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<p>The Independent Case Examiner is by its nature and name, independent. It reviews
complaints about the DWP and its contracted service providers, in those cases where
the complainant has exhausted the relevant internal complaints process and remains
dissatisfied with the final response to their complaint.</p><p> </p><p>The service
provided by the Independent Case Examiner’s Office is demand led, and its resources
are reviewed on an annual basis. The Independent Case Examiner’s Office received funding
for thirteen additional staff in 2018/2019 financial year, during which productivity
increased with the Independent Case Examiner’s Office clearing 1,246 complaints, compared
to 955 in the previous reporting year.</p><p> </p><p>The Independent Case Examiner’s
Office accepted the first complaint concerning communications associated with changes
to women’s State Pension age in October 2016. Due to the volume of complaint referrals
received from this group of complainants, the Independent Case Examiner Office took
the decision to bring a lead case into investigation in January 2017, in order to
familiarise itself with the issues underpinning the orchestrated complaints campaign.
This investigation concluded in June 2017 – The Independent Case Examiner did not
uphold the complaint.</p><p> </p><p>To deal specifically with this group of complaints,
the Independent Case Examiner’s Office set up a team of three Investigation Case Managers
in October 2017. This team concluded 192 investigations between October 2017 and November
2018, none of which were upheld on the main element of complaint. The Independent
Case Examiner’s Office closed this group of complaints in December 2018, when they
became subject to legal proceedings, as is required under its governance contract.</p>
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