Winter fuel payments

lou lou

Registered User
Nov 9, 2005
46
0
London
Does anyone know if someone is in a nursing home whether they get the winter fuel allowance or not. My mum was sent a girocheque for £200 last year which I never cashed as she was in hospital and too unwell to sign it at the time. This year she has not recieved anything but a neighbour was telling me her husband gets it every year even though he has been in a nursing home some time.

Also now I have an EPA for mum can I get the DWP to credit her for the uncashed payment or have I left it too long ?

Kind regards to all

Lou Lou
 

noelphobic

Registered User
Feb 24, 2006
3,452
0
Liverpool
lou lou said:
. My mum was sent a girocheque for £200 last year which I never cashed as she was in hospital and too unwell to sign it at the time.
Also now I have an EPA for mum can I get the DWP to credit her for the uncashed payment or have I left it too long ?
Lou Lou

The cheque should be valid for 6 months. Is it more than 6 months old?

Brenda
 

sue38

Registered User
Mar 6, 2007
10,849
0
55
Wigan, Lancs
noelphobic said:
The cheque should be valid for 6 months. Is it more than 6 months old?

Brenda

I used to think this was the case but our bank have paid out on cheques which we issued more than 6 months' previously. When we queried this with the bank they seem to think there was no hard and fast rule, unless the date it expired was referred to on the face of the cheque. (Sometimes I think they make the rules up as they go along and had not realised that the cheque was out of date:rolleyes: ).

It may be worth presenting or asking the DWP if they will re-issue the cheque.

Sue
 

noelphobic

Registered User
Feb 24, 2006
3,452
0
Liverpool
sue38 said:
I used to think this was the case but our bank have paid out on cheques which we issued more than 6 months' previously. When we queried this with the bank they seem to think there was no hard and fast rule, unless the date it expired was referred to on the face of the cheque. (Sometimes I think they make the rules up as they go along and had not realised that the cheque was out of date:rolleyes: ).

It may be worth presenting or asking the DWP if they will re-issue the cheque.

Sue

DWP cheques do usually explicitly say that they will expire within 6 months so a post office may well refuse to pay it. It could be worth trying to pay it into a bank account but the danger is that they refuse to pay it and then the cheque gets lost in the post.

Brenda
 

Cate

Registered User
Jul 2, 2006
1,370
0
Newport, Gwent
Hi Lou Lou

We had a similar problem 2 years in a row with mum. any post would be 'put somewhere safe' and prompty forgotten about.

All I did was send a letter explaining the situation, also enclosing the cheque and asking that they re-issue, which they did no problem at all.

Hope this helps.

Cate
 

noelphobic

Registered User
Feb 24, 2006
3,452
0
Liverpool
Unless you are familiar with DWP cheques then they are not very distinctive. Some people do not realise what they are and will phone the bank they are issued on to ask!

Brenda
 

lou lou

Registered User
Nov 9, 2005
46
0
London
Thank you all for the helpful info and useful links, will try and contact the DWP and keep you posted

Kind regards

Lou Lou