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• Decision making process of scheme employers or an administering authority
• Obligation to inform the member
• Specimen IDRP first instance decision
• Informal settlement of disputes
• General right of appeal
• Stage 1 - appeal to person that made the original decision
• Specimen acknowledgement letter
• Considering stage 1 appeals
• Notice of stage 1 decision
• Specimen stage 1 decision letter
• Consideration of medical appeals
• Employer discretions
• Stage 2 - Referral to the administering authority where not satisfied with the original determination
• Specimen stage 2 decision letter
• Beyond IDRP - the external appeal
• The Pension Ombudsman
• Further points on appeals
• Contact details
• Members guide
• Printable version

Specimen acknowledgement letter

The following wording could be used in an acknowledgement letter issued to a scheme member:

Dear xxxxx

Local Government Pension Scheme: internal dispute resolution procedure (IDRP)

Thank you for your application received on [date], enclosing information on your disagreement with [name of relevant body]. I have been appointed by [name of body] to make the stage one decision under the internal dispute resolution procedure.

I am required to make a decision within two months of receiving your application. If, for some reason, I am unable to comply with that timescale, I will write to you explaining the reason and the date by which I expect to make my final determination.

You can also ask the Pensions Ombudsman for assistance. The Ombudsman help members and beneficiaries of pension schemes with disputes they cannot resolve.

The Pensions Ombudsman will, however, only usually investigate cases which have been through stages 1 and 2 of the internal dispute resolution procedure.

The Pensions Ombudsman can be contacted at:

Postal address: 10 South Colonnade, Canary Wharf, E14 4PU.

Phone: 0800 917 4487. (For the early resolution service select option 1)

Email: enquiries@pensions‐ombudsman.org.uk

Website: https://www.pensions-ombudsman.org.uk/

Yours sincerely