Guidance

LA Welfare Direct lite 2/2023

Updated 12 December 2023

Contact

If you have queries about the:

• technical content of this bulletin then contact details are given at the end of each article
• general content and distribution of this bulletin, contact lawelfare.correspondence@dwp.gov.uk

Who should read

All Housing Benefit staff

Action

For information

Update: Increase in benefit cap levels and the impact on local authorities

1. As advised in LAWD1/2023 lite, benefit cap levels are increasing from April 2023.

Impact on local authorities

2. Local authorities (LAs) are not required to try and identify cases that may be affected by the increase in the benefit cap from April 2023.

3. Once the benefit cap is increased, any case that may need to have the benefit cap applied, removed, or reviewed, will be identified by the Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP’s) Benefit cap team. LAs will then be notified of affected cases via ATLAS (Automated Transfer to LA Systems) business as usual processes.

4. LAs will need to ensure that their systems are updated to reflect the increased benefit cap levels from April 2023.

Housing Benefit Award Accuracy Initiative: Capturing Year three end of year performance

5. It is normal at this time of year for LAs to raise questions with DWP about timescales associated with the capture of information on their LA IT systems, to inform and count towards end of year HB Award Accuracy (HBAA) Initiative performance.

6. Therefore, we have provided (see Annex A) the most frequently asked questions and answers to support LAs in the planning of work, as they transition from Year three into Year four.

7. If you have any questions regarding the content of this article, email lawelfare.pdtprm@dwp.gov.uk

HB recovered by the DWP’s Debt Management: Updated Service Level Agreement and enhanced LA query process

8. The Local Authority Partnership, Engagement and Delivery division’s Performance Development Team (PDT) have been undertaking an end-to-end review of the HB debt recovered by DWP’s Debt Management (formally known as Payment Deduction Programme) processes, which started in the Autumn 2018.

Updated Service Level Agreement

9. Through this review, PDT identified the Service Level Agreement (SLA) for LAs was out of date.

10. We have been working closely with Debt Management to update this document and it was agreed by your Practitioners’ Operational Group representatives on 15 January 2023.

11. The updated SLA, which currently covers the financial years ending (FYE) March 2023 and 2024 has been placed on Glasscubes and Debt Management intend to review it yearly from the FYE March 2024.

Enhanced LA query process for individual debts

12. PDT have also identified that the current LA query process with the Debt Centre is not always sufficient for LAs to resolve intricate queries regarding individual debts. We have been working closely with Debt Management to ensure LA queries are suitably resolved for LAs and the current process has been enhanced as follows.

13. For queries regarding individual debts:

• LAs should call the Debt Centre on 0800 916 0647 and advise the Debt Management Agent the nature of their query
• The agent will make every effort to answer the LA query in the first instance
• If the agent is unable to resolve the query, the agent will advise the LA and escalate the query to a dedicated team
• On receipt of the escalation, the dedicated team will contact the LA within 7 days upon receipt to resolve the query
• Once the query has been resolved the escalation route will close for that individual case
• LAs must start at the beginning of the process for any new queries by calling the Debt Centre on the number given above. Important note: Any escalations received directly from LAs will be unanswered

14. This enhanced process is reflected in the updated SLA. Do note that this enhanced escalation process is operational immediately and LAs should follow it for all HB debt recovery queries unless the query relates to the ongoing reconciliation of HB debts.

15. Do note, the following query routes have not changed:

• For queries regarding the HB debt deductions payment schedule and associated total payment or bank details, LAs must continue to email debt.accountingandfinance@dwp.gov.uk

• LAs should contact the Local Authority Security and Support Team by email at lawelfare.lasupport@dwp.gov.uk or telephone 03000 920 103 for any issues regarding:

  • technical or Transfer Your File (TYF) connectivity
  • non-receipt of files
  • uploading or downloading files to and from TYF

Bereavement benefits extended to unmarried cohabiting parents

16. The government has announced that it has extended the eligibility criteria for Bereavement Support Payment and Widowed Parent’s Allowance from 9 February 2023.

17. The benefits are designed to help parents with the financial impact of losing a partner. Previously it was only available to eligible bereaved parents who were married or in a civil partnership.

18. The law change will ensure more children in bereaved families are equally supported, regardless of their parent’s legal relationship status.

19. A special 12-month application window has been opened for bereaved parents with dependent children whose partner died before 9 February 2023.

20. The bereavement benefit and amount they are entitled to will depend on when they lost their partner.

21. LAs are encouraged to share this information as appropriate.

Reminder: Request for a single point of contact for the Payment Deduction Programme full reconciliation exercise

22. During the all-LA call on 28 September 2022, LAs were asked to provide a single point of contact (SPOC) for the Payment Deduction Programme (PDP) full reconciliation exercise. Can those LAs in tranches 5, 6 7 and 8 who have not sent in their SPOC details to do so as soon as possible to caxtonhouse.lapedpdpsupport@dwp.gov.uk. It is important that we get this information to ensure we are sending information to the correct person.

23. If an LA is unsure which tranche they are in, a list is available on Glasscubes (via LA Data Share - Announcements folder - PDP Information - PDP Full Reconciliation information - National Full Reconciliation).

Annex A - Frequently asked questions: Capturing Year three HBAA Initiative end of year performance

Q1: Which data sent from DWP is the last in scope for Year three?

A1: The HB Matching Service (HBMS) files, which also include the ‘risk data’, issued between week commencing 6 February 2023 to week commencing 27 February 2023 are the final referrals in scope to count towards Year three performance. Any HBMS files issued the week commencing 6 March 2023 onwards are in scope for Year four.

Q2: What is the last date for the input of a Full Case Review (FCR) /Self-Employed Earnings Review (SER) / HBMS Intervention Start Date to an LA IT system, to enable it to count towards Year three performance?

A2: For those LAs who participated in HBAA Initiative Year three, the last date for input of an FCR/SER/HBMS Intervention Start Date on their LA IT systems, to count towards Year three performance will be the day prior to an LA taking a copy of their (SHBE) Single Housing Benefit Extract to be submitted to DWP during:

• SHBE week one LAs – week Commencing 27 February 2023
• SHBE week two LAs – week Commencing 6 March 2023
• SHBE week three LAs – week Commencing 13 March 2023
• SHBE week four LAs – week Commencing 20 March 2023

Example: A week one LA takes a copy of their SHBE on Thursday 23 February 2023 to be submitted to DWP on Tuesday 28 February 2023. Therefore, the last date for an Intervention Start Date to be input and recorded on their LA IT system will be on Wednesday 22 February 2023.

Q3: What is the last date for the input of an FCR/SER/HBMS Intervention Completion Date and Outcome to an LA IT system to enable it to count towards Year three performance?

A3: LAs should continue to follow-up and record outcomes for all interventions set up on their IT systems in line with details in Q2 above, to ensure all data is captured and reported for Year three. It should be noted that DWP refreshes its data for 3 months after the March 2023 SHBE returns to ensure all intervention outcome information is captured. Therefore, a SHBE:

• week one LA will have until the day before they take a copy of their SHBE Extract to be submitted week commencing 5 June to complete the intervention and record an outcome to any FCR/SER/HBMS intervention set up on their LA IT system in line with guidance provided in Q2 above

• week two LA will have until the day before they take a copy of their SHBE Extract to be submitted week commencing 12 June to complete the intervention and record an outcome to any FCR/SER/HBMS intervention set up on their LA IT system in line with guidance provided in Q2 above

• week three LA will have until the day before they take a copy of their SHBE Extract to be submitted week commencing 19 June to complete the intervention and record an outcome to any FCR/SER/HBMS intervention set up on their LA IT System in line with guidance provided in Q2 above

• week four LA will have until the day before they take a copy of their SHBE Extract to be submitted week commencing 26 June to complete the intervention and record an outcome to any FCR/SER/HBMS intervention set up on their LA IT System in line with guidance provided in Q2 above

Example: A week one LA takes a copy of their SHBE on Thursday 1 June 2023 to be submitted to DWP on Tuesday 6 June 2023. Therefore, the last date to complete the intervention and record an outcome to be input and recorded on their LA IT system will be on Wednesday 31 May 2023.

Q4: Can an LA locally record intervention activity clerically and then bulk upload information to their LA IT system once interventions are closed?

A4: Although possible, LAs should refrain from clerical recording of FCR/SER/HBMS activity resulting in bulk input of intervention start and end dates and outcomes to LA IT systems. LAs should ensure intervention start and end dates and outcomes are input on LA IT systems on the actual date they begin and end. This will support both more accurate reporting of ‘in month’ activity and the correct apportionment of performance when transitioning from one reporting year to the next.

Q5: What happens if an LA misses the deadlines for recording an Intervention Start Date as stated in Q2?

A5: Any intervention input to an LA IT system outside of the parameter stated in Q2 will be counted towards Year four performance.

Q6: What happens if an LA misses the deadline for recording an intervention completed date and associated outcome outside of the parameter stated in Q3?

A6: Although LAs may have missed the deadline for the completed intervention and outcome to be considered by DWP as counting towards Year three performance, LAs must ensure that all ‘open’ interventions are followed up and the intervention completed dates and outcomes recorded on their LA IT systems. Failure to do so will result in unresolved interventions being held indefinitely on LA IT systems and the inaccurate recording of data that informs HBMS management information analysis by DWP.