Client stories

Lucinda is 66 and single, with multiple physical and mental health problems. In October 2022, she made a claim for her State Retirement Pension (SRP) which she would be eligible for from January 2023. In January, her Employment and Support Allowance payment suddenly stopped, but she had not yet received any notification of her entitlement to SRP. Her award of Housing Benefit had also been suspended in January, pending advice on her new entitlement to SRP.

By the time she contacted NBAC in April, Lucinda had still not received her pension. She had been surviving off of her PIP of £28.70 per week, a small occupational pension and borrowing from family, for 3 months. She had started to accumulate rent arrears.

A home visit was arranged. By then, Lucinda had just received notification of her entitlement to SRP, which had been backdated to January 2023. Due to a recent decline in Lucinda’s health, we advised that she may be entitled to PIP daily living activities, as well as her current award.

We established Lucinda’s housing benefit award needed to be reassessed, but noted they were taking into account an incorrect amount of occupational pension. We duly reported the correct amount.

An application for local council tax reduction and notification of a change of circumstances was submitted to safeguard entitlement from January 2023, as no recent decision letters had been received by the client.

Lucinda contacted us again in May 2023 due to letters she had received from the council regarding an overpayment of housing benefit and that the council had already started to recover the weekly rate at £12.75. Lucinda said she was very confused and couldn’t understand the numerous letters she had received.

A home visit was arranged. Our adviser contacted the council on her behalf to get a full explanation of the housing benefit overpayment and to request a reduction in the recovery rate due to unaffordability. She could not get through on the phone. She sent an email to the council chasing up the assessment of the council tax claim and requested a direct response. An application for a £60.00 grant from the Lockleaze Neighbourhood Trust was submitted and awarded.

It was not until a month later, after several repeated requests to the council, that we finally received a response from the council and the request for the overpayment recovery to be reduced was granted.

Lucinda advised she was still paying her full council tax as she had not received any new decision letters following the change of circumstances notification submitted in April 2023.

Our adviser called the council who confirmed that the application was assessed earlier in the year and a decision letter was sent. We requested a duplicate be sent to the client as she had not received this letter. It became clear they had not applied the single occupancy discount she was eligible for. We submitted an online application for the single occupancy discount and requested for this to be backdated to the client’s State Retirement Pension age date.

The application was successful including the backdated request. An arrears payment was calculated and added to her council tax account which resulted in her having to pay less council tax for the rest of the year.

Due to Lucinda’s deteriorating health, another home visit was arranged in November 2023 to complete a PIP change of circumstances application. This was submitted to the DWP along with supporting evidence.

The PIP application was successful with the standard rate daily living awarded, and arrears paid of £1,225.80.

We advised Lucinda she would now be eligible for Pension Credit. We supported her to submit an application, which was successful.

Our advisor was easy to talk to, she was so understanding, friendly and knowledgeable, nothing was too much trouble. She made all the DWP jargon understandable. Her help and assistance has certainly made a huge difference to me “mentally” and financially. The NBAC are invaluable in their expertise, and in explaining the DWP minefield. Their help, understanding and assistance are priceless.