Please help if you can!

[tartan_queen]

I re-claimed ESA (IR) in October after going below the £16k after receiving an inheritance October 2012. Due to the DWP debt recovery dept taking months to confirm my dad did not owe them any money and the inheritance in effect being frozen I did not come off ESA straight away. I was told not to by the debt dept. All very confusing to me with my mental health causing lack of concentration and therefore affecting my understanding of 'complex' issues at times.

 

I re-claimed mid October and I have still not got a decision. I have sent all the information they have requested so far, bank statements mainly, and still I am being told 'it is still with the decision maker'. I have even broke down in tears on the phone without realising that I was talking to some kind of 'call handling centre'. It must be more interesting for them than working in double glazing, fitted kitchen call handling!

 

I have rang several times over the last week and yesterday I said 'I mean no disrespect to you, but can I please speak to someone who is trained in the rules and regulations of the DWP' only to be told, yet again ' we will get someone to call you back either by 5pm today or between 9 am - 1 pm tomorrow'. I have had many 'call-backs' now to be told 'It is still with the decision maker'!

 

What do I do? Things appear to be going from bad to worse. I had re-applied for HB and been sent my award letter and checked my HA were receiving payments and all was well only to get a very abrupt young man ring me from the HB dept last week and inform me ' We have suspended your HB due to not having enough information' I had taken in all the information they had asked for and been given the award. It appears, although I may be confused here. that the HB are querying some information received from the DWP! I have now received a letter from HB informing me that a housing officer will be calling to see me at home and requires evidence of my current assets and if I had made any major purchases between 1st May and 30th June 2013 ( I did not) but have made several major purchases for which I have receipts that no-one has asked for yet!

 

So the main questions I have are -

 

1. How long does it take for a decision maker to make a decision?

 

2. What happens if a decision is not made before I run out of funds?

 

3. Why is a housing officer visiting me 'at home' when I have always taken any information into them before?

 

4. Is there any way I can speed up both the HB dept and the DWP dealing with this?

 

 

I am scared and I knew this was not going to be easy. I had to fill in a work capability form 2 weeks ago and my CPN helped greatly with this. It feels like I am drowning now in paperwork much of which I do not understand. I have bank statements everywhere due to being asked for different dates and having to send originals to both the DWP and take in to HB. I am paying almost £7 each time I am posting to the DWP. I dare not think what all the phone calls to different numbers I have had to make to get all the information requested must be. I have a letter for a £348 overpayment from the DWP which they sent almost by return of post when I re-claimed. I have not set up my water DD or my fuel DD and have cancelled what DD's I can for fear of not lasting with my money.

 

Before I got the inheritance everything was sorted and in place and running smoothly and I felt secure. Now everything is falling into chaos and I am falling to pieces mentally. I never wanted the inheritance, but I could not do anything about it. I knew this was going to threaten my security. After living on the streets several years ago at the age of 49 through mental health issues and with a physical disability and being abused on the streets. I had to fight with all I had left to regain my security and safety through some of the most horrible experiences. It is my top priority the need to feel 'secure' and the nightmares that wake me at night are all around not having a home and sufficient funds to live.I am taking ever increasing sleep meds to get a few hours sleep. I am so very tired and my ability to fight is all but gone now. I am terrified that I this will trigger another psychotic episode. I cannot explain this to the DWP because they really do not care, do they?

 

I have posed before and have been helped here on this forum so much. All major purchases I made are detailed in past posts. I had tried to get clarity on just what was allowed, but no clarity from the DWP. I was in contact with my MP and I have all correspondence from him and his attempts to gain clarity from the DWP and also his belief of what was reasonable to spend. I have followed all advice to the letter.

 

Sorry if this is not clear and if you want to ask for more info please do. I am trying not to get emotional about all of this, but I am failing.

 

Thank you

Edited December 24, 2013 by tartan_queen

[kirkbyinfurnesslad]

Just to clear up one thing

 

You don't pay a bedroom tax. No such thinh g

[Invalidation]

Just to clear up one thing

 

You don't pay a bedroom tax. No such thinh g

 

Oh dear Pedantics at Christmas.

I bet youre a ball of fun

[kirkbyinfurnesslad]

Well you have to be factual.....

[BRIGADIER2JCS]

Well you have to be factual.....

 

Indeed so, there is no 'bedroom' tax.

[tartan_queen]

Just to clear up one thing

 

You don't pay a bedroom tax. No such thinh g

 

 

You need to grow up mate. The terminology I used is what is used and accepted by most, but if you wish to give it its correct title and expand further on why that title was translated into being known as the 'bedroom tax by the majority of people'. I am sure someone may be interested. Not me, however, because I have much more serious issues to deal with!

[Mr.P]

So the main questions I have are -

 

1. How long does it take for a decision maker to make a decision?

 

2. What happens if a decision is not made before I run out of funds?

 

3. Why is a housing officer visiting me 'at home' when I have always taken any information into them before?

 

4. Is there any way I can speed up both the HB dept and the DWP dealing with this?

 

I'll try to answer your questions best I can.

 

1. A DM could take a few weeks, or in extreme cases, six months - Probably not the answer you wanted, sorry.
   
2. If you run out of funds before a decision is made, the first port of call would be the local council - Resubmit a claim for HB/CT on the basis of nil income and zero savings.
   
3. A housing officer may be paying you a visit to clear up a few minor details and to see if there is any other help that could be offered. The visit could be a sign that the council is trying to speed things up.
   
4. Short of paying a visit to the person dealing with your claim and sitting on their desk until it has been processed, not a lot - You could try contacting your local MP and see if he/she can bring any pressure to bear on the DWP. The wheels of government can appear to turn slowly (if at all) - I'm currently in dispute over a valuation of stocks & shares and it probably won't be resolved until I pay them a visit with a soggy kipper in hand.
   

[antone]

It contributes nothing to the OP's thread or questions to make politically-based complaints about their terminology. No more sidetracks please - we all know what was intended.

[tartan_queen]

Thanks Mr.P. I received a phone call from my local job centre + at approx 11 am to tell me yet again there is not decision made yet I calmly explained the circumstances. He then replied' You will hear the 1 st week in the New Year. I said 'fine, thank you' and that was that again. I will wait now to see if I do receive a decision the. If not I will be calling on my MP to help them along once more. Last year when he was involved he had a senior officer on the phone to me within the hour and she spent some time going through what would possibly be deprivation and what would possibly be not, not committing anything in writing and contributing only a little more understanding of what would happen if they considered at the end that I had not spent the money correctly!

 

I doubt this will take 6 months. All the evidence to make the decision is there, they simply have not asked for it all. They have also asked for things out of sequence. If I could go into a office somewhere with all my paperwork and my workings out and receipts and spread them on a large table and the decision maker could see and ask questions face-to-face, it would be so much simpler than this phoning and then them writing, then you sending, then them writing for more info. Then phone calls and them answering and on and on.

 

Without a doubt they should now be paying me ESA, if there is to be any deductions due to deprivation that would be a small part of it and I would appeal if they said I had deprivation.

 

Thanks so much for your answer it means much on Christmas Eve that someone answered intelligently and helped instead of trying to 'put me down' by the terminology I used. Have a Happy Christmas. I will come back and write up what is happening through to the resolution because it may help someone else in the future.

 

Take care x