This guidance is for the recovery of Tax Credit overpayments
where it is claimed that the claimant, or one of the claimants in a
joint household, is suffering from a mental health problem.
These cases should be dealt with locally. The number of
cases received is small but due to their sensitivity they must be
handled carefully and sympathetically.
If you receive information/evidence about the mental health
problem of a claimant you can agree not to pursue that claimant for
payment. This is to prevent any detrimental effect or unreasonable
distress to the claimant
(This text has been withheld because of exemptions in the
Freedom of Information Act 2000).
In the majority of cases, the initial contact about a
claimant’s mental health problem will be from a third party
on behalf of the claimant, such as from a doctor or psychiatric
nurse. Organisations such as MIND and Citizens Advice Bureaux can
also be involved.
Note: Mental Health cases should be overseen by a Higher
Officer or above.
The Money Advice Liaison Group (MALG) has produced
guidelines which provide additional information and understanding
about dealing with customers with mental health problems. These
guidance lines can be found in the DMB Guidance Gateway under
‘
Good Practice Guidelines.
