So Sad

[maggiebee]

This story brought tears to my eyes. The uncaring face of politics.

https://www.eveningtelegraph.co.uk/fp/ewan-gurr-tragic-joy-81-took-her-life-after-dwp-pension-freeze-left-her-with-5-to-survive/?fbclid=IwAR1xEijxYzLki5kZqp7wtJoHmpGMc-43jfL9TmDOVqvncPbJn2hfHeLKzE8

[Spicerack]

It's a very strange case. Unless I've read it wrong, Joy got a £5,000 'windfall'. That should make a minimal difference to one's pension credit (possibly £4.00pw) and, of course, no difference to the state pension.
I'm only vaguely remembering stuff from filling in a pension claim form for a friend several years ago.
Be interesting to hear what our DWP/exDWP members think.

[Rockrose]

It sounds like a complete error, that had she highlighted could have been rectified straight away. What a shame she didn’t feel she could confide in her children.
Nothing to do with politics or god!

[hereIam]

Why on earth did she alert the DWP because she received an inheritance ? Surely she didn't have to do this ? Poor, dear lady. I hope she's at peace.

[Spicerack]

Of course people have to report 'windfalls'.
I wonder did Joy's problems start because she didn't report it and had her PC suspended. And everything went fubar from there.

[Ken4155]

I may be wrong but i don't believe you would have to report a 'windfall' of just £5,000. Isn't the sum somewhere around the £12k mark?

[hereIam]

Well my brother and I inherited from my parents and it was a lot more than £5,000. We didn't 'report' it and we didn't know we had to !

[Spicerack]

Well, you do if you're receiving benefits, hereIam, for obvious reasons.
I don't know the limits either, ken. £3,000 and £16,000 stick in my mind. That's why I thought our DWP workers thoughts would be welcome.

[hereIam]

Ah! We're not on benefits.

[THECORBYLOON]

For Pension Credit (PC) there is no limit on capital but ANY capital over £10,000 is treated as what's called tariff income.

For each £500 (or part of £500) £1 is deducted from the weekly entitlement. That means if the savings are £10,501, £2 is deducted from the weekly amount.

A claimant receiving any income-related benefit normally has to tell the office paying their benefit straight away if their capital increases above a certain amount and then the DWP can give a decision on their entitlement.

A PC claimant who is over 75 and on an open-ended assessed income period does not need to report an increase in capital unless household circumstances change, such as moving to a care-home.

[Prudie]

This is very tragic but has absolutely nothing to do with politics, who is in power or anything else in government you want to blame. This will have been an error by an admin worker and perhaps their lower end/middle manager, an everyday person like many of us.