Birmingham Pensioner £60,000 Windfall

A disabled Birmingham pensioner in her 80s is celebrating after pocketing an astonishing £60,000 in unclaimed benefits. The woman failed to claim the state pension she was entitled to after her husband died ten years ago.

The mix-up emerged following a routine Birmingham City Council check to make sure old people claimed all the benefits they were entitled to. I wonder where they were for the previous ten years?

When officials visited the woman, who not named but lives in the north of the city, they were astonished to discover she had no pension at all. The pensioner who is disabled also did not realise, that she could also claim Attendance Allowance, a benefit which helps people cope with disabilities.

Well done to the Birmingham City Council worker, who discovered this appalling state of affairs but I have to ask why it took ten years? Once again benefits office staff you should be thoroughly ashamed of yourself it just only goes to endorse what I have always said about claimants being given a personal claims advisor when they claim benefits and every pensioner getting one when reaching pensionable age.

Phil

That's good news Phil, but she must have had a hell of a struggle until she was finally helped. SB

All I can think of is that her hubby must have had a private pension or they both did and when he died hers must have continued at a reduced rate. So she though she was entitled to nothing else. All I can say is that she must have no family because surely they would have put her straight. It looks as if she has been getting by for the last ten years missing out on a £120 per week.

What she need to do is get out and spend it all, before she is taken into care because the Council will take it all back off her. I bet she has relations crawling out of the woodwork now.

Phil

God bless her, imagine if she had died, whoopee doo all monies to whatever, scandalous, I keep saying get it sorted, forget the foreigners, and all the other toss pots trying to claim, GET IT SORTED.

You are dead right John in every respect.

What I think is that this £60,000 should be ignored in all future benefit calculation for this woman. After all if she had received it at the correct time it would have all gone on normal day to day living. Its only through the inefficiency of the benefit system that she now has this nest egg, so why should she now suffer more for their mistakes?

Phil

I would agree with you Phil. What surprises me a little bit is that she got all the money. Obviously the pension itself she was unconditionally entitled to, but i had always thought that they would only backdate attendance allowance for a couple of years. I wonder also if they either make an adjustment for inflation and/or pay interest on the money.

Mike

I agree with you, I thought that attendance allowance could only be backdated to a point of six weeks before you made the initial claim. As you say pensions are probably payable from the day you reach entitlement, no matter when you claim. I think there is a lot more to this than we are being told.

Phil