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Claims for pension credits – allowing low-income pensioners to also receive winter fuel payments – have seen a sharp rise since the government announced cost-cutting plans.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has withdrawn fuel payments to 10 million pensioners, to help plug what she called a £22 billion black hole in the public finances.
The decision announced in July has since resulted in 150,000 applications for pension credits, according to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
But only 42,500 of them were successful, thousands of them were rejected and others are awaiting a decision.
Most people will only be eligible for the new means-tested winter fuel payment if they have first registered for Pension Credit.
Some 150,000 pension credit applications have been made in the 16 weeks since July 29, when the Chancellor made her announcement.
This represents an increase of 145% compared to the previous 16 weeks. However, the number of people receiving pension credit has only increased by 17% over the same period.
The high number of refusals could be due to people who did not meet the criteria or who did not submit the 24-page, 223-question form correctly.
'Make a complaint'
The number of new applications represents only a small fraction of the 880,000 retirees estimated to be entitled to the benefit but who had not filed an application.
Those who apply before December 21 will receive backdated Pension Credit and Winter Fuel Allowance payments, and the DWP has deployed an additional 500 staff to process benefit applications.
Pensions Minister Emma Reynolds said: “We are pleased to see that more pensioners are now receiving pension credit and that our staff are processing applications as quickly as possible.
“As we approach December 21, my message is clear: check if you are eligible for Pension Credit and then apply for it, as this unlocks a range of benefits, including winter fuel payments. “
However, activists and opposition parties have criticized the delays.
The government's own data suggests a typical time frame of 10 weeks between filing an application and a final decision.
Liberal Democrat Treasury spokeswoman Daisy Cooper said the figures were “a damning indictment of the government's failure to protect pensioners this winter”.
“Millions of vulnerable pensioners are still at risk of losing their winter fuel payment just as the cold sets in,” she said.
The new winter fuel payment policy is still under scrutiny. The Unite union is pursuing legal action to overturn the decision.
In Scotland, ministers are reportedly finalizing additional measures to help those at risk of being left behind.
How some retirees can apply for assistance
An estimated 880,000 low-income pensioner households eligible for Pension Credit are currently unable to do so.
The government says this is worth on average £3,900 a year and says it can entitle people to other financial support such as winter fuel payments.
You can check your eligibility for pension credit via the government's online calculator.
Information is also available on how to make a complaint. A telephone line is also available during the week – 0800 99 1234.
There is a guide to benefits, when you are eligible and what to do if something goes wrong, provided by the independent government-backed website MoneyHelper.
Benefits calculators are also run by Policy in Practice and the charities Entitledto and Turn2us.
