Anybody read the story in the Guardian today regarding checks made by the Pension Service to verify a claimant’s income?
“Civil servants have been ordered to stop demanding written proof of income and wealth to speed up applications for pension credit, according to internal instructions obtained by the Guardian.
Managers in the Pension Service section of the Department for Work and Pensions disclosed the “easements” were necessary to meet a goal of paying the benefit to 2.4 million households with pensioners by the end of the month.
Among suspended inquiries are written evidence of the value of premium bonds, tax paid and employment pensions as staff are told to take answers to many questions over the phone instead of sending letters.
“We do not need to see any verification of occupational pensions as from February 24 and until further guidance to the contrary is received,” the Whitehall note says.”
How will this affect LAs that are fully VF compliant? Will they need to verify the AIF or are we obliged under the Regs to accept the AIF with no further verification?
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