Sanctions and MR

Now please don’t look at me askance; I’ve just picked up my first JSA sanction case. It’s the first JSA case I have seen in a looong time. Most of my clients are much too ill to consider the swings and roundabouts of JSA.

A person at our local JC; where I was directed to request the MR tells me that there must be a “detailed explanation” before a recon can be conducted. Now I know the DMA regs have changed recently but this is the first I’ve heard of it. Am I being fobbed off?

I shall now go off hunting, however people may know better than I so thought it’s worth the ask.

DWP senior managers must be extremely proud of this man.  He is obviously in way over his head having swallowed the script wholesale.  There is no legal requirement for detailed reasons at this stage (unless requested by the claimant), just a decision notice, a MR request and a decision on that.  I think he’s just reading from his head, and misunderstanding, the part of the script which says “we will contact the customer (urgh!) and explain to him, yada yada ya.

Thanks Paul

I do love a good conspiracy theory and can’t help but see another attempt to manage the appeal numbers…

I thought I’d follow up on this; it’s turned into a bit of a shower… Having called JC on Friday, I spoke to the wrong office to get the advice detailed above, gave up and put my request in the post.

I came back on Monday a bit worried about the imminent deadline, Xmas post and all, so tried ringing the correct office only to be told the same thing; they are compelled to provide the explanation before accepting an MR request.

So I emailed the manager and he duly accepted my request.

In his reply he advised that the initial explanation can be refused, however the policy is there to try and reduce the number of appeals as they’re expeensive and often without grounds.

In a nutshell they’re trying to discourage people from using their appeal rights.

So much for an article 6 right then!

I can’t help but wonder whether they’d have accepted the late revision request…

“In his reply he advised that the initial explanation can be refused, however the policy is there to try and reduce the number of appeals as they’re expeensive and often without grounds”.

Have you got that in writing?

Yep

Bar the speeling mistook

That was rather careless of him wasn’t it?

nevip - 18 December 2013 10:26 AM

That was rather careless of him wasn’t it?

dan dot manville at wolverhampton.gov.uk

;)