CAMDEN BENEFITS SERVICE

St Ursula’s Hostel Working Arrangements

St Ursula’s Hostel

Background

St Ursula’s Hostel is a domestic violence hostel. It provides emergency accommodation for single women. This does not mean that the ladies who are accommodated at the hostel do not have children. In some cases they do have children and are receiving benefits/tax credits for these children. The children are accommodated separately. You need to keep this in mind when processing claims for benefit.

Special arrangements have been developed for processing claims from St Ursula’s. This is because the high turnover at the hostel meant that a large number of customers were missing out on the benefits they were entitled to.

Setting up a claim from St Ursulas

1. Faxed claims -

As soon as a customer arrives at St Ursula’s and wishes to claim HB the support worker will fax over a claim sheet identifying the name; DOB; and National Insurance Number (if known)

Claim should be set up (following normal checking procedures) on the basis of the faxed claim. Date of claim is the date we received the fax in the office.

Claim should be banded awaiting the arrival of a full claim form.

Claim form needs to be completed and signed by the customer

Claim will follow normal FTR procedures.

2. PO Box Address

St Ursula’s uses a PO Box address. This is because the actual location of the hostel is not for public record. St Ursula’s claim should be set up using LPG reference number 99999998

Information required to Process a claim from St Ursula’s

1. Section 19

St Ursula’s is a hostel and is therefore Section 19 exempt (proof of Identity and National Insurance Number is not required to process the claim)

If customer does not have a National Insurance number it is good practice to advise claimant that she needs to apply for a National Insurance Number and send DCI 1 LA form to DWP for NINO allocation

2. Proof of immigration status

We do require all other documents and evidence to satisfy proof of immigration status if customer has indicated on her claim form that she is subject to immigration control

3. Proof of benefit, income and capital

Customer is required to provide all documents and evidence necessary to support their income and capital as normal (ie proof of benefit, wages, savings, etc). There are no special arrangements exempting this requirement.

Payment of Benefit

1. Payment to landlord

Payment of benefit is made directly to the landlord. We do not need a Landlord direct form to be completed. Payment is automatically made 4 weekly in arrears to Bridge Housing Association (reference 994980)

Customer moving out

1. Notifying Benefit Service

St Ursula’s will notify Benefit Service by fax when customer moves out of St Ursula’s stating the name, DOB, NINO and date customer moved out

Files should be passed to Benefit Assessor as a ‘File to Assessor’

2. If benefit claim is in payment

Benefit should be terminated. Date of termination will be the date customer left the hostel

3. If benefit claim is still pending

In some cases a customer will move out of St Ursula’s before she has provided the information necessary to process her claim. In these instances (as long as customer satisfies conditions to claim benefit) a Benefit Assessor should:

a)if we are waiting for customer to provide proof of a passported benefit (IS/JSA (IB); PC (G)) Benefit Assessor should make effort to obtain proof of entitlement to a passported benefit (ie do a RAT check; send a LA 17). If proof provided of entitlement (even if this is at another address) claim an be processed for period customer was resident at the hostel

b)If we are waiting for customer to provide other income and capital proof or we cannot establish proof of entitlement to a passported benefit

  • If customer residence at hostel was less than 8 days

Process the benefit claim on the information provided on the claim form

(ie on income/capital declared; if waiting for passported benefit process on a penny income)

If customer resident for 8 days or more

We cannot process this claim. Claim should be ceased after FTR period has expired

Eligible Rent

1. Supported Accommodation

St Ursulas is supported accommodation and includes an element in its rent for support charges. You need to keep this in mind when working out eligible rent.

2. St Ursula’s are daily payers

Rate of rent should be entered on IBS as a daily amount (D)

Security Arrangements

1. Passwords

If you are contacting St Ursula’s you may be asked to identify your self with a password. Your Manager/Deputy Manager will know this password.

2. If you are contacted by somebody claiming to be calling from or on behalf of somebody resident at St Ursula’s you should ask them to identify themselves with a password or with a complicated set of questions only the customer themselves would know. Your Manager/Deputy Manager will know this password

If the caller does not know the password or cannot answer your questions you should

  • Refuse to give out any information
  • You should offer to call the support worker
  • You should end the call
  • Make a note of the call giving as much information as possible about the circumstances of the call (description of voice (male/female); what information they required; why you terminated the call; what security questions you asked and the answers given, etc)
  • Inform your Manager/Deputy Manager of the call.