that sometimes benefits are 'merged' so that it is only one department that issues the payment. But that usually happens for payments within the same business area. They are all DWP but IB and IS fall under Jobcentreplus - so those payments can be merged and issued by either IB or IS as one payment (with both amounts) - they can also be issued as seperate amounts by the different sections. But DLA falls under the Disability and Carers Service, and it's not usual for benefits processed by different business areas to be paid together - though it is certainly possible from what I gather. It sounds like this may be what they are doing and paying it together with the IB/IS into the same account and that they have changed her DLA to fortnightly payments to streamline it.

 

I'm sorry I can't be more precise, truth be known I am guessing on this one. I think that unless someone appears that has more knowledge about this, you might need to keep trying to call them, or send an email and hope they respond. I know jobcentreplus won't provide personalised details in an email response but DCS might - worth a try. It could be that they have changed the way they make payments or it could simply be that I've never come across it and they have been doing it for years.

[alfwithhair]

Ok thanks Erika, I will let you know if I get to the bottom of it

[alfwithhair]

Hi Erika

 

Spoke to DLA dept this morning.

 

They confirmed that the1st - 4 week payment of the new HRM/LRC award of the 05/08/2011 is due to be paid Tues 6th Sept 2011.

Said they haven't made any other payments and have no idea why we were paid 2 weeks DLA with the IB/IS.

 

So still none the wiser.

[ErikaPNP]

Alf, are you sure that it's DLA? Does it show up as that on the statements?

[alfwithhair]

Alf, are you sure that it's DLA? Does it show up as that on the statements?

 

It says on the payment made 18/08/11 Income support, but the amount is more than it should be to the exact amount of 2 weeks HRM?LRC.

 

Will post the letter up later, see if you can make any sense of it.

 

Phoned Gloucester Benefit Centre, couldn't get a word of sense out of them, said it was our IB/IS payment, asked why it was too much and they laughed and said its better than not enough.

Told them it appeared to be over paid by the eqivelant of 2 weeks DLA, they said DLA nothing to do with us ring 123456.

 

So just going round in circles

[flumps1976]

From my old processing days, you used to be able to "combine" DLA and Incapacity Bebenits then at a later date "combine" with Income Support.

[leemack]

When you phone dWP about IB/IS, ask the person to look in the payment screen and check that the amount received corresponds with the amount on the payment screen (if she receives IS + Incap, do it for both). If the amount paid corresponds with the amount on the payment screen then don't worry about it - but you should check how much and when future payments will be.

 

If the payment does not correspond to what's on screen, then put the money aside and write to them explaining the situation - as this may be a BACS error - I've seen a few, and unlike a DWP error which you don't have to pay back under social security law, a bacs error you do.

[ErikaPNP]

Thanks for shedding some light, Leemack.

[dpick]

Hi I get incapacity benefit, pension credit and DLA. IB and pension credit are paid on same day but are two payments into my bank account. Each payment has my NI Number and IB or PC as the description on the payment. Was the same when I got IB and income support just the IS in place of PC on description. DLA same again NI number and DLA as description.

 

dpick