The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is revisiting a complex form that pensioners have to wade through to claim the £300 Winter Fuel Allowance; there are worries it’s too convoluted, creating quite a puzzle. Set aside just for older folks on Pension Credit this year, the benefit could slip through the fingers of some due to over 200 questions they need to tackle on the application.
Speaking in the Commons on Monday, Pensions Minister Emma Reynolds admitted the form is “very long” and assured to clear any backlog of Pension Credit applications as she faced accusations of forcing older people into choosing between warming their homes or filling their stomachs. Thousands of pensioners who are eligible are not claiming the benefit, worth £3900 to the average person.
Speaking in the Commons on Monday, Pensions Minister Emma Reynolds admitted the form is “very long” and assured to clear any backlog of Pension Credit applications as she faced accusations of forcing older people into choosing between warming their homes or filling their stomachs. Thousands of pensioners who are eligible are not claiming the benefit, worth £3900 to the average person.
Fielding questions from MPs, Ms Reynolds told parliament: “We are looking at the form. Ninety percent of applicants now apply online but we know that the paper form is very long and we’re looking to see what we can do to simplify it.”
She was answering Labour MP David Burton-Sampson for Southend West and Leigh, who was exploring steps to streamline the pension credit claim process, by stating: “The Government remains absolutely committed to supporting pensioners. We urge pensioners to check their eligibility for pension credit to ensure as many people as possible have access to the support which they are entitled