Forum Home → Discussion → Universal credit administration → Thread
Care of address and closing UCFS claim to claim IR- ESA in another area
Hello all,
Maybe I am not looking properly but I cannot find any information on Care of Address and benefit claims.
This is the situation: I am advising a circus performer who has become very ill with an as yet undiagnosed condition that has symptoms like severe chromic fatigue syndrome.
She lives in a van (her van she owns) in an private area with other circus performers. They are allowed to use the area but there is no address.
The client has been advised by DWP to claim UC at her parents address 35 miles away (?!). Her friend who lives locally has offered to allow her to use her address as a care of address. In this area, UC is live service so she could claim IR ESA.
What are the rules on using a care of address to claim benefits? We are looking at IR ESA and PIP.
Also - shutting down the UCFS claim and claiming IR ESA instead - would there be any problems with this?
Any thoughts gratefully received.
EKS
And just to make it clear - she would probably be claiming using a care of address for at least 6 months if not more. It is a permanent area in which circus performers stay long term.
Please forgive me for riding piggy-back on this enquiry. We have a similar question.
Our client is homeless and has been placed in emergency accommodation in town A, by the local authority in town B. For security, he uses the address of a friend in town B as a c/o address.
So, which UC criteria apply to him: those which prevail in town A or those of town B?
The DMG at M5061 gives an example which implies (not unexpectedly) that it’s actual residence rather than c/o address which is relevant:
Example
Ross claims UC on 17.8.15 after separating from his partner Sadie, whose award of ESA(IR) included an amount for him. Before the claim is determined, the DM establishes that the address Ross gave is his mother’s home. He does not live there, and has no permanent address, staying with different friends on a temporary basis. Unlike his mother’s address, his friend’s address at the time Ross claimed is not in a digital service area postcode. Ross is told on 25.8.15 that he is not entitled to claim UC. He telephones DWP on 23.9.15 to say he wishes to claim JSA, and the claim form is completed at an interview on 28.9 .15. Ross’s JSA claim is treated as made on 17.8.15.
That said, I suspect there are many scenarios like this where the DM just won’t be in a position do the detective work on someone’s living circs.
If asked, I think DWP might suggest that you list your local JCP office as your c/o address, if you don’t have another suitable address within the area.
Please forgive me for riding piggy-back on this enquiry. We have a similar question.
Our client is homeless and has been placed in emergency accommodation in town A, by the local authority in town B. For security, he uses the address of a friend in town B as a c/o address.
So, which UC criteria apply to him: those which prevail in town A or those of town B?
See recent thread here:
https://www.rightsnet.org.uk/forums/viewthread/11975/
Many thanks Jon.
Update on this in case it helps anyone - the claimant was able to shut down her UCFS claim and claim IR ESA from another legacy benefit area using the JCP as care of address.