Guidance

LA Welfare Direct lite 1/2020

Updated 11 December 2020

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/la-welfare-direct-bulletins-2020/la-welfare-direct-lite-12020

Contact

If you have queries about the:

Who should read

All Housing Benefit staff.

Action

For information.

Update: New Housing Benefit Matching Service self-assessment rule

No change in self-employed earnings rule

1. Housing Delivery Division (HDD) has steadily been building a portfolio of Housing Benefit Matching Service (HBMS) self-assessment rules to support local authorities (LAs) in identifying fraud and error.

2. The work so far has seen both a ‘no change to earnings’ funded review and the introduction of 3 new related self-assessment HBMS rules, all of which are reporting a high level of good outcomes.

3. This to inform LAs of another new rule, which will be added to the self-assessment portfolio, and delivered through the usual HBMS route from March 2020.

4. This rule is a permanent replica of the ‘one off’ scan that we issued for the ‘no change to earnings’ funded review that ran in 2018 to 2019. It will identify HB cases where there has been no change to declared self-employed earnings held on Single Housing Benefit Extract (SHBE) over a 12 month matching period. This rule will act as the primary rule across the self-assessment portfolio. It will be run each month and deselect any cases already issued within the last 6 months.

Further guidance

5. Definition of the rule in more detail will be incorporated into the existing HBMS Rules Guide which, once updated, will be published on Glasscubes.

6. If you need further support email mark.browne@dwp.gov.uk

Review of HB Risk Model

7. HDD is taking forward a review of the Housing Benefit (HB) Risk Model in January 2020. As part of the review the delivery of the monthly file named AOBWR627_ (LA CODE) _RISK will stop and it will remain stopped until further notice. LAs will still receive both HBMS cases and their Personal Details Verification report as the business as usual process.

8. If you need further support email hdd.strategyteam@dwp.gov.uk

Local Housing Allowance Up-rating 2020-21

9. On 13 January 2020 Ministers announced that the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) will be up-rated by CPI (1.7%) from April 2020, ending the freeze to LHA rates.

10. This means that all 2019 to 2020 rates, including the national caps, will be increased by 1.7% up to a maximum of the 30th percentile. The rates for 2020 to 2021 will be published, in line with normal procedures, on the last working day of January and will be applicable from April 2020.

Invite to LAs: trial of a new data sharing and IT issues consultation and engagement forum

11. Over the last three years, the feedback from LAs has been increasingly positive about the data sharing, data matching and automation projects that HDD has delivered, as well as the support service we offer. This is hopefully the result of an increasingly customer focused approach we have taken.

12. That said, we recognise we still are not perfect and could do even more to support the LA community in understanding what we are doing and why. For example, our communications about upcoming projects could potentially be more frequent and clearer. Similarly, we directly receive and answer many questions from individual LAs. However, we appreciate many LAs may benefit from hearing those answers verbally.

13. Consequently, we would like to trial a new data sharing and IT issues consultation and engagement forum, for representatives from the whole LA community to dial into. Should it prove successful, the intent is to hold them for 1 hour each quarter.

14. The first one will be held on Friday 14 February between 1pm and 2pm. The dial-in instructions are as follows:

  • dial 0203 481 3254
  • enter the participant code 7818275#
  • you will then be kept in a holding area, listening to background music, until the call starts at 1pm
  • your line will be on mute as default, but instructions will be given during the call if you want to ask a question

15. Please aim to dial in before the start time as we aim to start the call promptly.

16. The agenda will be as follows:

  • a 15 minute introduction from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), covering projects recently delivered, projects currently in delivery, insight into future planned projects, as well as the most recent common issues that have been reported to us
  • 15 to 20 minutes of questions from LAs on the call about the projects and matters covered in the introduction
  • 15 minutes of questions from LAs about any other data sharing issues or IT issues they face
  • 10 to 15 minutes focused on suggestions from LAs about future data sharing, data matching or automation projects that DWP could consider funding and delivering

17. We aim to write up high level minutes of the forum, specifically focusing on the questions asked and the answers given, and will publish them on Glasscubes as a minimum.

18. We would really like every LA to have at least one representative dial into the forum. We ask that those dialling in:

  • seek input and feedback from as many of their colleagues as possible prior to dialling in, for example, questions they might want answering
  • have knowledge, at least at a high level, about data sharing, data matching and current IT topic areas
  • feedback to their colleagues about how the conference call went, including the answers to the questions we asked

19. We hope you agree that such a forum is a good idea and look forward to your participation on the call.

20. If you have any questions ahead of the call, please email John Goldsmith at john.goldsmith@dwp.gov.uk

Update: New Jobseekers Allowance email addresses for form LA17 (legacy benefits only)

21. LAs are required to use form LA17 to tell DWP about a change of circumstance or discrepancies in a HB or Council Tax Reduction claim.

22. There are now two new email referral addresses for Jobseekers Allowance which are split as follows:

23. The Employment and Support Allowance, Income Support and Pension Credit email addresses remain the same:

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