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Forum Home  →  Discussion  →  Work capability issues and ESA  →  Thread

MR request being refused over the phone…

efloyd
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Financial & social inclusion officer - Isos Housing, Newcastle

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Total Posts: 89

Joined: 16 June 2010

Hi,
Is anyone else finding that MR requests (particularly for ESA) are being refused over the phone and the claimant is being told they must request an MR in writing?

Thanks

Elaine

efloyd
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Financial & social inclusion officer - Isos Housing, Newcastle

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Total Posts: 89

Joined: 16 June 2010

I was hoping it was just an anomaly - but obviously not…

Mike Hughes
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Senior welfare rights officer - Salford City Council Welfare Rights Service

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Another thread mentioned new guidance on this from the 15th of January 2016 stating that requests must now be in writing. Nothing else has changed though so my line to claimants is carry on as you are. Try once and if no joy then phone down and try again. Tedious but predictably effective.

efloyd
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Financial & social inclusion officer - Isos Housing, Newcastle

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Thank you for replies.
I’ve just rang DWP and spoke to a very jolly advisor - he said MRs can be taken over the phone and there has been no guidance to state otherwise…..so just to carry on as before : /

Dan_Manville
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Mental health & welfare rights service - Wolverhampton City Council

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It might be PIP but I’ve recently seen a recon made over the phone rejected because they didn’t receive written consent.

Peter Turville
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Welfare rights worker - Oxford Community Work Agency

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Decision notices still encourage contact by phone.
Not only have we experienced refusal to take a MR application over the phone (or being told by the contact centre it can only be taken over the phone on a call back from the processing centre) but also refusals to accept a written application without a letter of authority (they were for DLA, on our letter head and countersigned by the claimants). However there is no requirement for an application for revision (for that is all an MR is after all) to be made in writing, signed by the claimant or accompanied the claimants authority.

All in a day’s work!