Customer compliance Interview non-attendance

[miles64]

Would like to know the likely scenario if one were to decline a Customer Compliance Interview with the DWP.

Realise that benefit would be suspended and ultimately terminated,but after this would there likely to be any

further action?

[honeybee13]

Hello and welcome to CAG.

 

I expect the guys in the know will be along later. From memory, customer compliance isn't as heavy as it sounds. Have they said why they want to see you? Sometimes it can be to see if you're getting all the benefits you're entitled to.

 

My best, HB

[abc123def]

It depends on the cause of the interview. Often they are random checks to see if you are getting what you are entitled to, sometimes they are just a check to make sure your circumstances haven't changed, and sometimes they are triggered by an allegation by someone (often malicious) or they have discovered something that seems to show something about the claim is inaccurate. Obviously if they have some evidence of something they may decide to take action if an informal appointment is declined. Without knowing the trigger for the interview it would be impossible to guess on the response of declining it.

[miles64]

The only two outcomes I can possibly envisage from a non

Attendance are;

a) Referral to Fraud

b) Notification via correspondence that due to

Failure to attend the interview your benefits have

been terminated.

I believe that after an initial non-attendance one is

given a calendar month to make contact before a

benefits are terminated.

Unclear as to the trigger for the interview.

[abc123def]

They'd have to have just cause to terminate benefits. It is not a legal requirement to attend a compliance interview. However if they have evidence that the claim and it's circumstances are not accurate they may take things further. I would have to say that not attending may well raise concerns/suspicions in and of itself however. The vast majority of people who attend such interviews, provide the evidence or reiterate their circumstances and then the matter is filed and dropped and the claim continues. If all is as it should be, there is nothing to worry about and no reason not to attend.