How talking money with your local manager can pay off

This Talk Money Week (9 – 13 November) we are encouraging residents to have conversations with their local managers if they have any questions or concerns relating to their account. Our Court Managers, and Housing and Care Managers, are there to offer helping hands in guiding residents to relevant advice and resources. In this example, a Court Manager worked closely with a resident, assisting them with a benefit claim, resulting in the resident being awarded a substantial sum of money.

Resident lands windfall with support of Court Manager

After nine months of working with their Court Manager following a claim review, a resident not only received £24,000 in backdated Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) entitlement, but is also now receiving a continued income reflecting their agreed award. The resident’s Court Manager was aware they were submitting a review of their ESA claim due to a change in circumstances. The review resulted in an entitlement the resident did not agree was correct, so the Court Manager assisted them to challenge the outcome.

She regularly called and wrote to the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP), but it was a challenge to make progress and they felt as though they were going around in circles. The Court Manager decided to get advice from local professional contacts to confirm her understanding of the process was correct and to gain some guidance. After persistently chasing up the DWP for an update, they awarded the correct amount, paid the backdated entitlement and increased the weekly ESA payment to reflect the new entitlement, which was almost double what they had advised initially.

This goes to show that tenacity and perseverance pay off and our Court Managers are not afraid to support residents when they see something that is not right. This also shows the importance of checking even if you think you may not be eligible for help with benefits.