The Social Security (Miscellaneous Amendments) (No.2) Regulations 1997
These Regulations amend the Social Security (Claims and Payments) Regulations 1987 (S.I. 1987/1968) in the following respects:the requirements for making a claim in the case of a claim for income support or jobseeker’s allowance are amended, so that except in specified circumstances, such a claim must be made in writing on a form approved by the Secretary of State and in accordance with the instructions on the form, and must include any information or evidence which the form may require (regulation 2);the time limits for claiming benefit are amended so that the maximum time for which entitlement to benefit may be backdated is three months for all benefits (regulations 4 to 7);in respect of certain benefits, backdating of claims is only possible where the claimant was unable to claim earlier because of one of a number of specified reasons; also the time for claiming benefit may be extended for up to one month at the discretion of the Secretary of State where other specified circumstances apply (regulation 6);the provisions on the date of claim are amended so that for specified claims, where a properly completed claim is received within one month of first notification of intention to make a claim, the date of claim shall be the date of that notification. Special rules apply in a claim for jobseeker’s allowance (regulation 3);in specified circumstances, where a claim for benefit has been refused, and a second claim is later made for the same benefit, the second claim will be treated as made on the date of the first claim (regulation 3).