Terms & Conditions

[Griff09]

Hi all,

When we receive a change of address for an existing benefit claimant, we give the new address a new benefit reference number. We are shortly moving on to Northgate Version 6, and doing this will mean that our stats will record incorrectly.

We are, therefore, currently looking at changing this and keeping the same benefit reference number. However, we are coming across some problems with payments – in particular where we have paid a landlord at the old address and will be paying the claimant or a different landlord at the new address, when the move has happened mid-payment cycle.

Can anyone give me advice on how you have got round this problem, if at all, and if there is nothing we can do system wise, how are you processing claims without causing delays? 😕

[Kay_Tade]

[quote:3ed1a4bbdf=”Griff09″]We are, therefore, currently looking at changing this and keeping the same benefit reference number. However, we are coming across some problems with payments – in particular where we have paid a landlord at the old address and will be paying the claimant or a different landlord at the new address, when the move has happened mid-payment cycle.[/quote:3ed1a4bbdf]

From what you have described I am assuming you are making payments to the old L/L when you shouldn’t. You will need to wait for the last payment to be made to the previous L/L at the old address before assessing the COA. I am assuming your assessment was done prior to the last payment being made to the previous L/L hence the payment problem.

[Griff09]

Thanks, but we were paying the LL correctly – for instance if the claim was an ODRT and the claimant chose to pay to LL, then they change to LHA (for example).

When I have been testing, I’ve had some claims which have worked – i.e. customer has told us of the change of address before we’ve paid the LL beyond the vacation date – payment has split correctly.

The main problem is where, for example, we have paid the landlord to 04/10/09, claimant then advises us (after 04/10/09) that he moved on 17/09/09 – original address ended and new period set up for new address, overpayment created to old LL, but then the system seems to get confused and appears to want to recover the overpayment (OK), but then goes on to pay the new HB to the old LL rather than the claimant(?)

[trishc]

Not relevant to the immediate query, but as you;re a Northgate site, dont forget that if you pay monthly, and the COA involves a change of rent frequency from M to W or vice versa, that you will still have to set up a new claim ref (as a Continue, but it will still show as a new for stats purposes…).

[Anonymous]

When you create your credit HB for the new claim – you will need to go into the back screen in payables amd re-assign who you want the payment to go to. (outstanding payment tab)
The system will always pay automatically to whoever is the payee for the period of the payment, and as your paid to point will very rarely coincide with the change of address dates this is the only way round it.

Where you have an overpayment the system will recover immediately from any underpayment you have for the same period, unless you have set the action in overpayments to something else eg SD. If the SD is to the previous landlord then you must remove the auto recovery tick or it will return to benefits and recover from the credit for the new address.

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