WFP and claiming Pension Credit

Harris27

It’s to put you off applying!

Indeed, it is engineered deliberately to deter applicants, as is the sneakily cultivated idea that Pension Credit is charity - that would put off many who are proud to have worked many, many years, have paid their way and are disgusted to be reduced to pleading for a 'charity' handout.
Unlike those who almost make a career out of investigating all benefits available, actively apply for the lot and concoct elaborate fairy stories for the JobCentre about all manner of hurdles which prevent them from working.
But, honest, they really would if they could.......yeah, right!

Do you suppose the MP expense claims form have 243 questions?
I’m delighted to hear from all the posters who are happy for their WFA to go to e.g.
breakfast clubs for children, extra teachers, paying Drs and other public service workers, even towards running the Foreign Office
That’s simply impossible to guarantee. Your willing donation could just as well be going to pay for MP’s heating allowance, expenses, PM’s clothing or subsidised dining in the HoC dining room. The money for that has to come from somewhere.

If all the people who are eligbble for PC applied for it then any saving the government may have made by their mean minded actions would be wiped out. Meantime money is thrown at their paymasters, the unions, who will never be satisfied.

I think that the meter charge should be scrapped, then everyone would pay for the energy they use.
Another thing I would like to stop is, in France certain workers who work for the EDF have their electricity at a cheaper rate, cheaper than my night rate, and it continues even when they are retired.

I think that if pensioners need the WFP, then so does everyone on similar incomes. The cost of having everyone apply for it would be prohibitive so far better to give it to everyone and take it back in tax from higher earners.

Greyisnotmycolour

Siope - I stand corrected but I still find it an astonishing stat. I'm all for benefits being paid to those who need them but paying this to all pensioners is very wasteful. I'm happy for mine to go towards breakfast clubs for children, extra teachers, paying Drs and other public service workers, even towards running the Foreign Office. Those 900,000 pensioners need tracking down, there needs to be a huge national campaign to ensure they get their dues

I agree. I can see that there may be a case for raising the level at which Pension Credit is awarded, but the waste of money paying ALL pensioners WFP is not okay.

Siope - I stand corrected but I still find it an astonishing stat. I'm all for benefits being paid to those who need them but paying this to all pensioners is very wasteful. I'm happy for mine to go towards breakfast clubs for children, extra teachers, paying Drs and other public service workers, even towards running the Foreign Office. Those 900,000 pensioners need tracking down, there needs to be a huge national campaign to ensure they get their dues

Greyisnotmycolour it’s about twice as much, even if the fairly small (£0.1bn) FO capital budget is excluded. £2.2bn on the winter fuel allowance, £1.1bn for the FO in 2023-4.

And the paper form offers help too, including a printed (in various formats) guide to how to answer the questions:

I heard a shocking statistic on The Rest is Politics podcast. Rory Stewart said that while he was a MP, the cost of WFP was three times the Foreign Office annual budget.

On every single page of the online form users are signposted to help if they need it. There is a helpline number, a textphone number, a link to to Relay for those who can’t speak or hear on the phone, and a video relay service for BSL users.

Goodness me. People don't want fraudulent claims but they don't want to answer questions, or too many questions. You can't have it all ways. If you know anyone who is likely to claim and can't cope with the form, offer them a hand or suggest someone/somewhere they can get help. The WFP is less than £1 a day. So many people getting it who don't need it. Those that are entitled to pension credit need to claim it. Get talking about it to raise awareness, apparently there are 900,000 not claiming who should be.

Hang on. At first you were saying that genuine claimants such as your older friends couldn't cope with all the questions, and now you are suggesting paying more to have interviews for claimants so people can't cheat the system?

It’s to put you off applying!

I suggest more face to face interviews. It might cost more in the short term but in the long term could save a fortune as some of these fraudsters are raking in millions.

Primrose53

MissAdventure

Yes, that sounds about right for a form.
They don't just fling money at people, surprisingly.

Even with 243 questions there will be people who can beat the system, including people whose first language is not English.

So what do you suggest?

Another thousand or so questions?

Well, there will always be people like that, but I'd imagine it's not for the faint hearted.
The last huge fiddle I heard about was huge, with huge amounts fraudulently claimed.

MissAdventure

Yes, that sounds about right for a form.
They don't just fling money at people, surprisingly.

Even with 243 questions there will be people who can beat the system, including people whose first language is not English.

74 of the questions are about any children you have living with you. Only a minority of people claiming Pension Credit will have dependent children.

Every form I've ever seen for claiming benefits is like that.

The citizen's advice bureau were helpful
to me, too.

As with all of them, patience is the key.

MissAdventure

Age UK can help with filling in,over the phone.

If you can get thro’ to them. 😉

Age UK can help with filling in,over the phone.

Yes, that sounds about right for a form.
They don't just fling money at people, surprisingly.

keepingquiet

I found out I wasn't eligible in a couple of minutes! Which site are you on?

First of all …..correction it has 243 questions not 143. How I need an Edit button!

Not on a site. I know I wouldn’t be eligible but I have older friends who do not use computers and would have to fill this in.

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6582f7c4ed3c3400133bfc8f/pc1-interactive.pdf

I found out I wasn't eligible in a couple of minutes! Which site are you on?