Pensioners will have to answer 22 pages of questions to claim winter fuel payments
28 August 2024, 20:42 | Updated: 9 September 2024, 09:17
Pensioners will be forced to answer 243 questions over 22 pages in order to claim winter fuel payments.
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They will be asked questions such as "Does you partner agree to your application?" and "Is your partner in hospital as an inpatient?" on the form.
The Department for Work and Pensions has been accused of deliberately making pension credit inaccessible over the form, the Telegraph reported.
Joanna Elson CBE, chief executive at Independent Age, told the outlet: “From our helpline, we already know that some older people are put off claiming due to the inaccessibility and length of the form. Pension credit is a lifeline to many of the older people who receive it.”
It comes after Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced winter fuel payments would be means tested, effectively cutting support for millions of pensioners.
The decision to scrap the payment for millions of pensioners came after the government accused the Conservatives of creating a “black hole” in public finances.
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Speaking to the Commons in July, Rachel Reeves said: "Today I'm making the difficult decision that those not in receipt of pension credit or certain other means-tested benefits will no longer receive the winter fuel payment from this year onwards.
"The Government will continue to provide winter fuel payments worth £200 for households receiving pension credit or £300 to households in receipt of pension credit with someone over the age of 80.
"Let me be clear, this is not a decision I wanted to make, nor is it the one that I expected to make, but these are the necessary and urgent decisions that I must make.
"It is the responsible thing to do to fix the foundations of our economy and bring back economic stability."
The announcement came as the Chancellor warned the Conservative party had left a £22 billion "black hole" in public spending.
