Hundreds of thousands of elderly people are still visiting their local Post Office to collect weekly pension payments, despite Government orders for the over-70s to stay at home.
Latest figures show the Government has written to just 27,000 retirees with guidance on alternative ways to collect their payments - meaning many could still be making weekly trips that could put them at risk of catching the life-threatening Covid-19.
Around 900,000 people currently use the Post Office Card Account (POca) system to access their pensions and benefits, the Department for Work and Pensions said.
These POca customers need to leave the house to access their payments via the Post Office.
The DWP said it launched a new service on April 10 to help these pensioners access their cash without leaving home - though figures show just 27,000 pensioners have been contacted.
A spokesman told Mirror Money that those in the 'shielding group' have been advised on alternative ways to access their money.
It means more than 870,000 are still in limbo about their options.
"The Department has worked tirelessly to identify those older, vulnerable customers who urgently require help to access their payments," a parliamentary statement said on Monday.
"For those needing help, DWP Visiting Officers are able to discuss a number of options available to customers over the phone and we have worked closely with Post Office Ltd to provide contact free cash payments by Royal Mail Special Delivery to support the most vulnerable, with guaranteed next day delivery.
"This cash service adds to a range of measures we are using to support these individuals shielding at home."
However experts say huge delays could be putting elderly people at risk.
Whilst most pension payments are made directly into bank accounts via 'automated credit transfer', around 900,000 people still receive them in branch or via the Post Office Card Account.
This means they may only be able access their money by going in person to a post office or by sharing their card details with friends or family members - which poses fraud risks.
Steve Webb at pension consultancy firm LCP said the move could be leaving many without access to their cash entirely.
"It is good that DWP has special schemes to help people obtain cash in these difficult times," the former pensions minister said.
"But with nearly a million people normally getting pensions and benefits in cash via a Post Office, it is worrying that less than 30,000 have been contacted directly by the DWP to discuss alternatives.
"There must be a concern that some pensioners feel they have no choice but to break shielding rules in order to get cash from a post office, or that others are simply going without. DWP should publish data on how many pensioners have stopped collecting cash since the crisis began and set out a strategy for reaching them."
A DWP spokesman told Mirror Money that anyone concerned about how to access their money should call its helpline to discuss alternative payment methods.
"This is an unfair and inaccurate interpretation of the Government’s swift action to support the most vulnerable," a statement said.
"We are committed to supporting people through these challenging times, working closely with the Post Office and National Shielding Service, to ensure everyone is protected.
"We’ve contacted tens of thousands of pensioners who have no alternative payment arrangements in place, and a range of other payment options already exist for hundreds of thousands of Post Office card account holders."
In November 2019, the Government announced measures to increase most state pension rates by 3.9% in line with the annual growth in earnings, at the same time as announcing an end to the benefit freeze.
This meant that on 6 April 2020, the full rate of the basic State Pension increased from £129.20 to £134.25 per week and the full rate of the new State Pension increased from £168.60 to £175.20 per week - with working age benefits uprated by inflation.
How else can I collect my money
These are the DWP's alternative options for those unable to collect their payments.
- Appointees - an individual can be authorised by the Department to act on a customer's behalf if the customer is incapable of managing their own affairs when making a claim or managing their affairs when in receipt of benefit or pension.
- Permanent agents - an individual permitted by the customer to collect payment from the Post Office on their behalf.
- A Payment Exception Service, which provides payment of cash via PayPoint outlets.
- Where customers require urgent assistance they will be contacted by a DWP Visiting Officer, who can (in exceptional circumstances) arrange for payment to be made via Royal Mail Special Delivery.
- We have been writing to Post Office card account users since 2015 to request that they change their payment method to a standard account.
