Income Support Form from a Benefit Integrity Centre- How many more forms?

[Deb T]

I dont quite understand what the problem here is, claimant on DLA, partner is a carer, claim income support/child tax credits etc. Do not claim Mortgage relief (barred for whatever reason it was at the time of the claim some years ago)

 

October, the Atos form arrives re assessment, form filled in and sent back (recorded), nothing heard from since. No medical sought (as yet)

 

Roll forward 2 months and a letter drops through the door from the Benefit Integrity Centre in Ilford (about 100miles from the claimants address) withan Income Support from A2/04/12 .

 

Form states that claimant has been getting income support for some time now and they need make sure they're getting the right amount of money.

 

The enclosed letter from the Integrity Centre was dated 7th December and they want it back by the 20th December, just under two weeks. It is 33 pages long, has questions that were not asked the same or were not on the original form filled out about 6 years ago when the claim was first made, some of the questions seem almost intrusive.

 

Some of the questions require quite accurate information, the claimant is currently not really well enough to answer the questions, some of the paperwork required needs a bank statement obtaining/ share amounts calculating etc. All this within 13 days or the threat of money being stopped? Seems a little unfair.

 

They also want 'where to pay the money into' which they already have the details re accounts/sort codes, so why the need for these details?

 

In part5 it asks ' Do you or your partner have any of the following' and ' You must answer for every item in the list. Tell us about accounts even if they are not in credit. but then go on to give just one line and £ amount for the bank accounts? Does this mean the claimant has to say 'Yes' to the bank accounts and then add how much is in each one credit wise and put the total in the box? If this is the case, the accounts are all but one overdrawn.

 

Also, it asks for saving, there is a running float of around £1k in the account that the DWP payments are put in to, this would not be 'savings' but more of there before it gets used (which it does every month.

 

They also want details of the mortgage but this was before the initial claim was made by some 4 years and no mortgage relief is being claimed (they are disallowed by the rules) so why is this relevant? why do they need to know?

 

any help/advice would be much appreicated, the time limit given for the form (sent on 7th, received on 9th and want it back by 20th) seems a little strict.

[flumps1976]

The BIC is a review team and they review a selection of claims from the 1000's that are in payment.

The A2 is the standard review form which back in te day would be issued for completion ever couple of years :o

The savings part is to be completed for all accounts listed to be declared and for the current balance to be disclosed, at the rear of the form (part 14) is for any further information to be disclosed so a statement can be added about the fact that the balance fluctuates on the one account as that is where benefits is paid and then subsequently used for general living expenses.

With regards to the mortage it is a general question and again a statement can be included in part 14

http://www.nidirect.gov.uk/a2_is_review_from.pdf

[Deb T]

Sorry but can you (or anyone for that matter) clarify re the bank accounts, I don't quite understand what you're saying?

 

I've read that there is no need to list every account (there is no space for more than one account on the form) but rather total the entire amount in them and put that amount in the space provided?

 

So, on the form

http://www.nidirect.gov.uk/a2_is_review_from.pdf

 

Page 8

Bank Accounts – including current accounts No Yes Amount £

Building society accounts – including current accounts No Yes Amount £

 

 

 

 

So do we tot up the bank accounts we have an put in the total altogether in the Amount slot

and the same for the Building Society?

 

At the bottom of page 8 in green it stays that they want proof of savings if they total more than £5500 (fat chance of that) .

[debt4get]

i would fill in one of the accounts where there is space putting in total at the moment then list the others in the other information box including the figures, that way they cannot come back and say you have not disclosed bank accounts that you have

[Deb T]

I'm sure it's the real deal but did read that some '[problem]' forms had been sent out.

 

Freepost Plus RSKR-GSJJ-LLEJ

Jobcentre Plus

Benefit Integrity Centre

Winsford Way

Chelmsford

CM98 1AY

 

Just making sure the above is as it states? On google maps it shows it as being a RM Sorting Office, I guess it's the BIC using this as their mail drop address with their real offices not disclosed due to whatever reason they seem to think is valid.

[antone]

Looks legit. All mail to Jobcentre Plus offices is opened at secure RM facilities and transferred to the actual offices by courier. This is done to protect the JCP staff against mail that goes bang or contains suspicious white powder and the like.

[Deb T]

Looks legit. All mail to Jobcentre Plus offices is opened at secure RM facilities and transferred to the actual offices by courier. This is done to protect the JCP staff against mail that goes bang or contains suspicious white powder and the like.

 

 

I'd read this and although it eventually points to it being 'legit' there were some points raised within the thread that made interesting reading

 

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/ouch/messageboards/NF2322273?thread=7969251

[Deb T]

I've helped do that now, thankyou.

 

One other question (anyone)? is that it asks you list all the relevant benefits you're on.....so you list them, who gets them, amounts paid/accounts paid into....no problem with any of that

 

But then, towards the back of the form a lone question looms under 'Special Circumstances ....

Are You or your partner or anyone else you are claiming income support for Sick - Sick Yes or No and then to tell them about the sickness?

 

What is the above about? They already have all your claims/benefits/amounts/what accounts they're paid into, when paid and much much more........and then they ask the above? Is this A/ A trick question /B a special crircumstance that doesnt need to be filled in given all of the previous plethora of information given or C/ No idea

 

I did try phoning the benefit numbers listed on the form and eventually i did manage to get through but alas the person I spoke to did now have sight of the form, did not have a clue as to what to put and then proceeded to quote stuff about single parents and so on....none of which was asked or is relevant to the claim

[debt4get]

i dont see why it should be A...try not to read to much into it....the forms produced by the dwp seem to me always to be intrusive, but hey they need us to jump through hoops to get any entitlement so it is best just to play their little games....remember it isnt the people who actually work at the coalface that produce this rubbish, it is govt policy....that dictates what is asked

[Deb T]

Stil not sure if the question is relevant, they know the benefits being claimed as they have been declared on thefomr they will know from the benefits being claimed what they are for.

 

Is there an element of Income Support that is for being 'sick' ?

[Deb T]

Thanks for that.

 

I'd still like to know what they mean by 'sick' and if their is an element of payment within the IS that requires declaration as sick

[debt4get]

whether the question is relevant or not, these are the questions...best to answer them, and not worry about whether they are relevant or a catch, they want the information, in order to process your claim....

[Nystagmite]

It was possible before October 2008 to receive income support on the basis of sickness.

 

You may find that a lot of questions don't apply to you.

[antone]

I'd read this and although it eventually points to it being 'legit' there were some points raised within the thread that made interesting reading

 

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/ouch/messageboards/NF2322273?thread=7969251

 

Hmm. There are reasons to worry about scams, but the fact that a mail address doesn't match the street address is not one of them. In my part of the world, for example, all mail to any Jobcentre or BDC is opened at Port Dundas Road, Glasgow or somewhere like that. If you address mail to the street address of the office, it will simply be redirected to the RM facility. As I said, this is normal.

 

If someone is really worried, they could pass the form in to a Jobcentre, where it will be forwarded by internal mail (using the internal mail address, not the "regular" address).

 

Anyone worried about the veracity of a letter from the DWP should, of course, contact the relevant office. Unfortunately, the BIC doesn't make this easy.

[BigGreenForest]

hi, i just did a search for Benefit Inquiry Centre,a dnm this thread came up, i hope it's ok for me to jump in. I'm very scared, i've laready been through hell before where the benefits agencies tried to stich me up fomr something I hadn't done. I swore at the time I'd never go on benefits again, but some serious health problems have been affecting me, and I was advised to pu in for ESA. I did this at the start of this year in January. I suffer from bad panic attacks, memory problems and dperession, amongst other conditions, and getting this letter from the Benefits Integrity Centre has driven me into a terrible state. I don;t know waht it's al about or what i'm suposed to have done wrong. I was hoping somebody might know, becuase I'm dreading being under investigation for a non-existant fraud again, and finding myself with anothe rinterview under caution and whatever else they're throwing at me. It nearly killed me the last time when it became too much for me to cope with.

 

I received a big parcel with: 2 permitted work forms PW1(ESA) 04/10, a reply slip, a short letter that didn;t really explain anything, and a return envelope.

I started my ESA in January of this year sometme. I'm not sure when exactly, as they messed me about, as did my GP issuing a sick note, and it a;; toko until late March to actullay get up and running. They apparently backdated my ESA from March to January to cover the mess.

 

The letter comes saying they are reviewing my entitlement to ESA using information abut weekly income given to HMRC by me, my employer or pension provider. Then it oges on to ask for two work details, with payslips and so on. But it doesn;t make any sense. both employers were just temporary work, and one ran from 17-09-13 to 11-10-13, ending long before my ESA began. The other actually co-inciced with when i was trying to set up my ESA in January-February time. It was a temporary posotion ending on 07-03-14, and I declared it all at the time. I only did it because it was part-time temporary, and had been offered it at a tlime when I wasn;t sure what was going on. I was desperate for some cash, and as the work was easy, i saw it as a chance to test my abilities in my current condition in the least demanding of circumstances. Anyway, it didn;t work out for me. As i said, it was all declared, and they deducted my ESA for the period, which was correct. SO the one job finished long before my ESA even began, and the other was fully declared at the time, including letting them knnow when the end date was.

 

HMRC have me elaving the one job on 18-10-13 on their records (presumably when the p45 was issued, or final pay was sent out?), so that should be there already for the BIC to see. There's no end date at the other employer as I'm still on thier books despite not working there since March.

 

SO what do I do, and what are they trying to do? Am i under investigation for fraud or something? Are they trying to set me up again? The one lot of information is irrelevant as it ends before the claim began, and the other has already been declared. I'm not working for either venue, and have had no apy since. I was previously told never to send in details of anything earned when not claiming, as it's non-declarable and makes a mess of things.

 

i have requested letters from both employers confirming the last days I worked for them, and written a letter to the BIC trying to clarify things. I have big memory issues, so finding where things are is difficult, and even if i did, they'd only misuse the old payslips and try to find a way to claim i was working. I have filled in the two forms as best I can, but i cannot answer questions like how much I am earning, when I am getting paid and things, becuase I'm not.

 

Could somebody please help me with this, what wil happen to me, and what exactly are they trying to do to me? Thank you so much.

 

incidentlaly, in nearly a year on ESA, i have not heard anything from ATOS and am still only on the reduced £71 level. I don;t understand this.

Edited September 7, 2014 by BigGreenForest
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[Fludro]

Hi BigGreenForest, I recall reading an old thread of yours when you were going through your nightmare. I wanted to ask how it all worked out, did they drop the case or take you to court in the end? Hope you don't mind me asking?

[BigGreenForest]

Hi BigGreenForest, I recall reading an old thread of yours when you were going through your nightmare. I wanted to ask how it all worked out, did they drop the case or take you to court in the end? Hope you don't mind me asking?

 

it was awful, but they dropped it in the end. It cos tme most of my savings in solicitors fees as i couldnt deal with it myself, but my solicitor eseintally found out that they were probably acting illegally in the way they were persuing me, with gross distortion of evidence, and attempting to access my bank account beyond the boundaries of when they weere entitled to. When he bought this up, they backed off, as it wouldn;t wash in court on all ccounts. It still me a lot, they said i'd been overpaid a small amount, whch i paid off, even although to this day i'm really not sure if it's right or not, but i couldn;t fight anymore and just wanted it out the way.

 

I cant; afford to go through all this again. If they take back my ESA, it'll bankrupt me. I'm in nopsotion for abig fight again. Once agian as far as I can see, i've done nothing worng, they were very unhelpful when i was getting the ESA going, with confusing behcaviour and not answering questions I had for them. I think they might have made some big mistake on thier computers or soething, and they're trying to pin any mistake they made on me. But the letter i just recieved was too vague.

[Fludro]

it was awful, but they dropped it in the end. It cos tme most of my savings in solicitors fees as i couldnt deal with it myself, but my solicitor eseintally found out that they were probably acting illegally in the way they were persuing me, with gross distortion of evidence, and attempting to access my bank account beyond the boundaries of when they weere entitled to. When he bought this up, they backed off, as it wouldn;t wash in court on all ccounts. It still me a lot, they said i'd been overpaid a small amount, whch i paid off, even although to this day i'm really not sure if it's right or not, but i couldn;t fight anymore and just wanted it out the way.

 

I cant; afford to go through all this again. If they take back my ESA, it'll bankrupt me. I'm in nopsotion for abig fight again. Once agian as far as I can see, i've done nothing worng, they were very unhelpful when i was getting the ESA going, with confusing behcaviour and not answering questions I had for them. I think they might have made some big mistake on thier computers or soething, and they're trying to pin any mistake they made on me. But the letter i just recieved was too vague.

 

Sounds like you went through an absolute nightmare, I recall they really dragged it out and made you quite ill. I'm glad you avoided court though. How much did they say you were overpaid?

[BigGreenForest]

I have found out whats' happened. SOmebody at the Benefits Centre has for some reason wrongly set my ESA claim to be backdated way back into next year. This has major implications for me. Firstly it means will expire earlier than I thught, and secondly, if they want back any money from before that may possibly overlap with a bit of part-time work I did here and there, I could lose some of my existing money if they decide to ask for it to be repaid. Overall, I could lose a lot. I have written them a letter expaining things, and I found a 'ESA ocver letter' from January that proves that was when I made my claim. I am hoping they can reset the start-date and put this right before I end up in serious trouble.