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Forum Home  →  Discussion  →  Decision making and appeals  →  Thread

MR process

S2uABZ
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Money adviser - Aberdeen City Council Financial Inclusion Team

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Total Posts: 130

Joined: 17 June 2010

Looking for some feedback/advice on the Mandatory Reconsideration process, especially with regards to PIP.

As soon as the decision letter arrives I call and ask for a copy of the health report (PA4).

However, the PA4 arrives, then before I get the chance to gather evidence etc. the MR decision letter is sent out with no change, leaving the client with no option but to go to Tribunal.

Do you have to request a 28 days ‘extension’ to the decision making process when requesting the PA4? Can’t find information regarding this.

Many thanks

Elliot Kent
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Joined: 14 July 2014

A few thoughts:

-Its a pretty common view that the MR process has such poor success rates (and the successes which it does produce are so difficult to predict) that claimants are better served by sending bare-bones MR requests than in-depth analysis of PA4s. This at least reduces delay overall.

-The DWP appear to be taking your PA4 requests as MR requests. Perhaps it’s the way you’re wording it?

-You can’t get an extension to request a PA4. Delay in getting a PA4 might be accepted as good reason for a late MR but this is decided after the fact. You could get an extension by asking for written reasons as well as a PA4.

-There’s nothing to stop you asking for further reconsideration after the first MRN.

Hope that’s of some use.

S2uABZ
forum member

Money adviser - Aberdeen City Council Financial Inclusion Team

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Total Posts: 130

Joined: 17 June 2010

Thanks for that. I often go along the ‘bare bones’ route as the percentage of MR’s overturned are so low compared to Tribunal successes.