Citizens Advice to Deliver Benefit Uptake Programme

Citizens Advice has been awarded a contract by the Social Security Agency to increase the uptake of Social Security Benefits in Northern Ireland. The Agency has been delivering a Benefit Uptake Programme with a number of external advice organisations for the past three years and this is the first year that Citizens Advice will be the sole provider of this service. 25,000 people will be offered a full benefit assessment to identify any benefits to which they may be eligible. The programme will focus on older people, those with a disability and families with children.

The Minister announced the successful contractor during a visit to the new Pension Centre in Belfast which has received a £23 million investment in Information technology. The investment will include an improved way to process new claims for State Retirement Pension and state Pension Credit and in many cases will enable staff to process a claim while a claimant is still on the telephone.

Commenting on the Benefit uptake programme, Minister Ritchie said: “There are various reasons why people do not claim the support they are entitled to and I am delighted that Citizens Advice will be working with my Department to ensure people are receiving their full entitlement. The Benefit Uptake Programme and the new simpler claim process for State Retirement Pension and State Pension Credit will make it easier for customers to claim their rightful support. I would encourage anyone who receives an invitation for a benefit assessment from the Agency to take this opportunity to see if they could be getting more money.”

John Devine, Chair of Citizens Advice trustee Board said: “Citizens Advice welcomes the opportunity to work in partnership with the Social Security Agency on a programme targeted specifically at the more vulnerable groups in our society. We view this initiative by the SSA as an imaginative and intelligent use of its client data to address the needs of vulnerable groups, particularly given the current economic climate and to deliver it through CAB.”