During the last three years, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), incorporating Jobcentre Plus, has changed the way it deals with claims for some benefits.

As a result you may find:

• a long delay in getting paid;
• your claim form or other documents are lost;
• you are asked for the same information more than once.

The benefits most affected, and about which this leaflet is about, are:

• incapacity benefit
• income support
• jobseekers allowance
• carer’s allowance
• bereavement benefits

The following questions and answers will explain how you can deal with some of the most common problems that may arise with your claim.

In most cases you make your claim by calling the tele-claim service on 0845 600 4250.

The tele-claim advisor will arrange a telephone interview during which the information is gathered for your claim.

If you are unable to use the telephone to make your claim, your Jobcentre Plus office should give you a claim form.

You will be sent your completed claim form with a date to attend the Jobcentre Plus office for a work-focused interview, where you hand over your claim form and any documents requested.

If you completed your own claim form, take it to the Jobcentre along with the documents requested on the form. You will be given a date when you should attend for a work-focused interview.

If you are only claiming carer’s allowance or bereavement benefits, you won’t be asked to attend an interview. If you are claiming incapacity benefit, the interview is deferred for eight weeks.

You can apply for a crisis loan (repaid from your benefit) from the social fund if:

• You are over 16 and without sufficient resources to meet you and your family’s immediate short-term needs;
• the loan will help you meet expenses in an emergency or disaster and is the only way you can prevent a serious risk to you or your family’s health and safety;
• the loan does not cause your debt to the social fund to be more than £1000 and you are likely to be able to repay it;

The law excludes certain people from crisis loans, and specifies certain items that cannot be funded by a crisis loan. If you are told this applies to you, ask to see the relevant law and seek advice. You do not need a national insurance number to claim a crisis loan.

You must be given a claim form if you ask for one and you must be given a decision in writing. Do not accept verbal advice that you won’t qualify – it might be wrong. If you are refused a claim form, seek advice and complain to the manager of the Jobcentre.

If you are refused a loan in writing, follow the instructions on the letter to request a review. If the decision is unchanged you can ask for a further review by the Independent Review Service.

Claiming a crisis loan can involve a long wait at the Jobcentre, so go prepared. It’s also a good idea to take a pad and pen and make notes of the advice you are given. You can also request a review straight away if your claim is refused.

If your forms are lost, you will have to claim again and ask for your claim to be backdated. But you should also write to the jobcentre manager to complain. Remember to keep a copy of your letter.

If you have supplied all the information needed for your claim then you can ask the decision-maker for an payment on account (interim payment) of benefit.

If your final entitlement is more than the interim payment you will be paid the difference. If it is less, you will have to repay the difference.

There is no ‘right’ to an interim payment and so you cannot appeal against a decision to refuse an interim payment, although you can ask the decision-maker to reconsider.

If your claim is delayed more than 2 months you might be entitled to compensation.

You must first write to the manager of the office dealing with your claim.

If you are not happy with the reply then you can complain to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, who has the power to insist that errors are put right and to award compensation.

Complaints to the ombudsman can only be made via your local MP and after you have first complained to the benefit office concerned (except in exceptional circumstances).

To find out if the Ombudsman can deal with your complaint call the Ombudsman’s helpline on 0845 015 4033.

There are a few basic rules that can help to prevent these problems or deal with any existing problems:

1. Always keep everything you are sent about any of your benefits. File all the papers away in a ring binder or wallet so you know where they are when you need them;
2. Always photocopy everything you send or give to a benefit office – even original documents such as bank statements or passports. You will need the copies if the originals are lost. If you take a document or claim form to a benefit office ask for a receipt. If you are refused a receipt make a written note. If you post a form or document, get a ‘proof of posting’ slip – it’s free;
3. Always keep written notes of conversations with any member of benefit office staff (including security guards) whether in person or by telephone. Your note should include the date and time, the name of the person you talk to, and a summary of the conversation.
4. Don’t be afraid to complain, and ask your MP to intervene if necessary. If you don’t complain, then nobody knows that things have gone wrong.