Severe Disability Premium

Hello
In trying to get SDP arrears for a client on ESA, we were told today that SDP work has been deemed non-priority for the last six months and that the team of around 100 who usually deal with complex SDP cases has been redeployed to answer the phones (still took almost an hour to get through to someone). The adviser said that they have been told they will go back to their usual roles in a few weeks but the backlog is likely to be enormous.

I am sorry if this is in the wrong area.

I am working from home so I do not have the usual resources to check up.

i am looking for some advice on the following.

An IS10 was completed for SDP couple in October 2018.
In December 2018, one member of the household died.
ESA was in payment for the surviving partner. SDP and EDP was never put in place for him.

A PIP review form was sent out in January 2019, in which he was awarded the enhanced for both components.
He was previously in receipt of Highest rate of both components of DLA.

No IS10 was ever sent out to this claimant.
The claimant has been diagnosed as terminally ill and a benefit check was requested for him in May this year.
That is when we found out about the missing premiums.
We applied to ESA to have the premiums included, and requested a backdate to Dec 2018 when his partner died.
The DWP only backdated to May when we reapplied to have the premiums reinstated.

I am currently completing a mandatory recon of that decision. However the tenant has been given 3 months by the hospital.
Given what I have read on here i am very concerned about the time this may take.

I have started the recon, indicating that the DWP have made the error in not either sending out an IS10 or did not automatically reinstate the premiums when ESA was reinstated.

Any ideas or suggestions would be much appreciated as to whether my approach has merit and any helpful guidance I can add to the recon.

William Sinclair

Just to update.

I called ESA and carried out a mandatory recon over the telephone yesterday.
They have called me this morning and have awarded the SDP backdated to 19/12/20118.