Latest news with #lowIncomeSupport
CBC
a day ago
- Business
- CBC
N.B. legal aid commission to review eligibility criteria in wake of auditor general report
The New Brunswick legal aid commission says it is proud of the service it provides, despite the auditor general's recent finding that some people might not be getting the help they need under eight-year-old eligibility criteria. In the last fiscal year, the Legal Aid Services Commission provided services in family and criminal law to more than 31,000 clients — 4,000 more than in the previous year, said Chantal Landry, the commission executive director. But Landry doesn't disagree with concerns raised by Auditor General Paul Martin about eligibility requirements. "We do recognize that, given the economic realities and the inflation observed in the last few years, it would be appropriate for a review of the financial eligibility grids, and we take no exception to the recommendation made by Mr. Martin on this." Martin reviewed the efficiency and effectiveness of the commission in providing legal aid across the province between April 1, 2023, and Dec. 31, 2024. His report was released earlier this week. Martin commended the commission for a number of things, including the timely processing of applications and the consistent application of financial eligibility criteria. But he found the "lack of timely review of the eligibility grid may contribute to the risk that [the commission] may not be fulfilling its mandate to serve low-income individuals as intended." Landry said an "appropriate analysis" is to be done, but if it determines an increased need for legal aid, the commission needs to be "properly resourced" to meet it. Before the current eligibility grid for legal aid was adopted, eligibility was decided based on a means test that looked at the amount of disposable income an applicant had left at the end of each month. "It was a very convoluted and very, honestly, inequitable system, because for clients who were financially responsible, they typically didn't qualify," Landry said. The income grid used now is based on gross household income. For example, according to the grid posted in 2017, a single-person household making more than $2,600 per month is not eligible for legal aid. Landry said the reason the criteria haven't been reviewed in eight years is that there were other priorities and an increase in clients coming through the door. In Martin's report, he also found no formalized financial appeals process, and people who did appeal were not treated consistently. The audit found that of the 140 appeals, 14 applicants were approved with an income of more than 10 per cent above the threshold, while 15 were denied despite their income being within 10 per cent of the threshold. Landry said that in recent years, the commission looked at accepting people who were just above the eligibility cut-off and appealed being denied aid. "We developed kind of a discretionary standard of accepting a client if their income was within 10 per cent over the top of the grid," said Landry. "So to address the recommendation of Mr. Martin, we've already put in place some directives to staff, and we will further develop processes to provide more transparency for clients who will want to appeal under this guideline." Landry said she understands why there needs to be more process in that particular system, and hopes it will be achieved in the near future. Landry said she was pleased with the positive comments that came out of the auditor general's report, but said there's always room for improvement in any program.
The Sun
15-05-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Three big Universal Credit changes coming this year – how do they affect you?
ANYONE on Universal Credit should be aware of three big changes being made this year. Universal Credit is a monthly benefits payment you can claim if you're on a low income and need help with daily costs. 1 One of the main things to know if you're claiming the benefit is that your payments will be going up - but you might not see this happen until June. Universal Credit claimants will also see their payments made early this month. Plus, you'll need to be aware that if you're currently getting a particular legacy benefit then you'll need to switch to Universal Credit - or risk missing out on payments. Here's everything you need to know about these major changes... Payments increasing Millions of people receiving Universal Credit will start receiving higher payments thanks to a Government boost. The Department for Work and Pensions raised most benefit payments by 1.7% in April. But because Universal Credit is paid based on monthly assessment periods, most people haven't seen the hike until now. If your assessment period began before April 7, your first increased payment would have been on May 13. Anyone whose assessment started after April 7 won't see their payment increase until June. Universal Credit is paid in arrears, so your next payment is always based on your previous month's circumstances. Millions hit by benefit cuts as Rachel Reeves warns 'if you can work, you should work!' in bid to fix 'broken system' Here is a complete breakdown of how much more you could be getting: Universal Credit standard allowance (monthly) Single, under 25: £316.98 (up from £311.68) Single, 25 or over: £400.14 (up from £393.45) Joint claimants both under 25: £497.55 (up from £489.23) Joint claimants, one or both 25+: £628.10 (up from £617.60) Extra amounts for children First child (born before April 6, 2017): £339 (up from £333.33) Child born after April 6, 2017 or subsequent children: £292.81 (up from £287.92) Disabled child (lower rate): £158.76 (up from £156.11) Disabled child (higher rate): £495.87 (up from £487.58) Extra for limited capability for work Limited capability: £158.76 (up from £156.11) Work-related activity: £423.27 (up from £416.19) Carer's element Caring for a severely disabled person at least 35 hours a week: £201.68 (up from £198.31) Work allowance increases Higher work allowance (no housing): £684 (up from £673) Lower work allowance (with housing): £411 (up from £404) Am I entitled to Universal Credit? According to the GOV website, if you're on a low income or need help with your living costs, then you could be entitled to Universal Credit. To claim, you must live in the UK, be aged 18 or over (with some exceptions if you're 15 to 17), be under State Pension age, and have £16,000 or less in money, savings and investments. Other circumstances are if you are out of work, or unable to work, for example because of a health condition. Early payments People on Universal Credit should also look out for early payments this month. This is because the Spring bank holiday falls on Monday, May 26 - when Universal Credit was due to be paid out. Payment dates are usually changed if they are set to fall on bank holidays, Easter or Christmas. It means some claimants will get their payment earlier on Friday, May 23 instead. Benefit payment dates vary depending on when you first applied and when your claim was approved, so not everyone will be affected. Legacy benefits being scrapped Benefit claimants are being urged to keep an eye out for letters from the Government if they currently claim income-related employment and support allowance (ESA). This is because the Government has decided to scrap five "legacy benefits" and transfer them instead to Universal Credit. The process is called "managed migration". The process officially began in July 2022 but it's not due to complete until March 2026. People on four other legacy benefits - tax credits, income support, income-based jobseeker's allowance, and housing benefit - have already been contacted to switch over. Now the Department of Work and Pensions is contacting those receiving ESA. They'll have three months to make the switch - or they face losing their existing benefits. You should keep an eye out for a letter in the post telling you to switch. As of April, 200,000 claimants have successfully transitioned to Universal Credit, leaving approximately 400,000 still to make the switch. Will I be better off on Universal Credit? Around 1.4million will be better off on Universal Credit, the government calculates. A further 300,000 will see no change in payments, while around 900,000 will be worse off under Universal Credit. Of these, around 600,000 are expected to get top-up payments if they move under managed migration, so they don't lose out on cash immediately. The majority of those - around 400,000 - are claiming Employment Support Allowance (ESA). Around 100,000 are on tax credits while fewer than 50,000 each on other legacy benefits are expected to be affected. Examples of those who may be entitled to less on Universal Credit according to the government include: Households getting ESA who and the Severe Disability Premium and Enhanced Disability Premium Households with the lower disabled child addition on legacy benefits Self-employed households who are subject to the Minimum Income Floor after the 12 month grace period has ended In-work households that worked a specific number of hours (eg lone parent working 16 hours claiming Working Tax Credits Households receiving tax credits with savings of more than £6,000 (and up to £16,000) But they could miss out on any future increase to benefits and see payments frozen. Those who move voluntarily and are worse off won't get these top-up payments and could lose cash. Those who miss the deadline and later make a claim may also not get this transitional protection either. The clock starts ticking on the three-month countdown from the date of the first letter, and reminders are sent via post and text message. There is a one-month grace period after this, during which any claim to Universal Credit is backdated and transitional protection can still be awarded. The most recent data from the DWP shows 61,130 individuals have made a claim for UC, and 39,920 awarded transitional protection. Another 40,540 are still in the process of moving to the new benefit. What other changes have been made? The Government also recently made a change to the Help to Save scheme for those on Universal Credit. Help to Save is a savings scheme for people on low incomes who receive either Universal Credit or tax credits. The Government gives you a tax-free 50% bonus on whatever you save. You can save between £1 and £50 into a Help to Save account each month and keep one open for up to four years. Previously you could only open a Help to Save account if you were on Universal Credit and earned £846.56 or more in your last assessment period. Now you can apply if you earned £1 or more in that time.
