Page 83 - Reforming Benefits Decision-Making

mandatory reconsideration over the phone are being told they have to do so in
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writing. We have also been told by advisers that requests made in writing
by post often never appear on the claimant’s UC account.

3.17 Advisors told us that they can often experience problems when trying to
submit mandatory reconsiderations on behalf of their clients because they are
told that they do not have the necessary consent, even when authorisation has
been provided by their client.

Procedural barriers

3.18 In addition, CPAG has flagged the following issues, identified from their
‘early warning system’:
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a) Some claimants have had difficulties accessing their previous online
accounts when a claim is refused before their first benefits payment. To
dispute the refusal, they must start a new claim before sending an online
message.
b) Some claimants are being dissuaded by DWP officials from requesting
mandatory reconsideration, for example they are told that the request is
unlikely to be successful, the decision is not appealable, or are
encouraged to have a journal chat with their work coach.
c) Mandatory reconsiderations have been refused because advisors have
unlawfully told claimants that further evidence is required. Often
claimants will not be able to provide this evidence and will abandon their
claim.
d) Mandatory reconsideration requests are sometimes refused and claimants
are told to submit a change of circumstances instead. However, a change
of circumstances only changes an award going forward. Claimants will
therefore lose out on back payments they are entitled to.

228 B. Stacey, Blunt, bureaucratic and broken: How Universal Credit is failing people in vulnerable
situations (Z2K, November 2020) pp. 18-19.
229 Child Poverty Action Group, ‘Early Warning System E-Bulletin – February 2020’ (March 2020).
CPAG’s early warning system collates case studies and evidence to demonstrate the impact of changes
in the social security system on the wellbeing of children their families and the communities and
services that support them. See S. Howes and K. Jones, Computer Says ‘No!’ Stage 2: challenging
decisions (see n. 198 above).

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