Roundup of recent DWP announcements
Second 2023/24 Cost of Living Payment dates announced
On 20 September the Government announced that millions of UK households will shortly get a Cost of Living Payment of £300. The payment will be made to eligible customers between 31 October and 19 November.
This is the second of three payments over the financial year totalling up to £900. Eligible pensioner households will also receive a further £300 payment later this year as an addition to the Winter Fuel payment.
Eligible tax credits-only customers who do not qualify for a payment from DWP will receive £300 from HMRC between 10 and 19 November.
Customers will receive the payments automatically. They do not need to contact DWP or do anything to receive the payment.
From 20 November, people who have become retrospectively entitled, or think they should have had a Cost of Living Payment but have not received one can report it via GOV.UK. If the person is not able to use the internet or they do not know someone who can help them, they can report a missing payment via their benefit telephony line.
Read more information about the Cost of Living Payments on GOV.UK.
For further information about the government’s cost of living support package, please visit Help for Households on GOV.UK.
Work Capability Assessments – update
Although we continue to prioritise new claims for a Work Capability Assessment, we plan to conduct more Department-led reassessments as we recover capacity post-Covid.
Reassessments help ensure claimants receive appropriate financial support and account for the fact that health conditions and disabilities can change and affect people differently over time. We want to ensure claimants who can work are supported to do so, and reassessments help us do that. If customers who use your services enquire, please advise them to complete their medical questionnaire if applicable and to attend their reassessment. If they don’t, their benefits may be affected.
More information about the Work Capability Assessment can be found at these links: Health conditions, disability and Universal Credit: If you need a Work Capability Assessment and New Style Employment and Support Allowance.
Changes to Sure Start Maternity Grant regulations
Two new Sure Start Maternity Grant (SSMG) regulations came into force on 8 June 2023.
Health Care Professional Certification
Applicants no longer need to have been given health and welfare advice about their pregnancy before accessing support, so the Health Care Professional (HCP) statement has been removed from the SSMG claim form SF100.
DWP still needs confirmation of pregnancy or birth(s). This can be either a completed MAT B1, or written evidence from an HCP, giving the relevant pregnancy and birth information (including claimant’s details, earliest week of confinement and Health Professional and Medical Practice details). This can be sent with the SF100 form.
If applications are made using the old version of the SF100 without a HCP statement, DWP will seek alternative evidence to verify the pregnancy/birth(s).
Afghan and Ukrainian applicants
People with a child or children from before they arrived in the UK can claim an SSMG if either of the following apply:
- They left Afghanistan because of the collapse of the Afghan government which happened on 15 August 2021.
- They were resident in Ukraine immediately before 1 January 2022 and they left because of the Russian invasion which happened on 24 February 2022.
A temporary change to the 6-month time limit for claiming an SSMG has been introduced for these groups of people only. This means that parents or guardians who meet the Afghan or Ukrainian criteria but didn’t apply for an SSMG within 6 months of their baby being born, can now make a claim up to 8 December 2023. The normal time bound rules will apply for applications received outside of this temporary transition period.
Further information about SSMG can be found on GOV.UK.
Pay your pension some attention 2023
The Pension Attention campaign co-led by the Association of British Insurers (ABI) and Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association (PLSA) has launched this week.
The purpose of the Pension Attention campaign is to drive a step change in pensions engagement. This year the campaign aims to go beyond awareness, prompting action and inspiring behaviour change among hard-to reach consumers aged 30 to 55.
The campaign is supported by throwback icon Timmy Mallett, English TV presenter, broadcaster, author and artist, who speaks about his past, present, and… pensions! Watch The Man Behind the Mallet to hear what he had to say: @PensionAttn (X, formerly Twitter) #PensionAttention #PayYourPensionSomeAttention, and website: Pension Attention
Families to save hundreds through £1 billion insulation scheme
More than 300,000 families in England, Scotland and Wales are set to save hundreds of pounds on their bills thanks to new energy efficiency upgrades.
Families in lower council tax bands with less energy-efficient homes will be offered vital upgrades – such as roof, loft or cavity wall insulation – which could cut their annual energy bill by an average of between £300 to £400.
Read the press release
More information on the Great British Insulation Scheme and the customer eligibility checker tool.
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