Benefits
Discretionary Housing Payments On 2 July 2001 a new scheme of Discretionary Housing Payments was introduced. The aim of these payments is to provide additional help on top of your benefit entitlement. Discretionary Housing payments are made on top of your benefit entitlement but are not benefit payments. We decide who is eligible for help through this scheme. The authority is only allowed to spend a certain amount on Discretionary Housing payments, this is set at the start of each financial year. We are not allowed to exceed the amount set by the government.Can I apply for a Discretionary Housing Payment? If you are in receipt of either Housing or Council Tax Benefit and this does not cover all of your rent or Council Tax you are eligible to apply for a Discretionary Housing Payment. Discretionary Housing Payments do not cover:
Remember that we are limited to the amount that we can spend, so once we have reached our budget we may not have any funds available. This means that you may need to apply again later. How much can I receive and how long for? We look at all cases individually. In order to assess if we can help we will ask you to complete an application. The questions on this form ask for details of your circumstances and expenditure that are not included on the benefit application form.If we are able to help we will award the payment for a short period only. You will be able to apply for another payment after it ends using the same form. We then look at your circumstances again. Can Discretionary payments be backdated? Yes, but remember that Discretionary Housing payments are usually awarded for short periods of time.How do I apply?  You will need to complete one of our application forms. You can ring or visit our offices for a form. This will take some thought and consideration. It is likely that you will have to provide proof of your expenditure. If you need help whilst completing this form you can phone our offices for advice. We can check through a completed form at our Customer Services enquiry desk. Alternatively you can download our Discretionary Housing Payment form. What happens after I have applied? It usually takes two weeks to decide if you are eligible for a Discretionary Housing payment. We will send you a letter to explain our decision, and provide details of any entitlement. This payment will either be sent directly to your Council Tax account or will be paid along with your Housing Benefit.What if I do not agree with your decision about a Discretionary Housing payment? Discretionary Housing Payments are not benefit payments so the way to appeal against our decision is different. You have the right for this decision to be looked at by another member of our service. If you would like this decision to be looked at again you must request this in writing, within four weeks of receipt of the decision. If you are still unhappy with our decision you can ask the High Court to look at the decision. You can find more information about legal assistance in our useful contacts. |