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The problems this could cause aren't worth thinking about - whenever the HB/CTB section gets a notification that a JSA/I.S or Pen Credit claim has been closed, our system will automatically close the HB/CTB claim...I sincerely hope they have a way of identifying the claims they have closed in error...........

Thanks Mike

No problem - I like being the bearer of glad tidings..........

How can computers make errors?
The errors are made by those operating them, and then blame the computer.

The errors are also made by those designing, programming and testing the software

And the authorities who do not correct the mistakes by either getting rid of the faulty systems or getting them fixed. Should your computer be "closing" these cases with the abolition of benefit periods Mike?

Maybe technology has not reached the point where it is capable of administering benefit and tax credits and people should be trained to do it instead. Leave computers to launching space shuttles and running nuclear power stations instead.

It's not a question of should we be closing down claims - entitlement to HB/CTB is dependent on income and savings as we all know. As you rightly said, benefit periods have all but been abolished and therefore if we are notified that a PC claim has been closed it would normally signify that a claimant has died, and therefore we have to close the claim.

We don't just leave it like that though - we are normally notified of a bereavement, and make arrangements to visit the surviving spouse to ensure all relavent benefits are applied for etc. If the client has just started work, we normally send out a new application form, inviting them to make a new claim if their income is low.

Goinmg back to the original cause for this thread, we have started to receive quite a few strange notifications from PS which weare having to cross check against our own records...........

I wasn't having a dig Mike - I didn't mean my first and second sentences to be connected and wasn't suggesting there is anything wrong with your authorities computer system.

What I getting at was that I wasn't sure what you meant by this closing thing, which you say applies to IS as well as PC. One of the difficulties here is the language of HB departments which seems to be used to mean different thing in different authorities. In Salford the term 'closed' would be used for supersessions, revisions and terminations but I recognise that some authorities may well use the term for suspensions. 'Closing' would also trigger automated processes 'creating' overpayments and recovering them. If what you meant is suspension then I think that's okay but I don't think supersession or revision would be possible without getting further info, and you'd need to suspend benefit first to terminate.

I'm a big fan of using the right words to avoid confusion but in practice I've only ever caused confusion with them! Hardly suprising with terms like 'supersession' and 'revision'