How to make an appeal to SAAS
An appeal is a formal request to review a decision we have made on your entitlement to financial support and/or our assessment of how much you should get. An appeal must allege an error on our part and will only be considered if it is based on us having made an incorrect assessment of your factual circumstances and/or an erroneous interpretation of the law.
You can make a formal appeal by writing to tell us why you think our decision or assessment is wrong. Address the envelope to “SAAS Appeals” at the address below and clearly mark your letter “Formal Appeal”. Please put your SAAS reference number on any correspondence.
How to make a complaint to SAAS
We would like to hear from you if you feel dissatisfied with any aspect of our service, for example, if you think we have:
- treated you unfairly;
- failed to explain things properly;
- given you wrong or misleading information; or
- have taken too long to deal with your case.
We want to know if things go wrong so that we can put them right and make sure that they do not happen again.
You can make a formal complaint by writing to tell us what has gone wrong. Address the envelope to “SAAS Complaints” and clearly mark your letter “Formal Complaint”. Please put your SAAS reference number on any correspondence.
What we will do
A senior member of staff will consider your appeal or complaint and will aim to reply to you within 14 days of receipt. If we cannot do so, we will write to explain why and to tell you when you can expect a full response. If your correspondence is not classed as an appeal or a complaint, we will treat it as general correspondence and aim to reply within 15 working days.
If you are unhappy with the reply you receive, you may write to our Chief Executive asking her to review your case (please write to the Chief Executive, SAAS at the address below). You will normally receive a reply within 14 days. The Chief Executive’s decision is final in terms of the Agency’s procedures.
If you are not satisfied with the reply from the Chief Executive, you (or your representative) have the right to refer your case to the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) for consideration. The Ombudsman can investigate claims of maladministration but will normally only do so once you have exhausted the Agency’s procedures as detailed above. You should contact the Ombudsman, preferably in writing, within 12 months after the day you first became aware of your grounds for complaint. The SPSO’s office is based at 4 Melville Street, Edinburgh, EH3 7NS.
The SPSO’s contact details are:-
Scottish Public Services Ombudsman
Freepost EH641
Edinburgh
EH3 0BR
www.spso.org.uk
Tel: 0800 377 7330
Fax: 0800 377 7331
E-Mail:ask@spso.org.uk
Recording, monitoring and reviewing appeals and complaints
If appeals or complaints reveal shortcomings on our part, we use this information to review and improve our procedures.
Our Management Board review the complaints we have dealt with every 3 months to assess whether there are any patterns or trends that suggest we ought to change our procedures. We keep a record of all the complaints we receive and publish details in our annual reports.
SAAS
Gyleview House
3 Redheughs Rigg
Edinburgh
EH12 9HH
Tel : 0845 111 1711