Index
Benefit Verification Framework Scheme
What is an Agent
Who can act as an agent for Anytown District Council
Certificates
Agent
certificates
Staff Certificates
Suspension and cancellation of
certificates
Agreement
Agent Certificate
Staff Certificate
Anytown District Council (ADC) has adopted
the Department of Social Security’s (DSS) verification framework (VF) for
the administration of Housing Benefit (HB) and Council Tax Benefit (CTB). VF requires that a claimant’s details should be checked,
confirmed and that confirmation should be recorded in line with the rules of
evidence gathering. VF covers the
following areas of checking
·
Identity
·
Income
·
Capital
·
Household residency
In the case of the first three items this is checked by having the claimant
and their partner produce original documentation confirming or proving the
information that they have given. The final point is confirmed by having an officer visiting
the claimant at their home.
This scheme covering Verification Framework Agents (VFA:) is only concerned
with the confirmation of original documents and identity, not with visiting.
An Agent is an organisation that ADC has
awarded a certificate to act on ADC’s behalf in relation to confirming the
identity of a claimant and checking and collating their original
documentation.
The Agent who are acting on behalf of ADC and will be held responsible for any
misinformation gathered where any member of their staff have not properly
followed the DSS/ADC guidance on verifying identify and original documents.
An Agent’s staff who undertake the VF checking will be trained by ADC
Authorised Officers and an will be independently certified.
Housing
Associations:
·
with a structure that consists of a head of paid service and
·
more than one full-time employee below that position; and
·
have signed the ADC Social Housing Contract
Other organisations will be considered on their merits.
The following would be recognised as being favourable points, although
they are not exclusive:
·
a structure that consists of a head of paid service;
·
and more than one full-time employee below that position who have welfare
benefits advice in their job
descriptions and
·
members of a recognised professional association
·
have a welfare advice training programme
·
commitment to public probity and disclosure
Any organisation that has been accepted as an Agent will be issued with an Agents Certificate. This certificate will run for 12 months and will have to be renewed. To obtain the certificate the Agent will have to comply with the following:
·
All staff – these have to those people directly employed by the agent –
that are to act on the Agent’s
behalf are
trained by ADC Authorised Officers in confirming identity and handing and
recording original
documents; and
·
That the Agent agrees to be audited to ensure that staff are following
processes correctly. (Audits will
normally be
notified but the council reserves the right to ad hoc audits where necessary).
Will be issued to a member of the agent’s
staff once they have been trained. The
training officers will sign these certificates.
The certificate will last for 12 month and then will have to be
renewed.
Where a claim is incorrectly paid due to
the information having been wrongly checked
[1]
by someone who holds a Staff Certificate then all of the Agent’s
Staff Certificates will be withdrawn and the Agent’s certificate will be
suspended. The offending member
of staff will not be accepted for a further certificate, while all other staff
will be retrained. The DSS, Audit
Commission and National Anti-Fraud Network will be made aware of the offending
member.
Where the breach is institutionalised or occurs more than once during the
lifetime of the Agent’s Certificate then the Agent’s Certificate will be
permanently withdrawn. The DSS, Audit Commission and National Anti-Fraud
Network will be made aware of the offending organisation.
Anytown District Council agree:
·
to train, certificate and audit the Agent and their staff; and
· to abide by the rules as outline in this document
signed by _____________________________________________ (Name block capitals)
Signature: __________________________________________ date: ___________
The Agent agree
· to confirm, and check identity and original documents; and
· Photocopy, stamp and sign original documents (undercover of a photocopy of the staff certificate)
· Be audited when necessary
· to abide by the rules as outline in this document
Agents Name:
__________________________________________________________
Address:
________________________________________________________________
signed by _____________________________________________ (Name block capitals)
Signature:
__________________________________________ date: ______________
___________
|
I |
here by certify
Acme
Housing Association
of Anothertown Road, Anytown
to act as an agent for
Anytown District
Council
as a
Verification
Officer
in
relation to checking the identity of claimants and confirming original
documents of Housing and/or Council
Tax Benefit
claimants
Signed Malcolm Gardner
Malcolm Gardner
Benefit Manger
for Anytown District
Council
dated this 2nd
Day of January 2001
|
I |
here by certify
Karen Taylot
Of
Acme Housing Association
of
Anothertown Road, Anytown
to
act as an agent for
Anytown District Council
as
a
Verification Officer
in
relation to checking the identity of claimants and confirming original
documents of Housing and/or Council
Tax Benefit
Claimants
Signed
Malcolm Gardner, Benefit
Manager for Anytown
District Council
Dated this 1st Day of January 2001
[1] This is where the process has not been correctly followed, rather than where the documents have been forged to such a high degree that the person undertaking the check would not have reasonably recognised the error.