Income support been stopped

[kandl81]

Hi all, im a newbie on this site so please be gentle...
Ill try not to make this too long winded but please bear with me
Ok, my partner has severe RA and gets middle rate care DLA. I get CA and we claim income support as a couple (im the main claimant as i claim it as a carer)
We have also got 3 kids age 10, 5 and 3.
Yesterday, i got a letter saying that our income support is going to be stopped! Typical of DWP to send a letter like that and it arrives at the weekend when all JCP offices are closed so you cant ring them to find out whats happened!!
Anyway, it wasnt an official "we are writing to tell you that youre benefits are going to be stopped" kind of letter. It was a letter about deductions from our benefits. It says
From 20th June 2012, we will stop taking money off your income support for water/general rates.
This is because you NO LONGER GET INCOME SUPPORT.

First i heard about that!
My partners DLA ihasnt ended infact hes just been awarded it it for another 2 years so i know my CA is still in payment (weve had no letters to state otherwiseso it cant be anything to do with that) and im not a lone parent whose youngest child is 5 so they cant have moved me onto JSA.
In between me getting this letter and coming on this forum, i discovered that another few people have had the same letter. someone said it was something to do with income support changing its name?? im kinda glad that its not just me whose got this letter but nobody knows whats happening for sure.
can anyone shed any light on this please?
tia x

[Stepheninleeds]

Well, yes, well, what? As far as I know you can still claim Income Support because you are the carer for your partner & he gets at least the Middle Rate Care of DLA. All benefits are changing to the Universal Credit, but not right now, it is going to take years & is not due to start yet. Income Support has not stopped. I would call them first, see what they say as to the reason.

You should have a letter saying Income Support is going to stop & why. Now, as you have not received this I am going to make an assumption. That for whatever reason, perhaps a computer reason as they love to use them, your Income Support is not stopping. Now, do not assume this is the case. That the letter you got is wrong & as ever it is based on one fact alone, & not related to your Income Support, but an error. I get them all the time saying because of changes I have reported (WHich I have not) my Income Support will change for this reason or that, but it does not change at all.

If after you call you are not happy with the explanation then get back to us. I would probably then advise seeking help from someone like the CAB. From what you have said, you should be able to claim IS. If they say there is a reason then when we know that we might be able to advise better.

[kandl81]

Thanks for your reply.
My partner and I have talked at length about this and think its some kind of error on the DWPs part.
It seems as though theres a pattern emerging as the other people ive spoken to who have the same letter, have all been told, like me, that their yorkshire water rates will no longer be deducted. So it may be that yorkshire water no longer agree to taking direct payment from benfits???
we will find out for sure tomorrow when we ring DWP for an explanation...
Im not too worried as it was not an official "your benefits are going to stop" letter and with a few people getting them, i know its not just us, and i know that we certainly have not done anything wrong
someone else said that its because they are reviewing DLA. Thought that was next year???

[kandl81]

Thanks for your reply.
My partner and I have talked at length about this and think its some kind of error on the DWPs part.
It seems as though theres a pattern emerging as the other people ive spoken to who have the same letter, have all been told, like me, that their yorkshire water rates will no longer be deducted. So it may be that yorkshire water no longer agree to taking direct payment from benfits???
we will find out for sure tomorrow when we ring DWP for an explanation...
Im not too worried as it was not an official "your benefits are going to stop" letter and with a few people getting them, i know its not just us, and i know that we certainly have not done anything wrong
someone else said that its because they are reviewing DLA. Thought that was next year???

[gabopentin]

I recently got a letter telling me that my wife's IS would be changing because we had told them our daughter was living with us from 12/190/2011. This was in March 2012. When I phoned they told me it was a 'training session' for a 'trainee clerk' who had changed the details on the claim and the computer had automatically generated the letter because the 'trainer' had not changed the details back. Using a 'live' claim for training? Computer IQ zero. DWP operator probably less than zero.

[kandl81]

LOL, that sound about right. zero IQ, i agree!
what gets me is that usually, if you get a letter saying your benefits have stopped, they have already stopped before you get the letter. However, the letter i (and other folk) got yesterday says in theory that it will stop on 20th june (thats when deductions will stop)
im sure its a computer or clerk error due to so many ppl getting the same letter plus when talking about deductions, it doesnt say anything about my social fund loan deductions and having to pay them back myself
um...strange

[kandl81]

LOL, that sound about right. zero IQ, i agree!
what gets me is that usually, if you get a letter saying your benefits have stopped, they have already stopped before you get the letter. However, the letter i (and other folk) got yesterday says in theory that it will stop on 20th june (thats when deductions will stop)
im sure its a computer or clerk error due to so many ppl getting the same letter plus when talking about deductions, it doesnt say anything about my social fund loan deductions and having to pay them back myself
um...strange

[kandl81]

sorry for duplicate posts by the way
when i try to submit a reply, it tells me to wait 30 seconds and try again when actually, it has let me submit the first time hence duplicate posts
oops...

[kandl81]

sorry for duplicate posts by the way
when i try to submit a reply, it tells me to wait 30 seconds and try again when actually, it has let me submit the first time hence duplicate posts
oops...its done it again!

[kandl81]

sorry for duplicate posts by the way
when i try to submit a reply, it tells me to wait 30 seconds and try again when actually, it has let me submit the first time hence duplicate posts
oops...