Need Advice- Community Welfare Officer & Cohabiting Problem

chickencrazy

I have been waiting to receive the go ahead for job seekers allowance after my benefit was cut off and was told to apply to the community welfare officer. I did that and today he rang me. I am currently living with a friend and he answered the phone as I thought it was somebody else looking for me (I have been receiving calls from a guy i'm not interested in), my friend answered the phone and they asked was I there and he said no this was her "boyfriend" what did the he want etc. My friend didnt realise that it was the community welfare officer and continued to say no I wasn't there on-till he realised it was somebody and else handed me the phone. The community officer now thinks I am co-habiting, even though I told him I wasn't and even my friend got back on the phone and told him we weren't a couple. He said he would have to investigate the matter, so I told him I want to refrain from the claim then as he was really rude and beyond the point of believing me. I have applied for job seekers allowance and now i'm pretty sure they will stop my claim as a single dependant if he reports this matter.

Has anybody had any similar experience? How to they "investigate" it further? Does he have to report this incident up the chain? I have nothing to hid but the welfare officer was appallingly rude.

Gatling

Be up front and tell the truth and comply with any request for information they ask for ,

Of course they have to investigate your current cohabiting situation

Are they aware your cohabiting with someone or down as single /opf

chickencrazy

I have applied as a single. I told them I have been living with this friend from the beginning as he is the one who is on the lease/PTRB, its just really bad luck that this incident happened today

Do you know what happens re: investigations? Just I have sort of dragged my friend into this and he's a really private person, although he'd have no problem helping me out I just feel guilty.

mrsbyrne

I think it would help if you tried to look at it from the CWO point of view. You applied for SWA as a single person and explained that you were house sharing with a male friend.
The CWO rings the phone number that you provided and a man answers the phone. The man insists that he's your boyfriend repeatedly and, further, insists that your not even present, before eventually handing the phone to you. You then verbally close the claim over the phone when the CWO announces that further investigations will now commence.
If you were the CWO what would you do?