C28/1997 NOTIFICATION OF DECISIONS FOR DISABILITY PENSION CLAIMS, APPLICATIONS FOR INCREASE AND WAR WIDOWS CLAIMS

DATE OF ISSUE:  1 MAY 1997

NOTIFICATION OF DECISIONS FOR DISABILITY PENSION CLAIMS, APPLICATIONS FOR INCREASE AND WAR WIDOWS CLAIMS

Purpose

This Instruction is to outline the procedures to be followed when a claim or application for increase is lodged with the assistance of an Ex-Service Organisation representatives.

Background

2.The Department encourages veterans and their dependants to seek the assistance of representatives when lodging claims or applications for increase.  When a representative is assisting the veteran or dependant a copy of the decision should be forwarded to the representative.  In death cases all correspondence should be forwarded to the representative.

3.While these requirements are longstanding and should be known to CCPS team members, the Department continues to receive widespread complaint to the effect that ESO representatives are not receiving copies of this documentation.  This information loop must be closed.

4.CCPS contains a facility to register details of the veterans representative.  This facility is used infrequently.

Procedure

5.Claims Assessors must complete representative details on CCPS when these are known.

6.When a claim is finalised and the claimant has nominated a representative, a copy of the advice letter needs to be made.  The original letter is sent to the claimant and the copy to the representative. For death cases where a representative has assisted all correspondence must be forwarded to the representative.

Future enhancements to CCPS

7.In the short term a warning message will be inserted into CCPS to alert Claims Assessors of the need to produce a copy of the decision letter for a representative.  This warning will only appear when the representative details are recorded on CCPS.

8.A longer term solution will be to amend CCPS so that a 2nd letter, for the representative, is produced at the same time as the claimants letter.

Peter Reece

DH Compensation and Support