New claims for Pension Credit could be processed by DWP within six weeks from next month
dailyrecord.co.ukLast year, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) confirmed that “additional resources” have been brought in to help process new claims for Pension Credit which had reached “an all time high” following the success of a campaign to drive take-up of the benefit designed for people of State Pension age on a low income.
New claims for the ‘passport’ benefit, which is worth up to £3,500 a year in financial support and discounts, are being dealt with as quickly as possible.
DWP has now said that following a surge of applications last month - some 7,200 claims in the week commencing December 12 - claim waiting times are set to get back to normal from February.This should mean new claims are processed within the DWP target time of six weeks.
However, it’s worth pointing out that successful claims are backdated to the point of application and paid accordingly, to ensure those who are entitled do not miss out.The update came on Monday during a DWP oral questions session in Parliament.Labour MP Fleur Anderson asked: “According to research from the Law Centres Network’s recent pension credit report, nearly 60 per cent of respondents said that they waited between three and six months for claims to be processed.“A constituent of mine has been waiting six months and losing out during that time.
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