Transfer to support group without appeal

I thought I would share my experience and thank this site for the help and support with the guides and information from other members in the forum.

I was representing a relative who has severe mental health problems. I had 2 weeks to get an appeal put together and submitted by 31/3/12. It took until 25/7/12 for the DWP to review the original decision with no change so the papers were sent to the appeal tribunal. With the help of the guides, I had requested additional information from DWP back in March. As I had problems getting them to deal with me as a representative, although they had an authority letter from the claimant, I wrote to David Cameron. Eventually the complaint was investigated with a profuse apology from DWP. They promised to supply the information I had requested back in March.

This had still not been received by end of August so wrote again to DWP at beginning and end of September without any response. I had also sent in a more detailed GP report in August and I had asked DWP if this had been considered. I received a date for the appeal by the middle of October. The appeal was set for middle of December and still no response to my September letters.

I then phoned the DWP Manager contact I had from my previous complaint. He was very helpful and promised to call me back in 10 minutes as the claimants file was in the basement. He did call back and had found my September letters. He said he would get a Decision Maker to review the case. By 10:30 the following day the DWP reversed their original decision and placed the claimant in the support group.

I have found that you have to keep badgering the DWP and not be afraid to complain to politicians.

Well done for persevering with this and getting the result you were looking for.

Crumbs this sounds so familiar! I'm also representing a relative with severe mental health problems and am constantly struggling to get DWP to deal with me, despite several letters giving me authorisation which OUGHT to be on file. Also can't get them to send documents explaining their decisions - without which it's so difficult to mount a strong appeal. The standard DWP helpdesk people can get really rude and agressive if you ask anything other than the simplest question, but occasionally you get through to a human being in the DWP who listens and trys to help (there's a lovely lady in the Workington Jobcentre who deserves a medal or at least big hug!). I thought the analogy for dealing with the computer generated nonsense letters, the lost papers, the jobsworths and the disconnected layers of responsibility etc was "like nailing jelly to the ceiling" - but Gordon's image of the cat tangled ball of wool works for me.

Hi Smith49
Congratulations for your dogged effort, the old saying "persistance pays off", well here's the proof, very well done.

Regards, Derek