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Are the DWP tightening up on the regulations to make life difficult for claimants?
portly1
Posts: 283 Forumite
It seems to me that the DWP are making more of an effort to find reasons as to why monies owed should not be paid.
I lodged an appeal against a decision within the time limit, but unfortunately failed to give complete reasons. There were two separate decisions, but both were linked to each other so I wrote on the GL24 that the appeal was about the overall situation that the two decisions were linked together.
They accepted the appeal against one of the decisions which I eventually won after over 12 months of argument. When I asked about the second of the two decisions they said that it hadn't been specifically appealed against!!!(on that basis neither had the first but they accepted it).
I then at their request put in another specific appeal this time, only to be told that it was now too late as 13 months had been and gone since the decision. They refused to entertain the appeal.
Such is life - that has lost me over £5000 of benefit that the first revised decision says that I am entitled to but won't get paid out because they refuse to accept the second appeal.
I lodged an appeal against a decision within the time limit, but unfortunately failed to give complete reasons. There were two separate decisions, but both were linked to each other so I wrote on the GL24 that the appeal was about the overall situation that the two decisions were linked together.
They accepted the appeal against one of the decisions which I eventually won after over 12 months of argument. When I asked about the second of the two decisions they said that it hadn't been specifically appealed against!!!(on that basis neither had the first but they accepted it).
I then at their request put in another specific appeal this time, only to be told that it was now too late as 13 months had been and gone since the decision. They refused to entertain the appeal.
Such is life - that has lost me over £5000 of benefit that the first revised decision says that I am entitled to but won't get paid out because they refuse to accept the second appeal.
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Comments
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They are not tightening up on the regulations, they are just working to the prescribed rule.0
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I'm shocked and flabbergasted that you have lost out on 5k Andy, I'd be complaining and go for compo on top it's so not fair
Its not that we have more patience as we grow older, its just that we're too tired to care about all the pointless drama
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They are not tightening up on the regulations, they are just working to the prescribed rule.
Yes, working to the letter in their favour.
They know full well what the original appeal was meant for. They even told me that the appeal is pretty obvious to what it refers to. It was they that suggested that the way forward was to spell it out that the clear intention was that the appeal covered the two decisions, it's just that I didn't make it absolutely clear to them at the time. It was the DWP that told me to put in this second GL24 to rectify things.
Then when I did, they kicked it out. I even have a letter from a Senior Decision Maker setting out what to say in my letter and accepting that it was just confusion on my part on how to word the original GL24.
What has happened to looking at things from the point of view of an ordinary person with no real knowledge of how things happen? What happened to discretion?
This is now the third time this year that I have been shafted by the DWP because I don't dot and cross every letter according to the regulations. I lost out on a backdated benefit because the date I signed the application form with the wrong date on it. The form was supposed to be returned by the 23rd. I signed it the 25th in error, but posted it on the 22nd.They told me that it was received in their post room and stamped the 23rd, but that they had to go by the date I put on the form.0 -
Goodness it's even worse than I thought, poor you xIts not that we have more patience as we grow older, its just that we're too tired to care about all the pointless drama0
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If you have the ability to fight for all you think you are due would you not be better using that energy into finding paid employment.
From what I see you are using a lot of energy trying to fight the system. Any complaints you make will be held on your records and you will probably end up worse off than before you started any claim.0 -
Your last paragraph has a sinister undertone.0
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Don't feed the troll0
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If you have the ability to fight for all you think you are due would you not be better using that energy into finding paid employment.
From what I see you are using a lot of energy trying to fight the system. Any complaints you make will be held on your records and you will probably end up worse off than before you started any claim.
I would have loved to have stayed at work - a job that I did for over 44 years.
Unfortunately poor health made it impossible to carry on so with deep regret I had to hand in my notice.
There is not a hope in hell that I could ever work again - far too many complicated illnesses.
Besides which I will receive my State Pension next year0 -
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