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Forum Home  →  Discussion  →  Universal credit administration  →  Thread

New claim in the Digital Service area - European national with child - 3 weeks for an identity interview!

JPCHC
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Cardinal Hume Centre - Welfare Rights

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My client has just moved into private rented accommodation in Sutton so suddenly finds herself having to claim UC (currently on IS and CTC but can’t claim HB).  It’s all new to me so I feel completely out of my depth.

We helped her to make the claim online on 16th June and she called Universal Credit herself on 17th June to book an Identity Verification interview at the Jobcentre.  The earliest appointment they offered her was 5th July so she’s worried about how this will affect her payments.  I also wondered when/how they usually schedule HRT interviews and whether that’s also going to slow things down for her.

If the claim is not complete until she’s verified her ID, when does her assessment period begin? If she has to wait nearly 3 weeks to verify her identity, do you know how this will impact the timings of her first payment?

She’s just signed a tenancy with a landlord who doesn’t usually let to anyone on benefits so she’s really stressed out.

I’d be very grateful for your wisdom…

Thanks

hkrishna
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Welfare rights worker - CPAG in Scotland, Glasgow

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Date of claim should be date assessment period starts - no waiting days as getting IS in month before claim. Payment would not usually be expected until 7 days after end of first assessment period (ie 22 July). As such verification should be done way before that. HRT a bit of an unknown with UC but don’t see why it should be any different than for other MTBs and given that she has been getting IS up until now ... if struggling up until first payment then should ask for advance (http://www.cpag.org.uk/content/universal-credit-advances).

JPCHC
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Cardinal Hume Centre - Welfare Rights

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Thank you very much.  With the UC advance, presumably shell have the same issues with a STBA for MBA (refused where no decision on HRT)?

hkrishna
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Welfare rights worker - CPAG in Scotland, Glasgow

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Indeed - see also http://www.cpag.org.uk/stba

JPCHC
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Cardinal Hume Centre - Welfare Rights

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My client went to her identity interview on 5th July where she thought she had her HRT but it’s now been scheduled for 22nd July - 5 weeks after her date of claim and then however long it’s going to take for an HRT decision so still no option of even getting an advance…

Is there anything I can do to speed it up for her? 

LITRG
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Low Incomes Tax Reform Group

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You mentioned in your original post the client was getting CTC - we are interested in the process between DWP and HMRC. At what point was the CTC claim stopped?

Victoria

JPCHC
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Cardinal Hume Centre - Welfare Rights

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Hi Victoria,

I’m still trying to get to grips with it myself.  The client’s UC claim was made on 16th June.  Her claim was open until 18th July when they decided she failed the HRT - despite HMCTS allowing her Income Support appeal on basis of permanent residence a month before!

During the 4 weeks her UC claim was open she continued to receive weekly Child Tax Credit payments.  When we spoke to HMRC (TCO Intermediary line) about it they didn’t seem to know exactly how it worked either - just that DWP would write to them in due course.

 

Paul_Treloar_AgeUK
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Information and advice resources - Age UK

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Have you sent a copy of the recent tribunal decision re: PRR to DWP? Once you have acquired PRR, you only lose it if you are absent from UK for more than 2 years (Migrants Handbook p.175 7th edition).

So unless DWP has indicated they are appealing against tribunal decision, she shouldn’t need to go through any interview to “prove” she has right to reside, as it’s already been established, regardless of whether it was in respect of another benefit claim.