Benefits news: page 15
- September 2022
PIP award extension period increased
From 6 September 2022, existing Personal Independence Payment awards waiting for review have their automatic extension period raised from three months to twelve months.
First tax credits Cost of Living instalment paid
The first instalment of the £650 Cost of Living Payment for households on Child Tax Credit or Working Tax Credit was paid in September 2022, with a second instalment due at the end of November.
Impossible choices briefing published
The Money Advice Trust has published a briefing calling on the Government and regulators to uprate benefits, support people in arrears and introduce a social tariff for energy.
Managed migration to Universal Credit begins without full trial
The Trades Union Congress says managed migration to Universal Credit has begun without a full trial or evaluation, in a report calling for the benefit to be replaced.
Scottish Government launches cost of living support website
The Scottish Government launched a dedicated website in September 2022 setting out help available to the public during the cost of living crisis, Consumer Scotland's energy affordability tracker reports.
Welsh Government Fuel Support Scheme 2022-23 launches with wider eligibility
The Welsh Government's Fuel Support Scheme opened on 26 September 2022 with wider eligibility, part of £1.6 billion of support, as its own paper set out fuel poverty and debt pressures in Wales.
- August 2022
Government announces Warm Home Discount eligibility changes removing disabled people
The government announced in August 2022 that disabled people claiming only disability benefits, without an income-replacement benefit, would lose Warm Home Discount eligibility from November 2022.
- July 2022
Adult Disability Payment extended to the whole of Scotland
Adult Disability Payment, Scotland's replacement for Personal Independence Payment, opened to new applicants across all of Scotland on 29 August 2022 after a phased rollout from March 2022.
Pilot expands to seven further council areas
Adult Disability Payment, Scotland's replacement for Personal Independence Payment and Disability Living Allowance for adults, expanded its pilot to seven further council areas on 25 July 2022.
Regulation 6A inserted restricting claims for housing benefit, income support or a tax credit
Regulations laid before Parliament in July 2022 inserted regulation 6A into the Universal Credit (Transitional Provisions) Regulations 2014, barring most new claims for housing benefit, income support and tax credits.
First £326 cost of living payments begin
The first £326 cost of living support payments were issued from 14 July 2022 to households receiving Universal Credit, Pension Credit, income-related ESA, income-based JSA and Income Support.
First cost of living payment instalment transferred from 14 July 2022
The first instalment of the £650 cost of living payment for low-income households began transferring on 14 July 2022, with a second payment due in the autumn.
NAO report confirms DWP machine learning trial for Universal Credit fraud detection
The National Audit Office report on the DWP's 2021-22 accounts confirms a machine learning trial to detect fraud in Universal Credit claims, with payments potentially stopped before they are made.
Warm Home Discount (England and Wales) Regulations 2022 come into force
The Warm Home Discount (England and Wales) Regulations 2022 came into force on 7 July 2022, continuing the fuel poverty rebate scheme in England and Wales and setting a £150 prescribed rebate.
Secretary of State confirms managed migration will resume without amendment to draft regulations
Therese Coffey has confirmed Universal Credit managed migration will resume without changes to draft regulations, with the move from legacy benefits to be completed by 2024.
First UK Government Cost of Living Payment made
The UK Government made the first Cost of Living Payment of £326 in July 2022 to people on means tested benefits owing to low income, with a second payment of £324 following in November 2022.
First means-tested Cost of Living Payment of £326 made
The first instalment of the 2022 means-tested Cost of Living Payment, £326, was paid in July 2022 to households entitled to a qualifying benefit in a six-week qualifying window.
Fit notes can be issued by more healthcare professionals
From 1 July 2022 fit notes supporting a New Style Employment and Support Allowance claim can be issued by a wider range of healthcare professionals, not only a GP or hospital doctor.
- June 2022
Case transfers from Personal Independence Payment to Adult Disability Payment began
People in Scotland receiving Personal Independence Payment began to have their awards transferred to Adult Disability Payment from 13 June 2022, as part of the phased replacement of the UK benefit.
- May 2022
Chancellor announces cost of living payments for benefit claimants
The Chancellor announced a £15 billion cost of living support package on 26 May 2022, including a one-off £650 payment to more than eight million low-income households on means-tested benefits.
BEIS consultation opened on expanding Warm Home Discount in Scotland
BEIS has opened a consultation on expanding the Warm Home Discount in Scotland to 50,000 more households, raising it from £140 to £150 and extending it to 2026.
Universal Credit managed migration restarts
Managed migration to Universal Credit restarted on 9 May 2022 after a pause, beginning with pilots in Medway and Bolton before expanding to further areas later in the year.
Guidance updated with rates effective from 11 April 2022
The Department for Work and Pensions has updated its Pension Credit technical guidance with the latest benefit rates, effective from 11 April 2022, in a change recorded on 6 May 2022.
Chancellor stated benefits would be uprated by September's CPI
In May 2022 the Chancellor said working-age benefits would be uprated by that September's CPI, a commitment later examined against proposals to raise some benefits by earnings instead.
DWP deploys machine learning model for UC advances
The Department for Work and Pensions began using a machine learning model in May 2022 to flag potentially fraudulent claims for Universal Credit advances, according to the National Audit Office.
Government announces substantial cost of living support package
The government added a substantial package of cost of living support in May 2022, including targeted payments through the benefits system and covering people on legacy benefits.
SSAC publishes formal reference report on Universal Credit managed migration regulations
The Social Security Advisory Committee has published a formal reference report on the Universal Credit managed migration regulations, making 11 recommendations on oversight and governance to safeguard claimants.
Work and Pensions Select Committee holds one-off session on UC Managed Migration
The Work and Pensions Select Committee held a one-off session in May 2022 on Universal Credit managed migration, raising concerns about the three-month migration notice period.
- April 2022
DWP stops fuel deductions from benefits
The Department for Work and Pensions stopped taking deductions from benefits for ongoing fuel consumption on 26 April 2022, with an exception where a claimant requests one.
Guidance updated with rates effective from 11 April 2022
Government guidance on the new State Pension and New Style Employment and Support Allowance was updated with benefit rates effective from 11 April 2022, part of the annual uprating of benefit amounts.