‘You can still use your Post Office Card Account to collect benefits’ – McNulty | Latest Newry News, Newry Sport and Newry Business for Newry City

‘You can still use your Post Office Card Account to collect benefits’ – McNulty

SDLP Assembly Member for Newry and Armagh Justin McNulty MLA has advised benefit recipients who use the Post Office to collect their benefits that they have a choice to keep using their Post Office Card Account (POCA).

justin4Speaking to Newry Times, McNulty said, “In recent months many benefit recipients have received a letter expecting them to change from using their usual Post Office Card Account to a bank, building society or credit union account.

“Yes, these letters are genuine however they are extremely misleading. We have been advised that customers who use this service can continue to lift their benefit payments at the Post Office using their POCA.

“Unfortunately due to the wording of this letter many have already made the change. If you have already received a letter or receive one in the future, you must ring the number provided and state that you wish to keep using your Post Office account. It is disappointing the many felt forced into this change when it wasn’t necessary.

Article continues below:

jan-2017“It was only announced in December 2014 that the government contract had been renewed to secure the future of Post Office Card Account until at least November 2021. Post Offices, especially in many rural areas are the last public service left and any attempt to strip this service from them must be rejected. It is convenient for and trusted by those who use them.

McNulty added, “This service is not only important to Post Office branch survival, it is important to the elderly and vulnerable people who use it to collect their benefit payments every week.”

Short URL: https://newrytimes.com/?p=59003

Posted by on Jan 19 2017. Filed under Community. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

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