clearing time for MR requests

So the average clearing time for an MR request is 13 days (says the DWP) and the number of requests are reducing - so why then am I currently warning my client’s of a wait of at least 8 weeks maybe longer? Am I just being too negative when speaking to the clients or are some MR requests decided before the application for MR is made. It’s the only way I can see that that time frame is actual rather than one pulled out of the air that may have happened in one office on one day sometime last year

Next they’ll be telling me they’ll be no more sanctions till advice services are back at full capacity following the Christmas break.

Not meaning to be cynical.

13 weeks bears no relation to my experience. Weeks and months, plus reminders are required. Some areas could be super-fast I suppose?

As for numbers reducing, could that be owing to the insistence on ‘explanation’ by phone that holds up MR requests and confuses clients?

Well, 25% of MR decisions are taking longer than 30 calendar days, or 1 in 4 applications. That’s more than 40,000 cases which they state are either more complex or where information requested hasn’t been provided. However, we don’t have any information on the longer timescales but I would guess these represent a significant number of the people you’re seeing.

“When a claimant makes contact with DWP to dispute a decision, they will be offered a detailed explanation of the decision (in addition to information about the decision contained in the decision notification). If this does not resolve the dispute, the next stage of the process is a Mandatory Reconsideration.”

That’s one way of reducing the recorded time: don’t log it as an MR until you have been through at least one wholly superfluous extra-statutory round of correspondence.

I suspect they cheat after that stage as well by only recording it as received at the point when it arrives in the in-tray of the person who will issue the final decision: any time the MR has spent on a national tour of various tiers of DWP’s internal administration will not be counted.

Our record for a MR decision is about 12 months.

We have had clients being called back by the DWP after lodging their MR and “persuaded” to subsequently withdraw their request and being told they have no chance of success and the dedcision won’t be changed.

Also client being incorrectly advised that by submitting an MR their live ESA claim (WRAG) payments will stop and they will need to claim JSA if they want any money.

Bullying tactics.

My record so far is 8 months from initial request.  It took a number of phone calls, 2 complaints and an MP to get it dealt with.

Heading to appeal now.  Interestingly, the appeal papers have it recorded that the MR was done in 2 days - from the date the MP contacted them rather than the point the initial request was made or any other of the contacts made.

A resounding success for the stats….....