| answer text |
<p>It is a fundamental principle of social security in the United Kingdom that people
need to make a claim for benefits. For those already in receipt of benefits, Parliament
made it clear, though its passage of the Welfare Reform Act 2012, that entitlement
to those benefits would cease as Universal Credit (UC) was implemented.</p><p> </p><p>The
Department provides a range of support to individuals, to assist them during migration
including a dedicated DWP telephone line and signposting to independent support through
the Help to Claim service. Help to Claim is an independent service and is available
to those moving from legacy benefits because of managed migration, voluntary moves,
or a change of circumstances.</p><p> </p><p>The Migration Notice is the key way in
which we initially communicate with legacy benefit claimants to inform them of the
requirement to migrate to UC within 3 months. However, we also provide a reminder
after 7 weeks and at week 10. If claimants haven’t made a claim for UC and after the
3 month period, on a case by case basis, there is a grace period of 1 month within
which a tax credit claimant can make a claim for UC without losing eligibility for
transitional protection.</p><p> </p><p>Terminating benefits is our last resort. If
a claimant does not claim by their extended deadline, they will be notified that their
current benefit(s) will be terminated, unless they have significant support needs
requiring a further extension. For those claimants who require significant support,
we hold case conferences with Advanced Customer Support Senior Leaders who provide
local expertise, working with different organisations to take a multi-agency approach.
Where a claimant’s legacy benefit(s) has been terminated and they make a claim to
UC within one month, their claim can be backdated to their deadline date and still
be awarded Transitional Protection where applicable.</p>
|
|
