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Forum Home  →  Discussion  →  Universal credit administration  →  Thread

No more MRs over the phone for UC?

Rebecca Lough
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Welfare rights - Greenwich Council

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Joined: 23 November 2018

Just called up with a client who had been refused UC due to HRT. She had called up herself and been told she needed to go to gov.uk to do the MR (i.e. print off the template and send it off). I called up with the client and was told the same thing - that MRs could no longer be done over the phone. I pushed back including citing gov.uk and then he got his manager who said he could do it on his system (but additional powers were needed compared to his normal access). I was then allowed to do this on the phone with the original staff member. It was all fairly pleasant but required firm pushing.

Bit concerning - this is a destitute client who cannot write on the journal.

Has any guidance been issued anywhere? Anyone else experienced this?

Elliot Kent
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Shelter

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Gatekeeping attempts to make MRs over the phone for any one of a hundred arbitrary reasons isn’t new. I have long since stopped trying and just put them in writing.

benefitsadviser
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Sunderland West Advice Project

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I simply tell the DWP call handler that the CRMR1 MR form states at the top “You do not have to complete this form, you can call us and do it over the phone”
That usually shuts them up

Andyp5 Citizens Advice Bridport & District
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Citizens Advice Bridport & District

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Jess Strode
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Judicial Review Project | Child Poverty Action Group

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The judicial review pre-action letter template ‘JR6 UC failure to process phone/journal/face2face MR request (failure to provide MR decision/delay)’ has been recently updated, in case of use to anyone on this issue. Available at:  https://cpag.org.uk/welfare-rights/judicial-review/judicial-review-pre-action-letters/mandatory-reconsideration