instant termination of legacy benefits- no return

Magnoliabloom
Magnoliabloom Online Community Member Posts: 30 Connected
Attended tribunal against HMRC early this month, outcome unknown.  Vulnerable and disabled claimant, pressed submit ( joint claim) universal credit  but did not prove identity (POI). Legacy Tax Credit Award instantly terminated.  UC would have been undesirable so claimant thought UC claim would lapse without POI.   No account taken of vulnerability, no account taken of failure to offer advice before claim.   DWP  say vulnerabilty information is collected but this does not happen before "stop notice" is sent  to HMRC. 
Huge disadvantage to go over to UC by this Natural MIgration (NM). DWP state that in Managed Migration vulnerable claimants will be protected from sudden stop of legacy benefit,  why treat NM claimants in such a detrimental way ?


Comments

  • Adrian_Scope
    Adrian_Scope Posts: 11,720 Online Community Programme Lead
    Hello @Magnoliabloom. It is a shame they don't take vulnerability into account and that the stop notices are sent even before identity appointments take place, meaning there is no way back to legacy benefits for claimants. Please let us know the tribunal outcome if you hear it. :)