DWP contacts pensioner to award winter fuel payment and says ‘sorry’ | Personal Finance | Finance

After discussing her loss of the winter fuel payment on TV, a pensioner with lung disease was reportedly contacted by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to be given the cash. Labour declared that this year’s payment would be means-tested, meaning only those receiving certain benefits, like pension credit, would get vital support, which is set at either £200 or £300.

Elaine Yates, a 75-year-old former carer, returned to Tuesday’s edition of Good Morning Britain on ITV, where she told hosts Ed Balls and Susanna Reid that the DWP had contacted to let her know she qualifies for Pension Credit and would also receive backdated winter fuel payments.

During her appearance on the show on Monday, Elaine revealed her fear of using heating or her oven due to financial constraints and a lung condition exacerbated by cold, saying: “I don’t use my oven unless it’s really [needed]. I think I had five cooked meals in that oven last year – I would rather have the heating on because of my lung disease. If there is mould in the house, obviously my asthma will be worse and I have to consider my health. It’s cruel… I’ve heard nothing. Absolutely nothing from that date so I don’t know whether I am entitled to it or not.”

Elaine revealed that, shortly after her appearance on Good Morning Britain, she received a call from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP): “About half an hour after, I got a phone call from a lovely man from the DWP and he said that his manager had told him to get in touch with me, they had checked all my paperwork, and I was entitled to Pension Credit… He said ‘we’re very sorry this has happened’.”

Susanna queried if the DWP had been watching when Elaine remarked: “I believe they both were!” Elaine continued to voice her concerns about others struggling: “There are thousands out there that are really, really, struggling and it’s so unfair that they are not processing these applications.”

To which Susanna agreed: “You’re absolutely right. If it was within our gift, we would interview every single pensioner who is in your situation in order that they get a personal phone call. But, in the meantime, Pat McFadden promised that they recruited hundreds of extra staff in order to process the claims and the applications.”

Elaine expressed her heartfelt thanks to Good Morning Britain, detailing the impact of their help on her life: “The most important thing is that I can go and get my eyes tested. I haven’t had my eyes tested for over a year because I knew I couldn’t afford the glasses and now I can go and get them tested, which is a huge thing… The fact that I’ve got this allowance now is just going to make so much difference.”

She added: “I can put the heating on and I can have it on longer… I’m so grateful to everybody… I’m speaking for all the thousands out there.”

The Department of Work and Pensions responded with a statement: “We understand that some may need additional help this winter, which is why we have put in place a range of support, including a warm home discount, and we have extended the household support fund. We continue to work at pace to process Pension Credit claims with a 51% increase in the number of cleared Pension Credit claims since July.”