Letter Writing

Not sure what I should do as been asked to write a letter for a mandatory reconsideration on my benefits as after my recent assessment am not happy with the decision that was made.

Was told to put why I was asking for it, why I disagree with the decision ect but don't know how to word it in a way that doesn't come across as angry and that I will actually be listen to this time

I'm sorry... being that I'm in the U.S. I don't know anything about this. But, in general, what occurs to me reading your post is that as far as your actually being listened to this time, there's no way to ensure that... unfortunately. You just have to do the best you can do & leave it at that. If things where you live work the way they do where I live, a lot of the time it seems like "the powers that be", so to speak, have pretty-much made up their minds & it can be tough to change them.

As far as writing your letter so you don't sound angry is concerned, that is certainly a valid point. I wonder if there might be any kind of mental health organization where you live. If so, perhaps you could find someone in that organization who could go over what you've written & help you make certain your letter comes across as well-reasoned & appropriate in tone. Of course, it wouldn't have to be someone connected with a mental health advocacy organization. But someone like that might be a bit more knowledgeable with regard to what you're up against & how to address it as successfully as possible. Just a thought...

Can you get a family friend or kind neighbour to help you write this letter? If not, you should draft it out, but leave it a day to let all the anger melt away. I say this because showing anger in a letter can be counter-productive and the one who receives it may see your being aggressive.

On the second day, re-write your draft keeping to specifics, including why you feel your previous application was questioned. You have a valid point.

Perhaps you could ask someone you trust to go over it for you? Otherwise I would just get a draft down on paper. Leave it overnight. Go back and read it and make changes as required. It really does help doing it this way. Take care.

Yes, have someone you trust edit it. Be sure to leave all emotion out of the correspondence. keep it concise and to the facts. Make suggestions but for every one of these make sure you provide example or follow up. For every policy or point you refute back this up by example.

Best format would be to;

- Introductory paragraph (introduce yourself and reason for the correspondence).
- paragraph briefly detailing the situation
- individual paragraphs for each point you wish to make
- concluding remarks

Remember, be professional and not emotional. Say for instance you were drawing up the policy, how would you describe the policy and details? This should be the tone of the letter. And try to avoid "I" phrases unless they are followed up with recommendations that affect all. Stick to phrases like, "It should be noted that....", "As a result.....", "Hence....", "It is anticipated that...", "_____________ occurred, resulting in....', "It is thus difficult then to.........', etc.

Best of luck, you can do this.