What is Mandatory Dispute Resolution?

Mandatory Dispute Resolution (MDR) is a new policy that requires people who have requested a fair hearing to attend a pre-hearing "conference" with Job Center personnel. HRA maintains that MDR is meant to help resolve case problems quickly and eliminate the need for a fair hearing. However, advocates are concerned that MDR may create more problems than it solves.

Why You Should Be Concerned About MDR:

1. A number of people have reported being coerced by caseworkers into withdrawing their fair hearing requests before corrective action is actually taken on their cases (for example, before an improper sanction is actually lifted or a wrongful recoupment erased).
2. People who have failed to attend their MDR appointments have received Notices of Intent to close their cases.

3. Some people who have failed to bring all of the relevant documents to their MDR appointments (for example, doctor's letters, affidavits, etc.), have then been prevented from presenting these documents at their fair hearings.

What should you do if you receive an MDR Notice?

DO NOT BE BULLIED INTO SIGNING A FORM
WITHDRAWING YOUR FAIR HEARING REQUEST!

If you miss your MDR appointment and receive a closing notice,
Request a fair hearing immediately!

If you miss your MDR appointment, it is possible that you will receive a notice of intent to close your case. If this happens, you should request a fair hearing before the effective date on that notice.

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