According to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), approximately 1,000 people may qualify for this special payment.
The DWP said those who are eligible for the cash were told to claim a different benefit to what they should’ve claimed – which saw them receive less money.
Recently published guidance provides detailed information on who is eligible for this payment and how they can go about making a claim.
If you made a claim for Income Support due to a disability or health condition on or after January 31, 2011, you may be eligible for this special payment.
The DWP mistakenly instructed these claimants to apply for Income Support when they should have been advised to apply for Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) instead.
To be eligible for the payment, you must still be receiving Income Support or have transitioned to income-related ESA or Universal Credit. If you are still receiving Income Support, you will be entitled to the payment if two conditions apply:
You made a claim for Income Support on or after January 31, 2011, due to a disability or health condition,
You were not receiving Incapacity Benefit or Severe Disablement Allowance (SDA) at the time of your Income Support claim.
If you have moved onto income-related ESA or Universal Credit, you will be eligible if the following conditions apply:
You made a claim for Income Support on or after January 31, 2011, due to a disability or health condition
You were not receiving Incapacity Benefit or Severe Disablement Allowance when you made that Income Support claim
You underwent a Work Capability Assessment when transitioning from Income Support to income-related ESA or Universal Credit, which determined that you have “limited capability for work” or “limited capability for work and work-related activity.”
If you meet these criteria, you can make a claim by contacting your local Jobcentre and inquiring about the “Income Support Claims Review exercise.” The Jobcentre will guide you on any additional information you may need to provide to support your application.
The DWP will then compare the amount you were paid on Income Support with what you should have received on income-related ESA. If it is determined that you would have received more on income-related ESA, you will be paid the difference.
The DWP has stated that it is not possible to estimate the average payment amount, as it varies depending on each claimant’s circumstances. However, they have assured that the overall cost of the payouts is expected to be low.
If you received more Income Support than you would have received on income-related ESA, you will not be required to repay the excess amount.
The scheme will be offered “as long as there are applications” and if the DWP has not received applications for six months, it will review it.
A DWP spokesperson told the Mirror: “We have identified an administrative error affecting a small number of Income Support claimants and encourage anyone who thinks they may have been affected to check if they’re eligible for a special payment.”
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