Meetings are sometimes the most effective way of making progress
in an examination. They allow you to clarify details of the
claimant(s) circumstances, or the information they have provided,
face to face. If you don’t understand an answer the claimant
gives, or if a piece of information needs further explanation, it
is usually easier and quicker to discuss the issues than to
exchange possibly prolonged correspondence.
You cannot however insist that the claimant(s) comes to a
meeting; but if you consider that a meeting is the best way
forward, you should explain to the claimant(s) the advantages for
both parties.
You should make every effort to accommodate requests for
meetings on, say, a particular day or at a particular time, to
minimise the inconvenience to claimants.
When you write to a claimant asking them to attend, or to
confirm, a meeting you should enclose a copy of fact sheet WTC/FS4
that tells the claimant what to expect. If the claimant asks for a
meeting you should still issue the fact sheet WTC/FS4 if there is
sufficient time for them to receive this before the meeting.
Where a face to face meeting takes place notes should be
sent to the claimant who should be told to come back as soon as
possible if there are any alterations or comments. Sometimes
further information will be needed to progress the cases but where
nothing further is needed the claimant should be given 1 week to
come back on the notes otherwise a decision should be made.
Where a telephone call takes place to discuss something
straight forward there is no need to send notes of the decision to
the claimant. However, if it has been a more detailed discussion
gathering information or considering a contentious issue, for
example an undisclosed partner, a note should be made and sent to
the claimant in the same way that it would if the discussion had
taken place face to face.
