How housing benefit works will have you facepalming into next week
Here’s someone called Pam Thompson who took to Twitter to share her exasperation at the benefits system which did this to her disabled brother.
So my disabled brother was underpaid in his benefits to the tune of £15,000, they've paid him back, acknowledging it's their mistake, but now they've stopped his housing benefit, because he's got £15,000 in his bank. How the fuck does that work then???
— Pam Thompson (@Exfostercarer) January 20, 2019
And it was shared thousands of times because people just couldn’t believe the system could operate like this. Although, in the current environment, nothing should surprise us.
It shouldn’t work like that. I thought a backpayment of benefits should be ignored when benefits are calculated @leehealey_ or @turn2us_org @entitledto can say if I’m right
— Paul Lewis (@paullewismoney) January 21, 2019
His local council have made a mistake. Arrears/backpayments of benefits are excluded when calculating housing benefit. They do not count as savings or capital for benefit purposes. The law is clear on this. He must appeal their decision.
— Debz (@BubsandJacks) January 20, 2019
Didn't you have to loan him £15,235 in lots of small cash amounts, you wrote it all down in a notebook (using different pens for each loan amount) and now he has to pay you back.
— Socialist Dog #GTTO (@Antony_Wright) January 20, 2019
I think this may be the legislation about disregarding arrears payments of benefits:https://t.co/adeN2MPhqW
— Nataliebee #PCPEU (@shopinitis) January 20, 2019
This article will help. If the arrears are due to certain circumstances, anything over £5000 is discounted for up to a year or the life of the claim. Good on you for finding this!
— Althea Phillips️ (@gmbswansea) January 21, 2019
As a parent of a disabled child I know how exhausting it is to have to constantly fight for every. little. thing. This is unlawful and must be overturned. Solidarity darling ✊❤
— Red Izzy ✊ (@IrenaArts) January 21, 2019
So it’s human error rather than the system, it would appear, although there’s not very much humane about the system.
She later posted an update
Just tried to speak to housing benefits but they won’t speak to me, so have asked they send out an explanation of why the benefit was stopped to my brother and we’ll take it from there. Until we know why there’s not much we can do.
— Pam Thompson (@Exfostercarer) January 21, 2019