THOUSANDS of terminally ill Brits could be being pushed into debt as a result of a five-week Universal Credit delay, a charity fears.
A freedom of information request by the Huffington Post found that 17,000 people who have been diagnosed with an incurable illness have been forced to apply to the new benefit system between 2016 and 2018.
But Macmillan Cancer Support is warning that a five-week delay for their first payment is driving some sick people into debt.
In 2017, the National Audit Office found that 67 per cent of people with a health condition or disability didn’t receive their first full payment on time.
The Sun’s Make Universal Credit Work campaign is calling for the wait to be reduced from five weeks to two weeks.
Both Macmillan and the Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA) claim that these kinds of difficulties and delays are putting significant amounts of stress on ill people.
UNIVERSAL CREDIT replaces six benefits with a single monthly payment.
One million people are already receiving it and by the time the system is fully rolled out in 2023, nearly 7million will be on it.
But there are big problems with the flagship new system – it takes five weeks to get the first payment and it could leave some families worse off by thousands of pounds a year.
And while working families can claim back up to 85 per cent of their childcare costs, they must find the money to pay for childcare upfront – we’ve heard of families waiting up to six months for the money.
Working parents across the country told us they’ve been unable to take on more hours – or have even turned down better paid jobs or more hours because of the amount they get their benefits cut.
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Tom Cottam, from Macmillan Cancer Support, told The Sun: “The five-week wait for the first payment should be removed.
“The Government claims that those who need support quickly can take out an advance payment, but these have to be paid back.
“The current system can mean people with cancer spend their final days worrying about money when they should be focusing on their health and spending time with loved ones.”
Susie Rabin, from the Motor Neurone Disease Association, added: “Not only does Universal Credit not work for them as a system, it can pile on stress and worry as people wait for decisions or are even denied access to benefits.
“It is shocking that at a time when individuals and their families are having to face the worst news possible they are also having to fight to access money they, often, desperately need.”
All claimants are forced to wait up to five weeks for their first benefit payment during which their finances are assessed.
People can borrow up to one month’s entitlement from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to get them through this time but they must pay it back within 12 months.
These are called advance payments but they’re actually a loan and repayments are automatically deducted from your monthly benefits.
It’s this wait-time that can plunge vulnerable people further into debt.
In addition, people with a disability or illness who are also claiming help with housing costs or bringing up children are often subject to extra assessments that require meetings at the Jobcentre.
This is to determine whether they are or are not fit to work and could have an impact on how much help they are entitled to.
But the charities believe that in some cases, sick people are being put at risk of infections by having to attend meetings.
Between 2016 and 2018, 2.2million people applied for Universal Credit.
The scheme is implemented through a digital-only system and aims to get people back into work.
A spokesperson for the DWP says that terminally ill applicants are guaranteed entitlement to benefits and it waives the need for face-to-face assessments.
They added: “With Universal Credit no one has to wait five weeks to be paid as your first payment is available as an advance on day one.
“Additional digital support is available, home visits can be arranged and our Help to Claim partnership with Citizens Advice provides further tailored support.”
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