The time limit for doing repeat applications has just been changed from 6 months to 28 days. I haven't seen it publicised anywhere and no legislation is required so it's easy to miss. But basically it means if you miss the review date on a CCG or CL you can now just put in a fresh application with no problem

How did you found out? Have you got some sort of official confirmation?

Thnx

A colleague was in correspondence with someone at the IRS - she told him - he told me! But I've checked the SF guide myself on the DWP website (though they have a typo and have put 26 days not 28! - apparently they will be correcting this)

Cool! Thanks for posting this on the site. They didn't even put it in this month's issue of Touchbase! miserable so and so's...

Mind you, with the backlog they're currently dealing with on CCG's, I don't suppose they wanted to encourage a whole new batch of applications.

Funnily enough Tony one of the theories mooted doing the rounds was that the DWP were losing lots of direction 7 cases because they couldn't produce any paperwork full stop, so this was possibly done out of expediency rather than altruism.

Certainly in the couple of few weeks, i've had two IRS reviews (one was a direction 7), in which the DWP had lost the paperwork, so the SFI's had little to go on and we had to give them the info, got an internal review which appears to have gone from Bristol to Plymouth and then up to Exeter to a former SF DM who has now been re-wotsited as a temp to deal with backlog, who cared enough about our clients plight to give us a ring and we had to give them copies of paperwork (because all said individual had was limited info on computer) so they had something adequate to make a decision on.

now something on the IRS website too ...

'There are new rules about repeat applications with effect from 1 September 2008. Direction 7 now reads:

' A decision maker shall not determine an application for a crisis loan or grant from the social fund made within 28 days of a previous application by the same person for a crisis loan or grant for the same expense for which a payment has already been awarded or refused, unless there has been a relevant change of circumstances.'

http://www.irs-review.org.uk/whatnew/new.htm#repeat

plus the dwp has now corrected the dmg ....