Many pensioners might miss out on winter fuel payments due to a backlog in processing claims, leaving them in a tough spot this winter
Brighton: So, it looks like a lot of pensioners are in for a rough winter. The DWP is swamped with claims, and many folks won’t see their winter fuel payments before the year wraps up. It’s a real bummer, especially with the cold months ahead.
As of mid-November, there were about 90,000 claims just sitting there, waiting to be processed. They’re only getting through around 9,000 each week, which means a lot of people are left hanging. And get this, only about 45% of the claims that have been processed since July have actually been approved. That’s a tough pill to swallow.
It all kicked off after the Chancellor announced that winter fuel payments would mainly go to those on pension credit. Since then, the number of claims has shot up. The DWP even brought in 500 extra staff to help tackle the mountain of applications. Meanwhile, MPs are looking into how these changes are affecting pensioners’ finances.
Before the announcement, they were getting around 3,800 applications a week. Now, it’s jumped to about 9,400. That’s a huge increase, thanks to campaigns urging people to apply.
In the UK, there were around 150,000 new pension credit applications between late July and mid-November. But the wait times are getting longer. The average processing time is now about 65 working days, which is up from 9 weeks just a few months ago. So, if you applied recently, you might not see that winter fuel payment until early next year.
A government spokesperson reassured that over a million pensioners will still get their winter fuel payment. They’re trying to boost pension credit take-up, and it seems to be working, with more people applying than ever.
But with the deadline for applying for pension credit to get the winter fuel payment set for December 21, it’s crunch time for those who haven’t applied yet. It’s a lot to juggle, and many are feeling the pressure.