Example
Ms C applied for food and living expenses having lost her bag containing the majority of her benefits income. The applicant suffered from anxiety and depression and was in receipt of Job Seekers Allowance (JSA).
The council refused the application on the basis that the applicant has received a total of five awards in the current rolling 12 month period and that one of the previous awards was for very similar circumstances. They upheld their decision at first tier.
Ms C askes SPSO for an independent review. We agreed with the council’s assessment. The applicant had very recently received a crisis grant award for lost money, and on that occasion was advised not to withdraw all of her money at once to avoid the potential for this situation to happen again. We considered that, in line with s7.23 of the Guidance, that this application could not be considered as exceptional when compared to previous applications, and that it was not possible to demonstrate no fault or responsibility on behalf of the applicant, particularly given that she had recently been awarded in an almost identical situation.