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Forum Home  →  Discussion  →  Other benefit issues  →  Thread

Change of Benefits Affecting Cost of Living Support?

LouiseG
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Financial Wellbeing and Welfare Benefits - Livin Housing Ltd, Co. Durham

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With the recent measures announced regarding the Cost of Living/fuel rises support, the qualifier for the £650 grant is payable to households with a means tested benefit in payment as at 25.05.2022 and continue to be entitled. What if claimants switch their claims from legacy benefits to Universal Credit after this date? I am assuming they would still be entitled to the help but cannot find any reference to this.
Any thoughts?

Elliot Kent
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I think its too soon to expect that level of detail. There will need to be legislation and it ought to be clearer then.

The implication however is that the first half of the payment will be released based on a ‘snapshot’ of matters as they stand on 25/05/22 and then the second half will be released based on a second ‘snapshot’ at some future date TBD. Someone in the position you describe would appear on the first ‘snapshot’ as a legacy benefit claimant so would get the first half and would then appear on the second ‘snapshot’ as a UC claimant so would get the second half.

Gareth Morgan
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I’m doing a bit of playing-around with our modelling at the moment.  This is looking at migration in the main but there are clearly some related issues for other help.

Take for example a weekly paid person whose AP including 25th April has 5 weeks pay days, and loses UC for the following AP.  They will not be in receipt of benefit on 25/5/22 so won’t get the £650?

CA Adviser
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Citizens Advice Calderdale, West Yorkshire

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Wonder how it will work with the benefit cap?

Paul_Treloar_AgeUK
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Information and advice resources - Age UK

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CA Adviser - 30 May 2022 08:22 AM

Wonder how it will work with the benefit cap?

We understand that these payments do not count towards the benefit cap.

EJ
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Benefits advice line - Coventry City Council

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Already had a question about the means-tested benefits and “Savings Credit only” .....

LouiseG
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Financial Wellbeing and Welfare Benefits - Livin Housing Ltd, Co. Durham

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Thanks for all the responses, interesting

Mr Jim
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Asylum & Roma Team, Social Work Services, Glasgow City Council

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Doesn’t include households whose only benefit is HB which is unfair as households on UC and only getting the HCE will qualify.

Jim

lost in Granite
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Training and Appeals team, glasgow city council welfare rights

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I have been reading the guidance, How can they issue guidance without legislation? anyway i am confused by a particular paragraph in the guidance , it says

“If you get New Style Employment and Support Allowance or New Style Jobseeker’s Allowance, you will not be entitled to the Cost-of-Living Payment, unless you get Universal Credit or a disability benefit as well.”

Entitlement to UC is okay, that’s a qualifying benefit, but nsJSA and nsESA are contribution based benefits, does this mean persons in receipt of these contribution based benefits and a disability benefit qualify for the appropriate part of the £650. Even if not getting a means tested benefit?

PS
if you could point me in the direction of the legislation that would be most kind.

Ianb
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lost in Granite - 30 May 2022 05:06 PM

..
“If you get New Style Employment and Support Allowance or New Style Jobseeker’s Allowance, you will not be entitled to the Cost-of-Living Payment, unless you get Universal Credit or a disability benefit as well.”

Entitlement to UC is okay, that’s a qualifying benefit, but nsJSA and nsESA are contribution based benefits, does this mean persons in receipt of these contribution based benefits and a disability benefit qualify for the appropriate part of the £650. Even if not getting a means tested benefit?

I read Cost of Living Support to refer to the overall scheme which comprises a number of different payments within the overall scheme and that someone on contribution based ESA and a disability benefit will only get the £150.

As you say, until regulations are laid a number of details remain unclear.

lost in Granite
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The way the guidance is laid out, there are three separate payments

Cost of living support, £650
Additional Disability Support £150
Winter fuel payment. £300

If I re-enter the the original quote and include the very next line in the guidance you can see the first is not concerned with the disability support payment.

“If you get New Style Employment and Support Allowance or New Style Jobseeker’s Allowance, you will not be entitled to the Cost of Living Payment, unless you get Universal Credit or a disability benefit as well.

If you also get a qualifying disability benefit, you may get an additional Disability Cost of Living Payment.”

I/We need the regulations.

Paul_Treloar_AgeUK
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Looks like the guidance has been updated

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/cost-of-living-payment?mc_cid=d8310461d2&mc_eid=407191570c

We’ve also had it confirmed by DWP that both Guarantee and Savings Credit Pension Credit claimants will be eligible for relevant payments which is good.

stevenmcavoy
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I have a client who was on income based jsa on the qualifying date for the first payment but has ended the claim now due to paid work…wont be entitled to uc unless he passes the WCA.

is he going to get the first?  it looks to me like they are taking a snap shot of the situation on the qualifying date and then paying it as a single payment but I assume using the same payment details for the claimant?

Elliot Kent
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stevenmcavoy - 14 July 2022 06:14 PM

I have a client who was on income based jsa on the qualifying date for the first payment but has ended the claim now due to paid work…wont be entitled to uc unless he passes the WCA.

is he going to get the first?  it looks to me like they are taking a snap shot of the situation on the qualifying date and then paying it as a single payment but I assume using the same payment details for the claimant?

Yes. He had “a qualifying entitlement to a social security benefit (in this case, ibJSA) in respect of 25 May 2022 (the first “qualifying day”)” so qualifies for the first payment of £326.

 

stevenmcavoy
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Elliot Kent - 14 July 2022 06:57 PM
stevenmcavoy - 14 July 2022 06:14 PM

I have a client who was on income based jsa on the qualifying date for the first payment but has ended the claim now due to paid work…wont be entitled to uc unless he passes the WCA.

is he going to get the first?  it looks to me like they are taking a snap shot of the situation on the qualifying date and then paying it as a single payment but I assume using the same payment details for the claimant?

Yes. He had “a qualifying entitlement to a social security benefit (in this case, ibJSA) in respect of 25 May 2022 (the first “qualifying day”)” so qualifies for the first payment of £326.

 

much appreciated.