Latest news with #NeilCouling
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
DWP delivers fresh compensation details for 57,000 benefit claimants – from eligibility to payments
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has provided a new update for the tens of thousands of benefit claimants due a compensation payment this year. Around 57,000 people will receive payments, thought to be as large as £5,000, with the department hoping to complete the scheme by August 2025. The payments will be made to many who were receiving certain disability benefits and moved from 'legacy benefits' to universal credit in the years before appropriate transitional protections were introduced. These claimants were found to have lost 'severe disability premiums' (SDP) in the move, with the DWP not doing enough to ensure their incomes were protected. The scheme follows two rulings by the High Court between 2018 and 2019, which found the government failed to ensure the benefit payments of these claimants weren't reduced when they transitioned. In 2020, the DWP made a failed attempt to challenge these rulings at the Court of Appeal. It was found that monthly loss of income in both cases amounted to around £180. Law firm Leigh Day – who brought the cases – estimates that compensation could be worth more than £5,000 per person. In February, DWP's senior responsible owner for universal credit, Neil Couling, confirmed that most eligible claimants would receive compensation before the end of the year. The department has now released even more detail about the scheme, including precise eligibility and payment rates. To be eligible for compensation, a claimant must be receiving (or had previously received) Universal Credit that includes an SDP element or transitional amount, or would have done had it not been eroded. They must then have met one of three more conditions immediately before their move to Universal Credit: They were entitled to an income-based legacy benefit that included an Enhanced Disability Premium They were entitled to an income-based legacy benefit that included the Disability Premium They were entitled to an income-based legacy benefit that included the Disabled Child Premium, or Child Tax Credit that included the Disabled Child Element (non-severely disabled category) There are five possible payment rates, which will be made for each month between the claimant's transition to Universal Credit and when new income protection regulations came in force in February 2024. These back payments will be calculated by giving claimants what they would have been entitled to had the new rules been in place when they transitioned. The monthly rates are: Enhanced Disability Premium, single person – £84 Enhanced Disability Premium, couple claim – £120 Disability Premium, single person – £172 Disability Premium, couple claim – £246 Disabled child – £177 per eligible child When eligible claimants will receive a payment depends on when they moved to Universal Credit, and whether they still do today. Mr Couling outlined three groups of people who can expect a payment at differing times: People due an additional amount of transitional SDP element for 2020 onwards, and who continue to receive universal credit People due an additional amount for the period between 2018 and 2020, and who continue to receive universal credit People due an additional amount relating from 2018 onwards who are no longer receiving universal credit The first group, he says, comprises around 35,000 people who can expect their payments by August 2025, with over 4,000 already paid. This is because they are the 'easiest' to handle, as payments can be made automatically using the digital system. There are 15,000 in the second group, who can expect their payments to begin by the end of March. The later payments are due to them converting from a manual SDP payment to being paid via the universal credit system, making their cases 'slightly more complex.' They should also all be paid by August 2025. However, no deadline is given for the third group of around 7,000 customers. These are people who received an SDP payment either manually or on-system, but have since seen their universal credit claim close. Due to the 'more complex' nature of their cases, 'analysis is ongoing to determine the level of work required to enable payments to be made' to them, Mr Couling says.
The Independent
14-03-2025
- Business
- The Independent
DWP delivers fresh compensation details for 57,000 benefit claimants – from eligibility to payments
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has provided a new update for the tens of thousands of benefit claimants due a compensation payment this year. Around 57,000 people will receive payments, thought to be as large as £5,000, with the department hoping to complete the scheme by August 2025. The payments will be made to many who were receiving certain disability benefits and moved from 'legacy benefits' to universal credit in the years before appropriate transitional protections were introduced. These claimants were found to have lost 'severe disability premiums' (SDP) in the move, with the DWP not doing enough to ensure their incomes were protected. The scheme follows two rulings by the High Court between 2018 and 2019, which found the government failed to ensure the benefit payments of these claimants weren't reduced when they transitioned. In 2020, the DWP made a failed attempt to challenge these rulings at the Court of Appeal. It was found that monthly loss of income in both cases amounted to around £180. Law firm Leigh Day – who brought the cases – estimates that compensation could be worth more than £5,000 per person. In February, DWP's senior responsible owner for universal credit, Neil Couling, confirmed that most eligible claimants would receive compensation before the end of the year. The department has now released even more detail about the scheme, including precise eligibility and payment rates. Eligibility To be eligible for compensation, a claimant must be receiving (or had previously received) Universal Credit that includes an SDP element or transitional amount, or would have done had it not been eroded. They must then have met one of three more conditions immediately before their move to Universal Credit: They were entitled to an income-based legacy benefit that included an Enhanced Disability Premium They were entitled to an income-based legacy benefit that included the Disability Premium They were entitled to an income-based legacy benefit that included the Disabled Child Premium, or Child Tax Credit that included the Disabled Child Element (non-severely disabled category) Payment rates There are five possible payment rates, which will be made for each month between the claimant's transition to Universal Credit and when new income protection regulations came in force in February 2024. These back payments will be calculated by giving claimants what they would have been entitled to had the new rules been in place when they transitioned. The monthly rates are: When will I be paid? When eligible claimants will receive a payment depends on when they moved to Universal Credit, and whether they still do today. Mr Couling outlined three groups of people who can expect a payment at differing times: People due an additional amount of transitional SDP element for 2020 onwards, and who continue to receive universal credit People due an additional amount for the period between 2018 and 2020, and who continue to receive universal credit People due an additional amount relating from 2018 onwards who are no longer receiving universal credit The first group, he says, comprises around 35,000 people who can expect their payments by August 2025, with over 4,000 already paid. This is because they are the 'easiest' to handle, as payments can be made automatically using the digital system. There are 15,000 in the second group, who can expect their payments to begin by the end of March. The later payments are due to them converting from a manual SDP payment to being paid via the universal credit system, making their cases 'slightly more complex.' They should also all be paid by August 2025. However, no deadline is given for the third group of around 7,000 customers. These are people who received an SDP payment either manually or on-system, but have since seen their universal credit claim close. Due to the 'more complex' nature of their cases, 'analysis is ongoing to determine the level of work required to enable payments to be made' to them, Mr Couling says.
The Independent
27-02-2025
- Business
- The Independent
DWP gives update on thousands of benefit claimants set for compensation after court battle
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has given an update following its announcement that tens of thousands of benefit claimants can expect to receive significant compensation in 2025. Following several major court battles, around 57,000 people are set to receive payments averaging around £2,100 each The DWP previously said it was hoping to complete the scheme for all people by August this year. However, Neil Couling, the department's senior responsible owner for universal credit, has now given an update on when exactly different groups can expect their compensation. The payments will be made to many who were receiving certain disability benefits and moved from 'legacy benefits' to universal credit in recent years. These claimants were found to have lost 'severe disability premiums' (SDP) in the move, with the DWP not doing enough to ensure their incomes were protected The scheme follows two rulings by the High Court between 2018 and 2019, which found the government failed to ensure the benefit payments of these claimants weren't reduced when they transitioned. In 2020, the DWP made a failed attempt to challenge these rulings at the Court of Appeal. It was found that monthly loss of income in both cases amounted to around £180. Law firm Leigh Day – who brought the cases – estimates that compensation could worth more than £5,000 per person. Details of the payment scheme were first announced by Mr Couling at the a Work and Pensions Committee session in February. Speaking about the rulings, he said: 'The courts have decided on all of these, and we are now moving to implement the various judgements of the courts in those cases. 'Because the courts decided that the transitional protection we were providing was not large enough, it needed to cover other elements.' The senior civil servant outlined three groups of people who can expect a payment: People due an additional amount of transitional SDP element for 2020 onwards, and who continue to receive universal credit People due an additional amount for the period between 2018 and 2020, and who continue to receive universal credit People due an additional amount relating from 2018 onwards who are no longer receiving universal credit Giving an update later in the month, he said the first group of around 35,000 people can expect their payments by August 2025, with 4,110 already paid. This is because are the 'easiest' to handle, says Mr Couling, as payments can be made automatically using the digital system. There are 15,000 in the second group, who can expect their payments to begin by the end of March. The later payments are due to them converting from a manual SDP payment to being paid via the universal credit system, making their cases 'slightly more complex.' They should also all be paid by August 2025. However, no deadline is given for the third group of around 7,000 customers. These are people who received an SDP payment either manually or on-system, but have since seen their universal credit claim close. Due to the 'more complex' nature of their cases, 'analysis is ongoing to determine the level of work required to enable payments to be made' to them, Mr Couling confims. The compensation scheme was announced earlier this month after the DWP settled a case brought by Leigh Day on behalf of 275 claimants in the high court. Each applicant was awarded between £200 and £3,000 in damages, with the department pledging to address the issue. Leigh Day partner Ryan Bradshaw represented claimants across the past cases. Responding to the new details of the compensation scheme earlier this month, he said: 'It is regrettable that six years since we won our first case regarding the removal of Disability Premiums under Universal Credit the DWP is still making severely disabled people wait for proper compensation. 'The roll out of Universal Credit has been a disaster for many disabled people, who find themselves worse off when transitional protections inevitably end. My most severely disabled clients are generally £2,000 a year worse off now than they were before they claimed Universal Credit and that is without adjusting for inflationary pressure. 'The solution to this is simple, instead of splitting hairs, spinning statistics and delaying progress the DWP should ensure disability premiums are maintained in full for those who qualify for them and that no-one is worse off on Universal Credit either short term or long term.'
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
90,000 ESA benefit claimants left 'on the precipice' by universal credit switch
Nearly 100,000 of the most vulnerable benefit claimants have not yet been transferred to universal credit, leaving them "on the precipice", an anti-poverty charity has warned. On Tuesday, new government figures revealed that 93,000 people on employment and support allowance (ESA) face having their benefits payments cut off because they have not acted on instructions to "migrate" their benefits to the universal credit system. Data from the DWP, as part of an update on the progress being made to migrate "legacy benefit" claimants to universal credit, revealed their applications were still "in progress", meaning they had not followed instructions to start moving their benefit claim from ESA to universal credit. When a benefit claimant receives a migration notice, they usually have three months to transfer their claim to universal credit before their benefits stop altogether. Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) has told Yahoo News the government "must do more" to help these claimants, who cannot work due to a disability or long-term health condition. The government has previously recognised that this group is particularly vulnerable, and told MPs it would provide "enhanced support" for ESA claimants, including checking in with social services and old records if they had not made contact to start the process. Neil Couling, the senior DWP civil servant in charge of universal credit, said the government "will not switch off (ESA claimants') entitlement without attempting further contact". But CPAG's CEO, Alison Garnham, told Yahoo News the numbers indicate that the measures are not going far enough. "Today's DWP statistics show that 93,000 people with a disability or long-term health condition claiming ESA stand on the precipice, having received a migration notice but not yet claimed universal credit," she told Yahoo News. "Given the support needs of this cohort, the DWP must do more to help people to claim universal credit and sustain their award, rather than merely sign-post claimants to use the help to claim phone service," Garnham added. ESA is one of the benefits being migrated this year in the final phase of the government's process. The list includes: People who get employment and support allowance (ESA) People who get ESA with housing benefit People who use braille assistive services to claim their benefits All working tax credit and child tax credit claims will also end on 5 April, the final day of the financial year. It is also expected that income support, income-based jobseekers allowance, and housing benefit for working-age people will also come to an end shortly afterwards. All legacy benefits — benefits that are not universal credit — will end on 31 March 2026. The government has been criticised for the length of time it has taken to roll out the system, with universal credit first being introduced in 2013. However, charities and campaigners have urged the government to slow down the migration process, with CPAG previously warning that the process was "moving at a breakneck pace", which could prove to be "downright dangerous" for people ensconced in the changeover. At the start of the process, more than 20 charities wrote to the government urging it to stop the managed migration, calling it "too dangerous to continue". It said the only way the government should move forward is if it could guarantee nobody's income would be cut off during the cost-of-living crisis. The government also introduced transitional protections in a bid to ensure no one would be worse off moving to universal credit unless their circumstances change. Charity Turn2us has advised claimants to check and compare their universal credit award by using its benefits calculator. A DWP spokesperson told Yahoo News: 'We support millions of people through Universal Credit every year, and it remains a top priority for us to ensure they get the support they are entitled to. 'We provide advanced support for Employment and Support Allowance claimants moving to Universal Credit, are in regular contact with them to encourage them to apply, and will only stop a claim as a last resort.'
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
DWP confirms 57,000 benefit claimants will get compensation after court ruling
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has confirmed that tens of thousands of benefit claimants can expect to receive significant compensation after several major court battles. Around 57,000 people will receive payments, thought to be as large as £5,000, with the department hoping to complete the scheme by August this year. The payments will be made to many who were receiving certain disability benefits and moved from 'legacy benefits' to universal credit in recent years. These claimants were found to have lost 'severe disability premiums' (SDP) in the move, with the DWP not doing enough to ensure their incomes were protected The scheme follows two rulings by the High Court between 2018 and 2019, which found the government failed to ensure the benefit payments of these claimants weren't reduced when they transitioned. In 2020, the DWP made a failed attempt to challenge these rulings at the Court of Appeal. It was found that monthly loss of income in both cases amounted to around £180. Law firm Leigh Day – who brought the cases – estimates that compensation could worth more than £5,000 per person. Details of the payment scheme were confirmed by Neil Couling, the department's senior responsible owner for universal credit. Speaking to the Work and Pensions Committee about the rulings, he said: 'The courts have decided on all of these, and we are now moving to implement the various judgements of the courts in those cases. 'Because the courts decided that the transitional protection we were providing was not large enough, it needed to cover other elements.' The senior civil servant outlined three groups of people who can expect a payment: People due an additional amount of transitional SDP element for 2020 onwards, and who continue to receive universal credit People due an additional amount for the period between 2018 and 2020, and who continue to receive universal credit People due an additional amount relating from 2018 onwards who are no longer receiving universal credit There are around 35,000 people in this first group, who can likely expect their payments first. This is because Mr Couling says their cases will be the 'easiest' to handle as payments can be made automatically using the digital system. There are 15,000 in the second group and 7,000 in the third, all with 'mixed clerical and digital record' which he says the department needs to find a solution to address. The compensation scheme was announced earlier this month after the DWP settled a case brought by Leigh Day on behalf of 275 claimants in the high court. Each applicant was awarded between £200 and £3,000 in damages, with the department pledging to address the issue. One of Leigh Day's clients, Philippa, 39, from Chesterfield, suffers from chronic autoimmune condition fibromyalgia. This causes pain throughout her body, dehydrated discs in her spine, and brain fog. She shared last week how the loss of her DWP payments exacerbated her health issues as she was left unable to afford even the essentials. Philippa said: 'When you're on benefits, you don't feel secure. Every day you wait for the little brown envelope. 'The compensation has meant the difference between being able to access prepared meals which cover my nutritional needs, versus buying the cheapest ready meals which are not nutritionally balanced enough.
