Family Break Up Reported During The Renewal Period - TCO Only (Info)

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Background Information
Annual Declaration Issued Prior To Notification Of Family Break Up
Family Break Up Notified Prior To Issue Of Annual Declaration

  Background Information

This guidance must be followed where a family break up is notified during the renewal period, in order to ensure that the appropriate notifications are sent to the claimant(s).

Notification of a family break up can be received in a number of ways, for example, by

• Telephone

• Face to face

• Paper correspondence

And / or

• The ‘Unprocessed Change Of Circs’ Work List

Further guidance about family break-ups can be found in Family Break Up.

In a two claimant family, if one of the claimants supplies a new address for an absent partner when reporting a family break up, the absent partner will be marked as Returned Letter Service ( RLS).

Note: The computer must not be updated with a new address for a claimant based purely on third party information. Any such notification must be verified either from framework records or by contact with the claimant

You must issue a Word document TC821, not t he LFC (Letters and Forms on Computer) version to the absent partner at the new address supplied to confirm the address.

  Annual Declaration Issued Prior To Notification Of Family Break Up

You must check the status of the Annual Declaration. If the Annual Declaration

• Has not been returned, you must mark the Annual Declaration as not served. The Annual Declaration will be automatically reissued, one for each claimant

Note: If a claimant is marked as RLS during the course of applying the family break up, the issue of their Annual Declaration will be inhibited

• Has been returned, you must check whether the claim was for a single or joint family. If the claim was for a joint family, check the date to see if it covers the time the couple were still together. If it does not, disregard the Annual Declaration and mark as not served against both claimants. The Annual Declaration will be automatically reissued, one for each claimant

If a claimant has been marked RLS and as not served whilst the family break up is being applied and an address is subsequently confirmed, the RLS marker will be removed. This will automatically prompt the re-issue of the Annual Declaration to the confirmed address.

  Family Break Up Notified Prior To Issue Of Annual Declaration

If an address is present for both claimants in the case of a two-claimant family, each claimant will be issued with an Annual Declaration. If both Annual Declarations are signed and returned, then the claim can be finalised.

If a claimant has been marked RLS whilst the family break up is being applied, the issue of their Annual Declaration will be inhibited due to the RLS marker

If their new address is subsequently confirmed, the RLS marker will be removed when the new address is applied, this will automatically re-issue the Annual Declaration to the confirmed address of the claimant who was marked as RLS.