DWP pursued woman’s employer for nonexistent ‘benefit debt’
Summary
A woman who cares full-time for her disabled mother faced a wrongful demand from the UK Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to repay a benefit overpayment that a court had dismissed nearly two years ago. Despite the court ruling, the DWP pursued her employer to take money directly from her salary, causing her to risk losing her job and damaging her professional reputation.Key Facts
- The woman, called Ms C, cares full-time for her elderly disabled mother and works in financial services.
- The DWP wrongly told her employer to deduct a supposed benefit debt from her wages.
- A court dismissed the DWP’s claim of overpayment in September 2022.
- The DWP said it had no record of the court decision and asked Ms C to send a copy.
- Ms C has not claimed benefits for five years and refused certain carer payments in 2021.
- The DWP originally made the overpayment claim after mistakenly paying a carer premium she had declined.
- The wrongful enforcement order could trigger financial checks harming Ms C’s professional reputation.
- An official review said outdated DWP systems and poor communication cause such errors.
Read the Full Article
This is a fact-based summary from The Actual News. Click below to read the complete story directly from the original source.