Claiming back missed EMA after submitting sick notes?

LIDDARD

hi,
is it possible to claim back any missed payments if you submit to the school and absence notes or appointment cards?

Thanks

percymoneysaver

LIDDARD wrote: »

hi,
is it possible to claim back any missed payments if you submit to the school and absence notes or appointment cards?

Thanks

I don't know about everywhere, but in my college we will backdate missed payments up to 2 weeks later. The guidelines are a bit flexible, and EMA don't tend to give us much help interpreting them, but as far as we understand it, we are allowed to give students 2 weeks to come up with their notes from home/hospital letters etc. Anything after that is too late.

Hope that helps.

Magnolia

If you have been absent for the whole week then you wont get your EMA for that week - sick note or not - it is paid to help you get to and from college and if you are not there then you don't need it - EMA rules not ours.

percymoneysaver

That's true- you don't get it if you've been absent all week, but one or two days won't necessarily cause you to lose EMA.

We've been told that as long as students attend 12 hours of "guided learning" - whatever that can mean - that they can still get EMA. Therefore if they've got a sick note from home, or hospital appointment card or similar, and they've done 12 hours, we'll pay them. Although we have been told if the absence appears dodgy we don't have to pay, but that's a real minefield...

I wish that EMA would make standard rules that apply to everyone with no loopholes so that we knew what we were doing. Every time we ask we get a standard "it's up to your college, or your local agreement" and then we haven't really got a clue.