Cost-of-living crisis: Pensioner paid back after losing vital benefit

Andrew Workman feared how he would pay his rent and suffered severe stress after being “left in limbo” about his pension credit.

The 77-year-old, from Springboig, claims the Department for Work and Pensions “neglected” him after his circumstances changed last year.

He then contacted the Glasgow Times for help and has since received hundreds of pounds in backdated payments.

Andrew Workman at home (Image: Sourced)

Andrew said: “I feel like I have been left in limbo for months trying to get a straight answer.

“I don’t have a lot of money so I rely on my pension credit for things like rent, I can’t go without it.

“It has been on my mind every single day and I just feel neglected and like no one has been listening to me, I really need these payments.

“You get left on hold for an hour then the line just cuts off, I don’t think it is right that they cause stress like this.

“It is so frustrating, no wonder people end up in the hospital, I have really been struggling with it.”

Andrew's extra disability premium in his pension credit calculation was removed last year as he had a carer come and support him.

This means his pension credit claim was halted as his income exceeded the pension credit threshold.

Andrew came to the Glasgow Times for help (Image: Gordon Terris)

However when his carer then stopped coming in to help due to personal commitments, Andrew immediately put a new claim in for pension credit on November 13 last year.

Andrew then repeatedly called the DWP for an update or help but was left unable to reach anyone, or promised payments would begin shortly but they did not.

Now five months later he called the Glasgow Times and asked us to investigate as he was becoming very frustrated.

Andrew has now been awarded pension credit arrears of £265.44 covering the period December 7, 2023 to April 2, 2024, which will rise to £21.68 from April 10, 2024.

A DWP spokesperson said: “Mr Workman has been issued weekly pension credit payments after his claim was approved this week.

“We have also issued backdated payments, as pension credit can be backdated to the date the claim was first made.”