THE parents of a teenager who had to give up work to stay at their dying daughter’s bedside have been told to pay back £8,000.
Sudiksha Thirumalesh, who had a rare mitochondrial disorder, died in hospital in September 2023 at the age of just 19.
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Her father Thirumalesh Chellamal Hemachandran and her mother Revathi Thirumalesh had to stop running their family shop to be at their daughter’s bedside, Sky News reports.
The couple, both 55, claimed carer’s allowance and Universal Credit, but they “weren’t aware” that Sudiksha’s hospitalisation meant they weren’t entitled to certain benefits.
Thirumalesh told the broadcaster: “My wife had to stay 24/7 in the intensive care unit because my daughter was profoundly deaf, and she needed a tracheostomy.
“Through the tracheostomy she wasn’t able to speak and she [her mother] was acting as the communicator between the medical treating team and my daughter.”
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The parents told the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) that their daughter was in hospital and received a letter stating: “The additional amount for a child will not be paid if the child or qualifying young person is temporarily absent from the household for six months or more.”
Sudiksha was in hospital for 14 months, meaning she was there for too long to qualify and her parents were told they had been overpaid by £4,738.30.
The DWP also said they owed £3,333.10 in overpaid carer’s allowance because they told the department “too late” that Sudiksha was in hospital
This means they now owe a total of £8071.40 to the government department.
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Her parents said they continued to care for her “day in, day out”, despite her hospitalisation.
Thirumalesh and Revathi said the debt is a “huge hardship” for them.
A Department for Work and Pensions spokesperson said: “We express our sympathies to Sudiksha Thirumalesh’s loved ones and are conducting a review of this case as a matter of urgency.”
10 PIP freebies worth up to £40k
When do you need to tell the DWP about a change of circumstance?
Millions of households receive benefits but you can land yourself in trouble if you don’t report a change of circumstance.
You need to tell the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) if you have experienced any one of 20 changes.
If you don’t and even if it’s a genuine mistake, you can be slapped with a £50 penalty and have to pay the overpaid benefit back.
If you are found to have deliberately not reported a change in circumstances, you could be committing benefit fraud.
Therefore, it’s worth knowing the circumstances that you need to tell the DWP about. They are:
- changing your name or gender
- finding or finishing a job, or working different hours
- your income going up or down
- starting or stopping education, training or an apprenticeship
- moving house
- people moving into or out of the place you live (for example your partner, a child or lodger)
- the death of your partner or someone you live with
- having a baby
- starting or stopping caring for someone
- getting married or divorced
- starting or ending a civil partnership
- planning to go abroad for any length of time
- going into hospital, a care home or sheltered accommodation
- any changes to your medical condition or disability
- changing your doctor
- changes to your pension, savings, investments or property
- changes to other money you get (for example student loans or grants, sick pay or money you get from a charity)
- changes to the benefits you or anyone else in your house gets
- you or your partner getting back-pay (sometimes called ‘arrears’) for salary or earnings you’re owed
- changes to your immigration status, if you’re not a British citizen
If you have experienced a change of circumstances not listed above, you should contact the DWP just in case to avoid any fines.
Universal Credit
HERE’S everything to know about Universal Credit:
How can I report a change of circumstances?
How you can report a change in circumstances varies depending on your benefit.
For example, if you are on Universal Credit, you can send a message on your journal, or speak to your work coach.
You can contact the Universal Credit helpline on 0800 328 5644, or you can textphone to 0800 328 1344 too.
The line is open between 8am and 6pm Monday to Friday.
If you want to speak to someone in Welsh, the number to call is 0800 012 1888.
The process is different if you are on Pension Credit, disability benefits, Housing Benefit or Child Benefit.
You should check out the government’s website for more information.
For all other benefits, you can report a change in circumstances via your Jobcentre Plus.
Remember, you’ll need your National Insurance number to hand.
What if I’m asked to repay money and it wasn’t my fault?
If the DWP believes you have been overpaid a benefit, it will write to you detailing what happened and how much you owe.
You can ask it to reassess your case if you don’t agree with its decision.
In your response, ask how it made its decision, as well as for a “mandatory reconsideration”.
You should then get another letter with the outcome of the reconsideration. If you still don’t agree, you can appeal the decision at a tribunal.
You can also make a complaint about the customer service you receive from the department.
Say you’re making a formal complaint and ask to initiate its complaints procedure, either in writing or over the phone.
A complaint resolution manager should look at your case and issue a final response.
It’s a good idea to keep hold of any correspondence when you make a benefit claim in case you have any issues down the track.
For example, if there is an error and you spot it, make sure to raise it with the relevant department and keep a record of this correspondence.
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If you aren’t satisfied with the response to your complaint, you can write to the independent case examiner for another opinion, but you must do so within six months of receiving a response.
Read our full guide on how to complain like a pro here.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing [email protected].
Plus, you can join our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories
