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Can You Tell Me More About Appeals?
We make all sorts of decisions about your claim for Housing Benefits and Council Tax Benefit:
- Whether you can claim Benefit at all.
- How much you will get paid.
- How it is paid.
- When it starts and stops.
- If you have been paid too much.
- If we can ask you to pay back overpaid Benefit.
- Whether your claim can be backdated.
….and many more.
We aim to make the right decision at all times, but you may not agree and you may then ask us to reconsider the decision we have made.
What happens when I make a claim?
We work out how much Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit we can pay you based on the information and evidence that you provide with your claim form. When we have processed your claim we send you a Decision Letter, which tells you how much Benefit we can pay you and how we have worked it out.
What if I have a query about how you have worked out my entitlement?
If, after reading the Decision Letter, you would like some more information about how we have worked out your Benefit, you can write and asked us for a detailed explanation. This explanation is called a Statement of Reasons.
What do I do if I disagree with the decision?
If you think that our decision is wrong, you can write and ask us to look at it again, but you must do this within one month of the date of the Decision Letter. We call this a request for a Reconsideration. You will need to explain clearly why you think our decision is wrong, and send in any extra information, that you think we might need to know.
What happens if I disagree with the outcome of the Reconsideration?
If you disagree with the outcome of the Reconsideration you can ask for your case to be heard by the Tribunals Service at an Independent Tribunal.
What if I want to complain about the way my claim for Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit has been, or is being dealt with?
We have a straightforward procedure to deal with Complaints about Housing and Council Tax Benefit.
What if I have a complaint about another aspect of the Council's service?
We have produced a leaflet called ‘Tell Us What You Think’ that you can use to make complaints, comments and/or compliments relating to any of the Councils services, including Housing and Council Tax Benefit.
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