Written Answers. - Social Welfare Appeals.
Eamon Gilmore
Question:
44
Mr. Gilmore
asked the
Minister for Social Welfare
if he intends to provide any additional resources for the social welfare appeals office in view of the fact that around 40 per cent of appeals are still outstanding three months after being submitted; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
The social welfare appeals office receives 18,000 appeals every year. If present trends continue the office will receive over 20,000 appeals in 1993. At the end of May the total number of appeals on hand was 6,635, down from 7,571 at the end of March. A total of 2,712, 40 per cent of current appeals were registered more than three months, 13 weeks, ago.
Most of the appeals on hand for some time are cases which involve oral hearings or special investigations. They would include, also, cases where executors are contesting the recovery from deceased pensioners estates of pensions overpaid, cases where appellants are being paid but are seeking some decrease in the amount of means assessed against them and cases where the person has been found to be concurrently working and claiming benefit and is contesting the amount of the overpayment. In some cases delay arises where oral hearings have already been arranged and adjourned at the request of the appellant or his legal representative so that further evidence may be submitted.
When an appeal is received from a person dissatisfied with the initial decision of the Department of Social Welfare, the grounds upon which the appeal is based are examined. This may involve a second examination by a medical referee in the case of a sickness benefit payment or a further investigation by a local officer of the Department in the case of claims relating to other schemes. It is often possible for the deciding officer to revise the initial decision at this stage when the additional information has been received and thus resolve the appeal speedily. Alternatively, if the facts have been fully established and appear to be agreed in substance, the appeals officer may be in a position to make a summary determination of the appeal.
However, in about 40 per cent of cases any contention may be resolved only by way of an oral hearing of the appeal. Where an oral hearing is needed there is little realistic prospect of the entire process being completed in less than three months and additional resources would not alter this fact.
The continuing high number of people who are availing of their statutory right of appeal has undoubtedly resulted in some delay in processing appeals. Both the social welfare appeals office and my Department review procedures constantly to see how the administrative system can be streamlined to provide a more efficient and speedier service to customers.
In this connection, I am pleased to inform the Deputy that in response to the increased volume of appeals, I have arranged for the appointment of two additional appeals officers to the social welfare appeals office. These appointments will, initially be on a temporary basis, but I will be keeping the matter under review.
In addition, a new unit has recently been established in my Department to review the entire initial decision making process on claims for social welfare benefits. One of its tasks is to ensure everyone will get as much information as possible on the reasons for the original decision in their cases, especially where a claim is being rejected in full or in part. I am confident that, in addition to improving the service to customers, this unit will do much to help reduce the incidence of appeals as customers will understand better the reasons for the decisions in their cases.
