Overpayments and COVID-19
Overpayments: procedures under COVID-19 measures
PCS has engaged with the employer and arranged some measures to help members who have been made aware or are currently undertaking a repayment plan.
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PCS have engaged with Home Office to negotiate that the overpayment recovery processes reflect the current situation.
In response Home Office have agreed that they have already stopped recovering historical overpayments e.g. those from 1 January 2015 to 31 March 2019. Home Office have also stopped the debt recovery process with DMI.
Home Office will continue to write to members as part of business as usual. Therefore, those who were overpaid the preceding month will be written to the following month. So, those overpaid in February will get a letter this week, those overpaid in March and April will be sent letters (via 2nd class post) on 29 May. The letters have been amended to reflect the current COVID-19 situation. PCS have now had sight of the template letters.
Home Office have agreed with SSCL that they can reduce the amounts or extend timescales with the individual in question. They can also agree to pause repayments for 3 months where Home Office will review and if needs be, extend by another 3 months.
In return, Home office have asked that they want individuals to contact SSCL but that they can reduce / pause / defer until we are back to business as usual.
The key message is that Home Office want members to acknowledge and engage so that the overpayments team can work with them to reduce any longer-term impacts.
PCS have welcomed this pragmatic approach, and where members are suffering a financial detriment as a result of COVID, members should engage with SSCL to deal with the payment situation and mitigate hardship as soon as possible.
Pete Wright (Group Vice President)
Any queries about this PCS Home Office Group Members' Briefing can be sent to the author here.