Appeals
Once we have decided how much benefit you will get, we will send you a letter telling you how it was worked out. You will need to read this letter carefully because it tells you your appeal rights. Once you have received your letter you can ask us for an explanation, ask us to look at our decision again or appeal directly to an independent tribunal.
Asking for an explanation
If you think a decision is wrong or you want to know more, you can ask us to explain it. We will send you a letter telling you how we came to our decision. This is called a "statement of reasons".
Asking for the decision to be looked at again
If you think the decision is wrong you can ask us to look at our decision again. This request must be received within one month of the date of your notification letter or our explanation. If you have asked for a statement of reason, the month can be extended by time it took for us to reply.
Another officer will look at your claim again. The new officer may decide that the original decision is correct or change your entitlement. We will send you a letter saying if the assessor who looked at the claim again agrees with the original decision. If not we will explain why. This is called a "reconsideration"
If you still disagree with the outcome of the reconsideration or wish to appeal directly
If you are unhappy with the decision, you can appeal. The appeal must be received within the time limits. This is within one month of the date of the decision letter. If you have asked for a statement of reasons, the month can be extended by time that it took for us to reply.
We will look at our decision again; if we think our decision is correct, the appeal will be decided by the Appeals Service at an independent tribunal.
Any request for your claim to be looked at again or for an appeal must be in writing and signed by you. You must also tell us why you think the decision is wrong. If your request is later than the one month from the date of our original notification letter you should tell us why it is late.
For further information please see our leaflet on your appeal rights.
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