Lodging an appeal using a GL24 form
If you want to appeal any decision that has been made about your
benefits, you can ask them to reconsider their decision before you start an
appeal. It is best to do this in
writing, to the address on your decision letter, so that you can prove that you
have done this within the correct time period. You have a month from date on your
decision letter to do this, unless there are special circumstances that cause a
delay, such as bereavement. You
will not be given longer than a month if the reason for the delay is that you
did not know or understand the law.
If you are still unhappy with the decision made, you may want to
complete a GL24 appeal form (although an appeal is not legally required to be on
that form). You need to check that
you have a right of appeal; some decisions have no right of appeal, but it
should say so in the decision letter.
You can get GL24 by asking the Department of Work and Pensions
for a copy by phone or letter, or by downloading information from their website
at http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/gl24dwp.pdf. This document
(called ‘If you think our decision is wrong’) explains the whole process, and
has a copy of the GL24 appeal form at the end, on pages
21-24.
A GL24 does not give you very much space to explain why you want
to appeal a decision, so you may want to attach additional sheets.
If you do, please remember to put your name and National Insurance number
on every page, and to sign it.
In order to make an appeal, it is not enough to just say that
you think they have got the decision wrong. You will need to say why, and explain
exactly how you think you meet the legal rules for
entitlement.
If you have been turned down for Employment and Support
Allowance, unfortunately it will not make any difference whether your GP thinks
you are unfit for work if you have failed the Work Capability
Assessment.
For Employment and Support Allowance you will need to explain
which points should have been awarded and why. If you think you should be in the
support group, you will need to say exactly what grounds you have for thinking
so. This means you need to have a
good understanding of the rules of entitlement. You may need some help to understand
this.
For Disability Living Allowance, you need to explain which
component (mobility or care) you are appealing against.
If you are happy with the decision that has been made about one
component, please be very careful to explain that.
You also need to suggest which rate you think should have been awarded
and why. Again, this means you
need to have a good understanding of the rules of entitlement, and you may need
some help to understand this.
It is extremely helpful if you can provide additional medical
evidence at this stage. In our
experience you are unlikely to get a decision changed just because you think it
should be – the decision maker needs a reason to think the original decision was
wrong.
You need to send all of your appeal documents to the benefits
office that your decision letter was from. It gives them a chance to look at your
file again, and they can change their decision at this time.
If they change the decision in your favour (even if you do not get
everything you were asking for) your appeal will lapse (stop).
If you still do not think they have got the decision right, you have to
call them or write to them and tell them you want the appeal to
continue.
This situation will be changing later in 2013.
From September onwards, you can only ask the benefits office to
reconsider their decision, and if they refuse you will need to send your appeal
directly to Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals
Service.
If you want to appeal any decision that has been made about your
benefits, you can ask them to reconsider their decision before you start an
appeal. It is best to do this in
writing, to the address on your decision letter, so that you can prove that you
have done this within the correct time period. You have a month from date on your
decision letter to do this, unless there are special circumstances that cause a
delay, such as bereavement. You
will not be given longer than a month if the reason for the delay is that you
did not know or understand the law.
If you are still unhappy with the decision made, you may want to
complete a GL24 appeal form (although an appeal is not legally required to be on
that form). You need to check that
you have a right of appeal; some decisions have no right of appeal, but it
should say so in the decision letter.
You can get GL24 by asking the Department of Work and Pensions
for a copy by phone or letter, or by downloading information from their website
at http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/gl24dwp.pdf. This document
(called ‘If you think our decision is wrong’) explains the whole process, and
has a copy of the GL24 appeal form at the end, on pages
21-24.
A GL24 does not give you very much space to explain why you want
to appeal a decision, so you may want to attach additional sheets.
If you do, please remember to put your name and National Insurance number
on every page, and to sign it.
In order to make an appeal, it is not enough to just say that
you think they have got the decision wrong. You will need to say why, and explain
exactly how you think you meet the legal rules for
entitlement.
If you have been turned down for Employment and Support
Allowance, unfortunately it will not make any difference whether your GP thinks
you are unfit for work if you have failed the Work Capability
Assessment.
For Employment and Support Allowance you will need to explain
which points should have been awarded and why. If you think you should be in the
support group, you will need to say exactly what grounds you have for thinking
so. This means you need to have a
good understanding of the rules of entitlement. You may need some help to understand
this.
For Disability Living Allowance, you need to explain which
component (mobility or care) you are appealing against.
If you are happy with the decision that has been made about one
component, please be very careful to explain that.
You also need to suggest which rate you think should have been awarded
and why. Again, this means you
need to have a good understanding of the rules of entitlement, and you may need
some help to understand this.
It is extremely helpful if you can provide additional medical
evidence at this stage. In our
experience you are unlikely to get a decision changed just because you think it
should be – the decision maker needs a reason to think the original decision was
wrong.
You need to send all of your appeal documents to the benefits
office that your decision letter was from. It gives them a chance to look at your
file again, and they can change their decision at this time.
If they change the decision in your favour (even if you do not get
everything you were asking for) your appeal will lapse (stop).
If you still do not think they have got the decision right, you have to
call them or write to them and tell them you want the appeal to
continue.
This situation will be changing later in 2013.
From September onwards, you can only ask the benefits office to
reconsider their decision, and if they refuse you will need to send your appeal
directly to Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals
Service.