THE Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has paid back £7,000 and apologised to an elderly woman after she unknowingly racked up huge benefit overpayments.
The unnamed woman, 93, was asked to pay back the sum after failing to tell the Government department about a change in her circumstances.
Pension Credit is available to those of state pension age and on a low income in England, Scotland or Wales.
But under Government rules, if someone you know starts claiming Carer’s Allowance to look after you, you no longer qualify for the severe disability premium part of the benefit.
The elderly woman’s daughter, Rose Chitseko, 62, started claiming £64.60 in Carer’s Allowance for her mother, who became unable to care for herself, in early 2019.
But Rose’s mother, who suffers from advanced Parkinson’s and dementia, did not tell the DWP about the change due to her poor health.
In 2022, the Government department wrote to the mother telling her she had been overpaid over £8,000 in Pension Credit since 2019 and would have to pay it back.
Rose told The Guardian: “It wasn’t realistic for her (mother) to notify the DWP.
“She’d had Parkinson’s for seven years. We were setting up power of attorney because she was already losing her grip on her ability to manage her affairs.”
Rose and her mother launched an appeal about the overpayments, saying she was too unwell to notify them of the change in circumstances because of her Parkinson’s.
But the DWP said it would only slightly reduce the amount owed to £7,135.08 to cover the period when the Carer’s Allowance was being received rather than when it was applied for.
The Government department has now since formally apologised and repaid the more than £7,000 in overpayments to Rose’s mother after The Guardian highlighted her plight.
A spokesperson for the DWP said: “Following a review of the case, we have cancelled the overpayment and apologise [to the claimant] for any distress. We will refund all repayments already made.”
It comes as tens of thousands on benefits are having to pay back as much as £20,000 after breaking a separate Carer’s Allowance regulation.
Carer’s Allowance is currently paid at a weekly rate of £81.90 and anyone on the benefit is allowed to have second income from a job.
But, as it stands, you can’t earn more than £151 a week, or you lose all of your benefit allowance.
Some carers are finding they have breached this limit without knowing and having to pay back vast figures.
Elizabeth was told by the DWP she had to repay over £1,600 after breaching the weekly earnings limit.
Meanwhile, a single mother from North Wales was left in tears after a demand to repay thousands of pounds she received while caring for her disabled daughter.
And the parents of a teenager who had to give up work to stay at their dying daughter’s bedside have been told to pay back £8,000.
IF you've found yourself breaching the earnings limit, here's what to do, according to Ramzi Suleiman, from charity Carer's Trust...
Ramzi said: “The Carer’s Allowance system is hard to understand, horribly outdated and in urgent need of reform by the Government.
“It’s no surprise that many people are falling foul of its complicated rules through honest mistakes.”
To avoid finding yourself breaching the earnings limit, Ramzi said you’ll need keep a tab on your weekly income.
This might be hard to do as most people are paid monthly, but it’ll stop you from having to pay any back later down the line.
If you have fallen into the overpayments trap, it’s worth speaking to a local carer organisation for help on next steps.
They can offer your support and advice. To find your nearest one you can visit www.carers.org and type in your postcode.
Alternatively, you can try your local Citizens Advice branch for advice on what to do.
You can find your nearest CA branch by using its online locator tool.
They are just a few of tens of thousands breaching this weekly earnings limit.
New figures revealed that in 2022-23, 26,700 carers were asked to repay sums relating to earnings breaches.
More than 800 were repaying sums between £5,000 and £20,000, and 36 were repaying more than £20,000.
The DWP has said it is looking at ways to improve communications with those receiving Carer’s Allowance in a bid to reduce overpayments from occurring.
It said it would look at sending text messages or emails to people who are overpaying to inform them so they can correct issues earlier.
It is understood the department could send letters or call claimants to tell them of any overpayments too.
A spokesperson added: “We constantly review and look to improve our processes.
“This is why we are progressing an enhanced notification strategy as part of our ongoing commitment to customer engagement.
“This will help ensure customers fulfil their obligations to inform DWP when changes in their circumstances have occurred, building on existing communications.
“We are committed to fairness in the welfare system with safeguards in place for managing repayments while protecting the public purse.”
Carer’s Allowance is a UK benefit designed to help people who have caring responsibilities for more than 35 hours each week.
Those eligible get £81.90 a week paid directly into bank accounts.
To qualify, the person you care for must already get one of these benefits:
You don’t have to be related to the person or live with them to apply.
But if you share caring responsibilities with someone else, only one of you can make a claim.
The type of care you provide can vary, but includes things such as helping with washing or cooking, taking the person to medical appointments or helping out with household tasks such as shopping or organising bills.
To get the benefit, you must also meet a certain set of criteria:
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