Overview to HB & CTB for Customer Services
This course is suitable for: customer services officers, new starters to benefits, clerical officers and visiting officers
Duration: 3 days
This course is designed to provide delegates who have little or no knowledge of benefits with an understanding of the principles and practices of benefits in general and to deal competently with the requirements to verify claims and evidence.
Learning outcome
In relation to benefits, the ultimate aim is to give staff an understanding of what HB and CTB actually are, who can and cannot claim and the day-to-day administration of these applications within the LA. In addition, each delegate will have a full understanding of the rules surrounding the verification of claims and will be able to carry out the administration and verification of HB and CTB claims and supporting information.
Content:
Day one
Overview of welfare benefits and tax credits
- Means-tested/non-means-tested benefits
- Income support/JSA(IB)
- Basic rules to other state benefits
- Exercise
Overview of housing benefit and council tax benefit
- What does HB pay for?
- What does CTB pay for?
- Making a claim for benefit
- Date of claim and backdating
- Exercise
Calculating HB/CTB
- Rent and council tax
- Income and capital
- Household composition and applicable amounts
- Non-dependant deductions
- The calculation
- Exercise
Day two
Changes in circumstance
- Changes to income
- Change of address
- Changes to non dependants
- Death of the claimant
- Exercise
Overpayments of benefit
- How they occur
- Classification of overpayments
- Overpayment recovery
- Exercise
Day three
Evidence and supporting information
- Interventions
- Identity and NI No.
- Evidence of income, rent and changes
- How evidence is requested
- Exercise
Fraud
- Types of fraud and some indicators to look out for
Data Protection
- What is it?
- Principles of data protection
- Disclosure of data