'Annual General Benefit Review'

I read in an article somewhere that there is a 'general benefit review' every year which every year focuses on particular benefits, and that focus changes each time. Is this simply an ordinary review that we are told can happen at any time, or is this different? What happens when this annual review takes place? Does anyone here having any experience of this 'annual review' procedure? I think the reviews only relate to something like 0.1% of claimants. If you have experience of this, could you share with us, what happens?
I think the 2021-2022 one relates to universal credit, housing benefit, ESA, pension credit, state pension and Attendance Allowance. I think all assessments are presently by telephone.
Also, as part of this 'review' it is discovered that apparently thousands of women on the old state pension may be due back payments due to an error in 2008.
Anyone know who might be eligible for this pay out?
Thank you very much for any responses to these questions.

Hi, I have heard quite a lot on BBC R4 'Moneybox' and maybe also 'You and Yours' and certainly 'Woman's Hour' about the pensions, it's to do with being widowed. So searching those programme websites may well give you some pretty reliable info on that part of your question.
best, Denby

Hi

The only "annual review" of benefits I can think of is that every year the government of the day decides what - if any - increase is to be applied to benefits, including the ones you list, for the next financial year, in this case the 2021/22 year you also mentioned, which started this month. From memory this is normally based on a measure of inflation and is always set in November of the previous benefit year, which would be 2019/20 here. Also from memory the amount working age benefits are increasing by this month is 0.5%. As I say this is the only annual benefit review that I'm aware of but I hope this information may be helpful in some way.

Kind regards

Mr B