Caselaw summaries

Jobseeker's allowance (JSA) – backdating for incorrect information by an ‘officer of the DWP’ – employee of A4e exercising delegated functions as a work programme provider not an ‘officer of the DWP’

Employment and support allowance (ESA) – tribunals – if a claimant requests an oral hearing but does not turn up, ‘it is not enough simply to check the tribunal records to see that they were properly notified of their hearing. It is also important to double-check whether any communications have been received from the claimant’

Employment and support allowance (ESA) - mobilising – wheelchair use – need to show reasonableness and make findings of fact about ability

Employment and support allowance (ESA) housing costs – supersession to award housing costs is always effective from the end of the qualifying period for such costs

Personal independence payment (PIP) – tribunals – should not assume that a claimant who has said that s/he is unable to attend a hearing that has been listed for hearing a considerable distance from her/his home would not want to attend a rescheduled hearing that was closer

Capital – legal ownership and beneficial ownership

Personal independence payment (PIP) – tribunals – claimant told tribunal appeal only about mobility component, not about daily living component

Personal independence payment (PIP) - transfer from disability living allowance (DLA) to personal independence payment (PIP) – potential relevance of DLA award to PIP decision

Working tax credit (WTC) – disability element

Mental health descriptors – use of aids and appliances not taken into account