The Department for Work and Pensions initiated the Housing Benefit Award Accuracy Initiative in 2020, making it a requirement for all Local Authorities to conduct full claim reviews in respect of any Housing Benefit claims. This is becoming mandatory as of April 2022. 

We are pleased to let you know that we now have a beta version available of our online Full Case Review (FCR) Assessment that we developed alongside Housing Benefit experts from Kirklees Council.

We know that the work associated with every claim can be onerous and with this in mind, the digital, self-serve assessment form consciously reduces these extra pressures on staff whilst empowering both councils and citizens to go online with their assessments.

Whilst all necessary questions remain, our digital FCR form has a 25% reduction in pages compared to our standard HB/CTR new claim form, targeting specific lines of enquiries that local authorities have to address to ensure they are fulfilling their obligations. The digital form contains a secure evidence upload capability making it simpler and quicker for claimants to complete, ensuring they are able to fully self-serve.

Kirklees have been using our suite of BetterOff products – digital, self-service platforms that assist with their high volume of assessment and applications, including Housing Benefit / Council Tax Reduction submissions (BetterOff HB/CTR) – the Full Case Review form will fit seamlessly into this platform. Alternatively, all of this information can be securely delivered via encrypted payload in an easily importable PDF data format that can be integrated with existing back office systems – allowing Local Authorities to complete their mandatory requirements without disruption.

Having this beta version available means that we are keen to demonstrate the form to any interested local authorities – ensuring that it will be in place by the mandatory deadline of April 2022.

Please request a demonstration of the platform by using the form below or contact us with any additional questions.