PIP benefit fraud?

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Posting here for traffic.

Dss1 (20) is currently at college. He lives with paternal grandparents and has for the past 2-3 years. In that time he has held down a couple of part time jobs as well as attending his college course. He has a small amount of savings because GPs didn't charge board, covered all food/petrol costs etc. His girlfriend also lives there with him.

Unfortunately, FIL passed away recently and Mil is unable to continue to cover the full costs. Dss isnt working at the moment but is actively looking and applying for jobs daily.

He has attempted to apply for job seekers allowance but was told that his mother is claiming PIP/DLA for him and he needs her permission to apply for jsa.

He wasn't aware that she was getting this benefit, he certainly does not need it and, since he doesn't live with her, it is not supporting him. She will not cancel the claim or remove herself as his appointee so he can cancel it.

Does anybody know what he can do? I have advised him to visit Citizens advice and possibly look into getting some legal advice but he's worried he may get his mum into trouble

Oops, I did use paragraphs but they seem to have disappeared

Step son?

Sorry, yes step son

Are you a family member too

Get your beak out then.

I'm assuming the AIBU was should you be involved?

Does he know what it's for?

Surely they will now investigate her claim based on his contradictory information? If he's claimed and given a different address.

I think Citizens Advice is a good first port of call. Before he does that he needs to explain the situation clearly to his mum, so she knows his intention and can maybe decide to cancel her claim herself.

Someone (your dp?) Should threaten her he will dob her in if she doesn't cancel. She could go to jail for this so i can see why her son doesn't want to pursue this.
It sounds like she has claimed for him as his carer but I'm surprised he didn't have a face to face assessment - they are mandatory.
There's a chance that he has colluded with her on claiming.

He needs to get it sorted if he wants to apply for his JSA. His mum will get into trouble because she's doing something wrong. That's not his fault. All he can do is warn her and hope she ends it herself to avoid trouble.

This is her stepson. She and her husband have a responsibility to support the lad.

Op - your partner needs to tell the criminal who has been claiming benefits she was not entitled too that he will be informing the authorities unless she rectifies the position immediately and lets her child get on with his life.

Tbh I would inform on her anyway. It's bad enough claiming when you aren't entitled but using your son for that is low.

I've spent an hour this evening trying to make him understand that he can't let this continue, but I don't know what he can actually do?

He's spoken to jsa on the phone and explained the situation but they are still saying he needs his mother's permission before he can do anything

Don't you need a face to face assessment for PIP after all it is personal isn't it

How did he not know she's claiming PIP for him? You have a face to face interview before a claim is granted.

Does your DSS have any disabilities?

I would also double check with DWP.

my grandson receives dla and has done most of his life but since turning 16 he is the recipient not his mother. something is not right here op.

You don't get PIP without a face to face assessment. Either you ss is in on it or she has used someone to impersonate him.

depending on the level on dla his mother could claim carer's allowance,

You can get PIP without a face to face assessment depending on the evidence provided.

Whoah...OP is asking a very good question. My DS16 receives PIP (recently reassessed from DLA) and I am his appointee. BUT he lives with me, knows (as much as he can) that he receives it and I spend it on his additional needs. If he lived with someone else then things would be different - I might directly pay for his additional support or pay the people he lives with.

Hopefully his Mum and his GPs have had an arrangement, so tread careful OP; but if they haven't and his Mum has been keeping his PIP then that is fraud.

The person should be given control for their finances from 16. I had to prep the paper work for on of DS friends who was being financially abused by his mother.

She will go to court, she will get a conviction and she will have to pay it back. Just be aware of those consequences

He says he knows there was an assessment not long after he turned 16 but his mother told everybody that he was no longer entitled to anything shortly before she kicked him out a few years ago.

Dss, dp and dss's older sibling have spoken to her already - she insists she's doing nothing wrong and is entitled to it

Seems v odd. You can claim JSA and Pip so not sure why he would need permission off anyone. Unless she has power of autony over all his benefit claims. But that case he woulnt just need permission he lack power to understand and comply with JSA.

I would get ring to ring DWP and ask if she has this, explain he dosnt know how his mother is getting it. That he no longer lives there or gets the money. If it is fraud and sounds like it given he had no clue why. Then he could be done for benefit fraud if it’s in his name. They should investigate and ask him to send proof of ID etc to his new address.

You cannot be an appointee without the person who the claim is for agreeing in person generally during a home visit. 85%+ of pip claims require a face to face interview where both the claimant and appointee (if there is one) must attend.