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Forum Home  →  Discussion  →  Decision making and appeals  →  Thread

Debt Management Directorate

Steve_h
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Welfare Rights- AIW Health

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Total Posts: 193

Joined: 24 June 2010

In April 2010, we submitted a valid GL24 to the Debt Management Directorate to appeal against an overpayment of income support.
We heard nothing, not even a confirmation that the appeal had been received.
We recently phoned them to get progress on the case. They told us that a Decision Maker has looked at the claim again but upheld the original decision. They wrote to the client at the end of April 2010 to tell her. So we asked them if they were now preparing a response to the Appeal by the Secretary of State to send to all Parties including the Tribunal Service. They said NO. They said the client will have to send them a “Formal Appeal” and give fresh valid grounds for the appeal.
We said that this is wrong and that they must send a response to the Appeal (Appeal Papers etc) to us and the client and the Tribunal Service.
They said NO.
So, we have now sent a letter to the Tribunal Service to ask for a Direction from a Tribunal Judge that the SoS issue a response to our appeal.

Has anyone else had an issue like this with the Debt Management Directorate?

SharonBoyd
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Business Improvement Lead, Glasgow Housing Association

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No, but we are having the same issue with our Local Authority who are doing the same with appeals that we have submitted.  I wonder if it’s a guidance thing?

Ariadne
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Social policy coordinator, CAB, Basingstoke

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Some local authorities do this all the time - it’s very annoying and time-wasting.

Ruth_T
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Volunteer adviser - Corby Borough Welfare Rights & CAB

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I think the probem relates to what, exactly, is being appealed.  There are two issues:
1. The entitlement decision, which is appealed to the local BDC.
2. The decision on recoverability, which is appealed to the Debt Management Centre.

If the wording of the appeal is not crystal clear and/or goes to the wrong department, there is a tendency for the two sections to play one off against the other.

Kevin D
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Independent HB/CTB administrator, consultant & trainer (Essex)

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Ariadne - 25 August 2010 05:56 PM

Some local authorities do this all the time - it’s very annoying and time-wasting.

Seconded.  And some of those LAs do it quite deliberately.

Pete C
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Pete at CAB

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I have had the same problems and have had to resort to sending copies of overpayment appeals to Debt Management as well as DLA/ local BDC, if we just send them to the local BDC then debt management don’t seem to realise it’s under appeal and begin recovery anyway.