New claim or mandatory reconsideration?

tulsamarney

Hello,

I have been receiving LCWRA payments since March and I recently moved in with my partner so we made a joint claim. They have miscalculated my partners savings and so they've closed the claim and said I'm not entitled to anything. We have calculated everything over and over and this is definitely a mistake on their part. We are going to ask for a mandatory reconsideration but on the email I got sent it says the quickest way to see if in eligible again is to make a new claim. If I make a new claim with these details then will I have to be reassessed for LCWRA? I really want to avoid it if possible as it's such a hassle and takes a huge toll. I'm just wondering what the best thing for me to do is. I have to pay rent, council tax, bills, buy food etc and so my money is decreasing constantly. Also, correct me if I'm wrong but I thought payments were made a month in arrears so shouldn't I still receive my normal payment as I've only just started living with him and I was due my payment on the 20th. I'm really panicking and if anyone can give some clarity before I make all these phone calls and go through this hassle, I'd really appreciate it :-)

poppy123456

If you or your partner have capital of more than £16,000 then entitlement to all means tested benefits will end. Capital is any money that either of you have, whether it's at home, in a bank account, ISA and any property that you own but don't live in.

Yes, UC is paid 1 month in arrears but entitlement to UC is based on the last day of your assessment period. If payment was due to 20th of the month this means your assessment periods dates are 14th to 13th of every month. If you moved in with your partner between 14th Sept and 13th October then entitlement to UC on 20th October would have been based on your joint circumstances. UC does not work as part of a month.

Rather than start a new claim I think you should request the Mandatory Reconsideration on the claim that closed.

tulsamarney

Thank you for your reply. It makes it a lot clearer about the arrears payment. I moved in on the 11th October so I just missed the deadline. It's left me with about £50 in my account so I wish I'd have timed that better. His capital does not total more than £16,000, we checked everything and we never would have applied if we didn't think we were eligible. It's such a shock and has left me with no money and he cannot support both of us. I will take your advice and request a mandatory reconsideration as it seems like the man looking over the evidence vastly miscalculated it. He has over £6,000 in savings so I knew we wouldn't be eligible for the highest amount of help but he doesn't have £16,000. It's left me struggling but I am hoping to print out all the evidence and then ring them today/tomorrow.

poppy123456

For every £250 or part thereof over £6,000 there's a £4.35/month deduction in your UC.