THE TOPIC this week is Social Security Appeal Tribunals (SSATs) and is a guide about what happens when you appeal against a decision.

If you are unhappy about a decision on Income Support, Family Credit, or National Insurance benefits, then you can appeal to a Social Security Appeal Tribunal. The tribunal will consist of three people who are independent of the DSS. Usually the panel consists of people who have experience of the type of situation that you are appealing against and they listen very closely to your situation before coming to their decision. The tribunal must have a legally qualified person, usually a solicitor, and two lay members. A SSAT will also hear cases which involve non-medical questions for Attendance Allowance, Disability Living Allowance and Disability Working Allowance. If your appeal concerns the all-work test, then a medical assessor will sit with the tribunal to advise on medical questions which may arise.

When you lodge your appeal - and this must be within three months of the decision being given - the DSS will have a chance to look at the decision again and decide if it can be changed in your favour. If it can, you will be notified from the Independent Tribunal Service that this has happened and notified, in due course, by the DSS of the new decision, against which you can also appeal if you are still not happy. Many decisions are changed at this stage but you should prepare yourself for the tribunal, engaging a representative as soon as possible. Statistics show that appellants who are represented have a much better chance of success than people who are not.

Readers are advised that Jim Strang represents clients on a 'no win, no fee' basis. Initial consultations are free. Full details are available from him.

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.