DWP agrees to request of Tribunal Procedure Committee to introduce time limits for responses to appeals from decision makers New guidance advises that time limits will be closely monitored from 28 October 2013 and will be measured as a target from October 2014 23 October, 2013 The DWP has agreed to the request of the Tribunal Procedure Committee to introduce time limits for responses to appeals from decision makers. In new guidance, What to do when a claimant wants to appeal against a DWP benefit decision, provided as a link from the October 2013 Stakeholder Bulletin, the DWP confirms that disputes and appeals process changes were introduced in April 2013 for personal independence payment and universal credit, and will roll out across all other DWP benefits on 28 October 2013. The DWP goes on to say - The key changes to the appeals process are: Mandatory Reconsideration - The claimant must give DWP the opportunity to reconsider our decision formally before they’re able to make an appeal. We will issue the claimant with a Mandatory Reconsideration Notice (MRN) with a full explanation of the decision makers reasoning once this has taken place. Direct lodgement - The claimant must lodge their appeal directly with HMCTS and not DWP. They must send a copy of the MRN with their appeal. Time Limits – DWP has agreed with the Tribunal Procedure Committee that these changes are a chance to introduce time limits for how long DWP has to issue a response to an individual appeal. These will be 28 days for DWP and 42 days for Child Maintenance Group. Time limits will be closely monitored from 28 October 2013, and will be measured as a target from October 2014. NB - the Tribunal Procedure (Amendment) Rules 2013, issued in March 2013, provide for measures introducing time limits for responses to appeals from decision makers to come into force on 1 October 2014.
Posted on: Wed, 23 Oct 2013 23:46:38 +0000