Disputes must be handled within sixty days of the date of dispute.
Appeals must be handled within sixty days of the date of appeal.
There are a few things that I believe could use improvement:
The use of "must". Since the disputes/appeals "must" be handled in 60 days, what happens to the dispute/appeal if they aren't handled in that timeframe? I would interpet this that, after 60 days, the appeal expires or becomes invalid. However, it seems like the spirit of this is somewhat of a "right" for the person filing the dispute/appeal so that they can be guaranteed that their case is handled within 60 days (similar to legal rights to a speedy trial). It seems unfair to "punish" someone by not letting their appeal/dispute get handled because a group of WCA staff failed to handle it in a timely manner.
Since the disputes "must" be handled within 60 days, what are the consequences to the party who fails to handle the appeal within the 60 day window? I have seen multiple instances of appeals/disputes failing to get handled in my time as a WDC member, but as far as I am aware there are no consequences for a committee who fails to handle the appeal/dispute in a timely manner.
"Handled" imples that the decision must be made and communicated, but I believe that this could be further clarified by better defining it within the motion, perhaps though the use of a subpoint. Something along the lines of "appeals/disputes are considered handled when the outcome of an appeal/dispute has been communicated to all involved parties" could be good to add.
The disputes motion currently reads
There are a few things that I believe could use improvement:
The use of "must". Since the disputes/appeals "must" be handled in 60 days, what happens to the dispute/appeal if they aren't handled in that timeframe? I would interpet this that, after 60 days, the appeal expires or becomes invalid. However, it seems like the spirit of this is somewhat of a "right" for the person filing the dispute/appeal so that they can be guaranteed that their case is handled within 60 days (similar to legal rights to a speedy trial). It seems unfair to "punish" someone by not letting their appeal/dispute get handled because a group of WCA staff failed to handle it in a timely manner.
Since the disputes "must" be handled within 60 days, what are the consequences to the party who fails to handle the appeal within the 60 day window? I have seen multiple instances of appeals/disputes failing to get handled in my time as a WDC member, but as far as I am aware there are no consequences for a committee who fails to handle the appeal/dispute in a timely manner.
"Handled" imples that the decision must be made and communicated, but I believe that this could be further clarified by better defining it within the motion, perhaps though the use of a subpoint. Something along the lines of "appeals/disputes are considered handled when the outcome of an appeal/dispute has been communicated to all involved parties" could be good to add.