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I'd be quick in asking your HB dept about the change over. In our case a "compliance" officer at the local council phoned, on my partner's 66th, to say claim UC fast because your housing benefit stops now. Partner had been on my ESA claim previously but all entitlement crashed on his birthday. I informed the DWP of his SPA a few months previously and had heard nothing back, so assumed they'd just take off his SP from the ESA. But before I could blink I had a PIP AR1 to fill in and also UC forms to declare health problems and for them to be re assessed. From Oct to Dec 23 I had to read up fast, coming to this site for policy interpretation and guidance.

So you may find yourself pushed onto UC as the system is rolled out nationally - there are details on the site here. ESA is being phased out. The DWP have made my life hard and yet nothing has changed, in fact I'm still waiting for further diagnosis due to the NHS strikes delaying appts. The only thing that changed is my partners SP - my health has not improved. We've not claimed PIP on his behalf yet - he is under a consultant for liver failure and has had RA since his 50s, sometimes making it hard for him to move around but he became accustomed to managing it and working so we didn't think of a PIP claim for him but we're thinking of it now.

Due to the change over from ESA to UC my local HB office now say I have rent arears because UC is paid a month in arears but my council works a month ahead - so I've now got to find nearly £300.

I hope telling you all this helps - but don't be complacent and think they'll give adequate advice and warning, had further issues over the "UC Journal" - UC was stopped over a misunderstanding with written English so that took a few days before Christmas to resolve by phone. Then my "job coach" in Dec 23 said I'd been in the very LCW group since my partners 66th so they didn't know why they were seeing me!! I can't remember the exact term cos I'm tired and unwell!! But it's here on this site - a lifeline for many.

Good luck!! I'm still waiting on the outcome of all the paperwork submitted prior to Christmas for PIP and UC - I come here and find others in a similar boat. I'm ready to appeal with the guides here

I think you may be suggesting a level of organisational efficiency that the DWP simply does not possess.

It is more a case of being severely understaffed, undertrained, under-resourced and the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing.

I got a compliance letter saying I must phone Newcastle IMMEDIATELY as they suspected I was claiming benefits I was not entitled to.

On the phone, the DWP compliance 'officer' suggested I was claiming income-related benefits I was not entitled to.

"I am doing nothing of the sort", I said.
"My claim was refused over 12 years ago and I was told all I could get now is earnings-related support", (as I cannot work through my neurological disability which leaves me bed-bound).
"I have not claimed anything since and accepted exactly what DWP tells me I am entitled to".

"Well send me the last 3 years of your bank statements immediately", he said.

I got them organised and sent them, had my carer dig out all the DWP back correspondence and went through all that.

It transpired that the £12 I was getting as top-up when switched from IB to ESA (to ensure my benefit remained the same after the change) was being diagnosed by the compliance guy as wrongly claimed income-related benefit.

I wrote and explained and asked for my original bank statements to be returned for safety asap.

No reply, no explanation, no apology for wrongly accusing me of criminal behaviour, no bank statements.

Nothing.

That is the DWP.

Get some advice, as recommended here, because it happened to us in October 23. My partner reached state pension age then and I won't ( under the current government rules) until a few years time. So they just pulled everything on his birthday! I received a call from my local councils "compliance officer" telling me ESA and HB had stopped with immediate effect and to claim UC for HB. Thing is it wasn't just for HB - it was an entire new claim on UC. With the help from the guides here I usually work things out but as I've been unwell and waiting to see consultant it's been 3 months of hell. Still not over for us so please get some advice before your partners state pension is due to be paid. I notified the ESA dept back in September 23. No advice or guidance was forthcoming.

Hi wibblum,

No negative thoughts or feelings from my side at all. I'd be the first person to admit that I do things in the heat of the moment, and I'm extremely quick tempered, without being able to control it at times. It's why I prefer writing, rather than struggling in person, because it just takes someone to tell me to do something the wrong way, rather than ask, and "Bang" - Out comes agressive Chris.

You have a good night - hopefully the 22nd won't be a day that affects us too negatively.

Regards, Chris.

Thank you Chris. For what it's worth, I do sincerely regret using the term in the heat in the moment.

I'll now step away, while wishing JaneyJane all the best in desling with the situation.

Hi wibblum,

I think we're all entitled to freedom of speech, and I'm not overly sure how far things are allowed to go, when it involves debating before messages will be stopped from being published.
I'm sure one of the more experienced mods will be able to further elaborate should they need too.

Regards, Chris.

Legitimate concerns/doubts about this particular DWP employee's alleged 'humanity' aside, perhaps with respect (and apologies) to JaneyJane we shouldn't turn this very serious topic into a petty row about semantics.

I'll now step away from this thread.

(Mods: edit/omit my replies as you please)

Whilst I frown upon the word Nazi. I’m sorry but the way this person has treated me I’m afraid I struggle to care that “she too is a person” She told me “well despite trying to kill yourself you weren’t successful AGAIN, so I do t hold much weight to that” “Using your mental health as away to escape rules is not going to look good for you” “ I could be watching you right now and you wouldn’t know” Where is the humanity in ANY of those statements to someone severally mentally unwell. She is a compliance officer, I’m complying as best I can. She won’t be happy until I’m dead.

Whilst I frown upon the word Nazi.
I’m sorry but the way this person has treated me I’m afraid I struggle to care that “she too is a person”
She told me “well despite trying to kill yourself you weren’t successful AGAIN, so I do t hold much weight to that”
“Using your mental health as away to escape rules is not going to look good for you”
“ I could be watching you right now and you wouldn’t know”
Where is the humanity in ANY of those statements to someone severally mentally unwell.
She is a compliance officer, I’m complying as best I can. She won’t be happy until I’m dead.

And furthermore, the person under discussion in this case is a DWP compliance officer (as the topic title very clearly states) who it appears is happily engaging in the wilful, prolonged bullying and harrassment of a vulnerable claimant.

Not quite the hapless rule-bound HCA that you claim should elicit our sympathies.

Hi JaneyJane

Not that I am a Solicitor but a few points.
1) You have the right to have support with you when this person has you in interview.
2) An earlier point about recording her, you have to inform her that you are recording her in order, that your recording be considered evidence. Although, if she is an situation where she is looking into possible "deception" then she should be recording the interviews anyway.
3) As earlier posts, make sure your Mental Health team are aware of how her attitude towards you is affecting you Health. Because that is considered in itself as an offence. (Protection of vulnerable Adults/Duty of Care)
4) I assume we are talking about a 'Means tested' Benefit? Otherwise, she has no business 'investigating' you.
5) No matter who she is or what position she holds, you are totally within your rights to make a complaint of harassment and what appears to me, as victimisation.
I wish you good luck! And make sure and have someone with you when you engage with her again.
Hope you have a speedy recovery also

"Is it necessary to use the word "Nazi" in a conversation?"

You're quite right, Godwin's Law, and all that. And the term 'Stasi' is actually more appropriate.

Also, even the briefest review of the actions of the person concerned in this instance is more than enough to cast their humanity into doubt.

Is it necessary to use the word "Nazi" in a conversation? Especially with world events as they are at the moment (and no, I`m not Jewish).

I do understand and appreciate that people have had problems with DWP (I, myself, have had a bad experience), but using such words are neither appropriate nor acceptable.

Don`t forget the person, or people, you are dealing with at the other end of the line is / are human(s); HCAs are working to rules set by people further up the ladder (and usually by people who don`t understand the environment they are responsible for).

Vent your anger / frustration by all means, but please don`t relate people to a particularly repugnant part of recent history.

Hi wibblum,

I was penalised myself with having my UC reduced by over £100 per month and it was because of a mixture of savings which I'd saved myself working for nearly 17 years in local government, and another 5 elsewhere, and also a backdated payment of PIP. They want to know everything. I had to give a years worth of bank statements, and prove that I'd bought a new bed, PC and decorating like I'd stated - I even handed in my car repairs costs. I also nearly ended up with a £50 fine because im in the H2S scheme, and had totally forgot to declare it because I thought that because it was DWP related, that the DWP would know about it, but actually this turned out not to be the case. I think it's going to get worse over time, especially after Hunts statement on 22nd November. I think it'll push more people into becoming suicidal, because of their health issues.

Regards, Chris.

Shouldn't this jumped-up little Nazi primarily be concerning herself with your incoming finances rather than your outgoing ones? What business of hers is it where it goes, her only concern should be where it comes from.

As for hounding you in hospital, surely (at least until Stride gets his way) this is actual harrassment?

Your MP needs to get onto this as soon as humanly possible, and you need to inform and involve your health professionals and be telling as many people as will listen about it. You also need to record as many of your interactions with this - person - as you possibly can from this point on.

“No one can give you any money whilst you are in receipt of government benefits “

Absolutely ridiculous (which of course sadly doesn't make it unlikely with the DWP).

I don't get Housing Benefit because my adult son lives in my home. The rent (and Council Tax) still has to be paid, though, so he (correctly according to DWP rules as he is working full-time) pays for both in full. The tenancy and C.Tax are still in my name, though, so the money has to go into my account to be paid in my name. Does this count as me being 'given money'? Under their rules, I suppose it does.

Hi JaneyJane,

OMG - that sounds an awful experience. I worked in finance for many years, and I can't get my head around "help with travel costs" being classified as income, especially if it was public transport for example. Surely if a bus journey costs £2 there and back for example, and you get £2 travel costs, then that leaves a 0 figure, so how can that be taken into account as income ?

This compliance officer sounds like they believe they're one of the important type of people where what they say goes - I think I'd be seriously thinking about lodging a complaint if I was being spoken too like that.

Regards, Chris.

She’s questioning my access to work payments (I worked and declared it and got help with travel costs , well I was reimbursed) but she’s now saying that too was income and should have been declared.
When I explained I needed to move one of our “chats” as my father is terminally ill and I needed to wait on a call from him I was told it all sounded “ a bit too convenient “ and as such she wouldn’t move the call.
I am not exaggerating when I say she literally scared me into a suicide attempt and I’m still being hounded despite being sectioned.
She can apparently make one call and get all my bank, credit card and health records and seems hellbent on pining something on me.

Hi JaneyJane, you know what you've 'done wrong'??? You've acted 'middle class' by having your daughter have piano lessons and attend school trips, even though you are not paying for these. This appalling woman should not be allowed to get away with such [I'm running out of string adjectives here] utterly repellent, unbelievably bullying behaviour. She is wrong anyway, suspicion of fraud should not obviate [remove] DWP's obligation to deal carefully with claimants with severe mental health issues.
I was in a very similar situation many years ago with my mum subbing school trips and music lessons, and we were accused of 'intentional deprivation of capital' after eating and heating our way through a small legacy. They docked £1 a week for every £250 or part thereof, it was hell as they refused to accept the money had been genuinely used up on normal spending. Since when have building societies paid out 20% a year interest???
So glad your Psychiatrist is supportive, I hope the MP is too, please take care, Denby

Hi JaneyJane

Welcome to the forum.

You might want to have a look at the following FAQ which explains where everything is; www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/guides-for-claimants/faq/forum.

You have done the right thing by going to your MP, what you want to do is record her conversation next time she calls, without telling her.

I would also seek advice from your local Welfare Rights Organisation or even a Law Centre; advicelocal.uk or lawcentres.org , they may be able to help you write a formal complaint.

You can have up to £6k in savings without affecting benefits, you only need to declare regular income, not one off payments from a grandmother to her granddaughter.

Gary

I have recently had the misfortune of a compliance interview with someone I can only describe as terrible. She a cursed me of having an ISA account (the same accusation as last year and this was disproven) so she requested my bank statements going back 2 years.
She is now saying she knows the ISA isn’t mine but is combing through my statements in a way I find utterly ridiculous. “What did you take £200 out of an ATM ON April 14th 2023 for?” And then asking for receipts!
My ex partners parents are very good to my daughter and have transferred her money for a laptop for school, piano lessons and various school trips (I might add you can then see I pay for these things in the same month or the next month) but this I’m being told is fraud.
“No one can give you any money whilst you are in receipt of government benefits “
During all of this I was sectioned and she still rang and tried to get me to say I knew I was receiving money I shouldn’t have been (the money in question being from my dad for my birthday and my mum pays for my hair integration as I have alopecia) she then said she needed another 2 months bank statements so I should sign out of hospital and pop to the bank! Not sure if she knows what being sectioned means.
This is still ongoing I’m not sure what she is actually accusing me of but I snapped yesterday and said “for gods sake what is it your wanting”
Her response was as follows
“Your mental health is not the concern of the dwp, their are rules you have to follow regardless of you being in hospital, I am a Compliance Officer all it takes is one call to your bank and they send me every bit of information they hold about you, I can access your health records and I often watch people covertly and they don’t even know it, so wouldn’t it be easier to do as I ask rather than force me to play hardball?”
I slightly ashamed to say I told her I didn’t want to carry on the conversation and if she felt she needs to close my benefit claims do so and hung up. My mental health then went drastically downhill again (I had been making some progress.)
My Psychiatrist has written a letter detailing how I’ll I am at present and we have contacted my MP but I really thought compliance was more about error than fraud which is what it looks like she’s accusing me of.
A final question. I’m supposed to, health allowing, go to visit my mum out of the country in a week or so and she’s saying that won’t be happening until “she’s done with me” she can cancel my passport according to her.

All this my well be true but I haven’t as far as I knew broken any rules. I do have one ISA WITH £3000 in it (a LISA) but I have always declared that to the dwp.
She is definitely a compliance officer as her letters are signed as such.
Any advice or reassurance would be most welcome.