Managed Migration, Transitional Protection and related problem areas examined.
Good morning
DWP started the last stage in its “managed” or “forced” migration of legacy benefit recipients, in May, 22. Numbers, to date, have been in the low thousands, but that’s about to change significantly, as DWP is now earnestly expanding migration, firstly to Working Tax Credit recipients, before the end of 2023, with remaining groups (excepting ESA) starting in the New Year.
Around 60% of your working age tenants, who were claiming Income Support (IS), JSA (IR), Working Tax Credits (WTC) , and Housing Benefit, have already transferred, either by choice (believing they may be better-off), through persuasion by their Work Coach or due to changes in their circumstances. Other groups including, those working and topping up their low incomes with Working Tax Credits are now receiving Managed Migration Notices, giving them 3 months to make their UC claim. So, far, around 20% of those WTC claimants notified, have failed to claim within the 3 month window, which is double the expected rate.
This 3-hour course(10am – 1pm) examines how this “managed” and most complicated stage, should operate; the importance of tenants claiming UC in advance of set deadlines; what happens if they don’t; and how the Transitional Protection (TP) scheme, could, if administered correctly, mitigate some of the losses that would otherwise be experienced. However, there is already concern DWP staff are assessing awards of TP on a manual basis.
By the end of the session, delegates should fully understand the process, the implications of responding to notices, within the deadlines, the importance of mitigating losses by securing transitional protection, and overall implications for both tenants and housing providers.
Each session will run between 10am – 1pm.
Course content:
- What’s a migration notice; who will receive them; how & when this is likely to happen and how you can assist those tenants affected.
- What’s meant by the terms ‘migration day’, ‘first & final deadlines’ and what will happen if tenants fail to comply timeously.
- What happens to notified tenants who separate or single tenants who couple up before deadline dates.
- How to identify those tenants that will need your help and what you can do to ensure seamless transference to UC.
- How to ensure the correct rate of transitional protection and associated 2-week run-ons of IS, ESA, JSA and Housing Benefit are applied.
- What steps can be taken to ensure vulnerable tenants are not overlooked and thus avoid benefit cancellations and lengthy gaps in entitlement.
- Understand, how Transitional Protection can erode over time or sometimes be lost by simple changes in circumstance e.g., couples separating or partners stopping work.
We will also examine several areas of UC administration that currently are causing real concern over the unnecessary rent arrears and overpayments that are being created. We will dicusss how tenants wrongly affected can challenge some of this serious malpractice, sometimes caused by IT system design and oversight.
Who should attend?
We would recommend this course to frontline staff, with a basic understanding of how important the benefits system, especially Universal Credit, is to tenants anxious to reduce or extinguish their rent liability and avoid rent arrears.
I encourage delegate participation throughout, as this makes the session more enjoyable and effective. After the session, the delegates should all receive a copy of the associated PP presentation which includes links to other websites and articles which staff should find useful after the event.
The course will be limited to around 16 delegates. If you’re interested in attending this event, please contact linzi@ucadvice.co.uk or myself – bill@ucadvice.co.uk.
Alternatively, the same course can be run in-house at a fixed price per session. If you’d like to find out more about this option, contact us ASAP.
Regards
Bill Irvine
UC Advice & Advocacy Ltd
Telephone 07733 080 389 or 01698 424301
www.ucadvice.co.uk