UC Work assessment

Hi Longbow

I don't know when your brother received a decision letter, but he needs to put in for a Mandatory Reconsideration within one month of the date on the letter. We have a guide that tells you the process, but it is not correct to say that it has to be done online.

You can ask for a mandatory
reconsideration by writing to the address on the top of your decision letter or by using form
CRMR1 or by telephoning the DWP on the number given in the letter.

You should also note

It is normal practice for the DWP to issue a written statement of the reasons for their
decision with the initial decision notice. However, if the statement of reasons has not been
provided to you, and you request it within one month of the decision, then the DWP should
extend the one month reconsideration time limit by two weeks.

Beware! If the reasons were included in the original decision letter, but you did not realise
this perhaps because they were so brief and general, then the time limit may not be
extended. We would very strongly advise that you keep within the one month time limit
unless you have an extension in writing from the DWP. You can always send in further
evidence to support your case after your reconsideration request has been made.

So I would suggest that you check your brother's letter just to see if they have given a reason for their decision. If they haven't - put in for the MR (regardless) and make a request for the written statement of reasons and don't be fobbed off by a call handler that clearly did not know what they were talking about!

BIS

longbow

I'm afraid there is no central address that you can use, just the address on the Decision Letter.

Your problem is that brother has what is called an online UC account, this means that the DWP will only interact with him via his journal, unfortunately, when UC was set up nobody considered the legislation that is used for MRs which allows a request to be made via the journal, a phone call or in writing to the DWP, It's not that the call centre staff are being difficult, they simply have no training in this situation.

It should be possible to request a Statement of Reasons from the Decision Maker, however, in the nearly ten years I have been moderating I can count on one hand with fingers to spare the number of times that I have seen one produced.

Being realistic, if you have received the assessment report then you are not now going to get a SoR.

The assessment report should indicate what he scored, it won't show the points but the assessor should have indicated which Descriptors if any, they were recommending.

Gordon