Decisions

The decision record connects a reviewer and case to an outcome. Its reason and authority reference tell the officer what the reviewer relied on. A case may receive an approval, rejection or request for more information. Returning a case for information should give the officer a clear question to take back to the applicant. The decision date makes later examination possible when a case moves into appeal.

Before deciding, the reviewer should read the case, documents, attributed actions and any prior decisions. A later decision should be another record; earlier reasoning remains part of the file. The case’s current status provides the working state, while the decision record explains the particular judgment on its decision date.

• Review. Examine the application and evidence tied to the case.
• Decision. Choose the outcome and give a reason with an authority reference.
• Return. Send a request for more information back to the officer with enough detail to act.

Name the reviewers allowed to make decisions and agree how the office cites its authority. Define the response to a returned application, including who contacts the applicant and when review resumes. Agree whether a different reviewer handles an appeal. These decisions should be written before staff use the case statuses as operational signals.

Take a case in Review with a document received after initial submission. Ask the reviewer to check the new material and make a reasoned outcome. If the material is still insufficient, use return for information and check that the officer can see the reason in the returned list. If the reviewer approves or rejects, check that the case’s state and decision record tell the same story. The manager should be able to find the reviewer, date and cited authority without searching outside the case.

A returned decision and a rejected decision have different operational consequences. A return asks the officer to obtain or clarify information; a rejection records the reviewer’s adverse outcome. The officer should avoid treating those values as interchangeable. The manager can inspect returned decisions as a work queue, while the decision register provides the broader history across all outcomes.

If an applicant appeals, the existing decision should remain available with its reviewer and date. The appeal state belongs to the case and does not erase the earlier judgment. Agree who checks the case after appeal, which material will be reconsidered and how the result is communicated. The original authority reference should still be legible to the person conducting that follow-up.

• Decisions List — Inspect the decisions recorded for cases.
• Returned for Information — Find decisions that call for further applicant material.
• Decision Register — Compare reviewer outcomes and reasons.

Decision and appeal follows the review outcome. Roles describes the review responsibilities.