Help With Student Loans - HERE!

Taiko

Don't see there being a problem then. Sounds like an incorrect assessment to me.

Is there any chance you can scan and upload images of the documentation sent to her with entitlement figures from SFE? If so, please PM that to me, obscuring personal details such as name, address and reference numbers, and I'll take a look over things.

ssmi

Taiko wrote: »

Indeed, should be "or". My advice would be to ask SFE for a paper application form for full support, not the EUPN1/EUPR1 forms.

I'm so pleased someone else sees it that way too. I thought I was being dense - unless I am missing something it's quite odd they haven't picked up on it. Anyway I have had an exchange with student finance today going through all this (sorry to say having called the telephone support people a number of times I am now resorting to twitter and facebook). After firstly saying I must not have told the system my daughter was UK (you only get to enter name address and NI details before you see this questionnaire screen) then agreeing that in theory I should say yes, then me saying that disabled the opportunity to apply online and forced me into the EU applicant box, I was told that maybe I should tick the no box. I don't know if it made a difference that we didn't link to her UCAS application, I suspect not, but it is confusing. I'll let you know how things go in case it could help someone else. Thanks once again for your help.

Debrac

Hi, my daughter is a 2nd year student at UCLAN but as part of her course, is studying in California for a year on an exchange programme.

She has applied for a travel grant and has had some of her costs (flights,visas etc) reimbursed but they have refused to pay for her train tickets to get to the American Embassy in London which was an essential cost as she had to have an interview to be able to get a student visa - does anyone know if this should have been paid or if she has grounds to appeal?

Also, Student Finance have said she can claim for day-to-day expenses whilst in California...does this include books, food etc or is it purely travel related (she lives on campus so doesn't have any travel costs).

I would really appreciate any help with this as she has another 4 months out there and is really struggling financially as the cost of living is really high where she is and has been told she MUST spend $500 on course books which neither she, nor I have...

Taiko

Travel only while overseas.

If the requirement was to have an interview in order to obtain the VISA, then travel costs can be claimed, in according with Paragraph 54(c) of The Education (Student Support) Regulations 2011 and Paragraph 106 of the Grants for Dependants and Travel Grants guide that is issued to SFE assessors.

http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/types/types_1268.html#5

The US Department of State does confirm it is a requirement for students to attend interview for a student visa, and for that, I would believe she would be eligible for reimbursement of the train fare to London.

JLS1901

Just wanted to say thanks for all the help here, got a call out the blue today and I have been re=assesed and I'm getting the full entitlement. A big weight off my shoulders!

ameliesmummy_2

Hello,

I was wondering if anyone can shed any light on my current uni situation. Both me and my OH are at uni and we have a 2 year old. We were advised that we have been overpaid by £3k for last year and they required evidence which we sent off. Some of the evidence for rent I was unable to provide as I was made homeless for part of that year and was paying board to a family member by cash (I got a letter to SLC to confirm this). We have rang them and they said we have been re-assessed but we have not heard anything back and nothing in online on our accounts. They have recovered most of this in the recent payment and it has hit us hard as we were sent a letter on the 6th Jan and the money was due to us on 16th but this was about £2k short of what we were expecting! Can they recover the money like this? Seems harsh.

Thanks
x

Taiko

Yes, they can.

It also sounds like they have rightly done this. If you were paying a family member for accomodation, I would assume that this would be at a lower rate than what you would've been paying.

Lower payments mean less outgoings to offset entitlement against. Being entitled to less, they will then deduct this from future payments, in line with the contract that you read and signed.

moonloo09

My husband is doing a teaching degree, and I am an NHS bursary student studying nursing.
We received a letter this week informing us that we had been overpaid in the amount of £2642 due to my husband not being entitled to claim for an adult dependant. When my husband questioned why this had changed in a telephone call to customer services on 19/01/12, he was informed that the system had changed and while he was not entitled to claim for an adult dependant, he was entitled to a special support grant which amounted to more than the over payment so not to be concerned.
However, this afternoon (20/01/12) we recieved further correspondance asking for the repayment of £2900, and a breakdown in entitlement which showed an over payment in 2010-2011 and again in 2011-2012.
Again, we called the customer services team for clarification who explained that he had never been entitled to claim the adult support grant, as I was a stundent and this grant should only have been payable if I was unemployed. However, we have been advised to contact the complaints and appeals teams as:

1) Student Finance England has always been aware of my being a student, I claim for a student loan from the same company.
2) I have made telephone calls asking as we are both students if we could send our evedence in the same envelope and then doing just that.
3) When we applied online, we were advised in a telephone call to the customer services team that as we were both students, our applications would be linked together online so that we could just enter our customer reference number rather than filling out the income forms again. This we did.
4) All evidence was supplied as requested and in all of the evidence ever supplied it has been stated that I am a student, and what support I recieve (bursary) from the NHS.
5) I am infact unemployed. My only income is a bursary and small loan from Student Finance England.
6) My husband is unemployed, his only income being the loan and grants from Student Finance England.
7) In the telephone conversation yesterday it was explained that though we werent entitled to an adult dependant grant, we were entitled to a special support grant, if this is so, were we always entitled to that and didnt recieve it?
8) Why has the error only been picked up now, giving us no time to rectify it through reducing further payments?
9) As student Finanace Engand is aware, we are living only on NHS Bursary, loans and grants with 2 young children to support (aged 5 and 3). By claiming back almost £3000 for an error made by Student Finance England, this will leave us in severe hardship and possibly unable to support our young children.

I am shocked that as Student Finance England has been aware since the commencement of our courses in 2009 that we are both students, the overpayment was made at all. I am also astounded that given that the mistake was not ours, that Student Finance England feels it is entitled to claim back the entire amount immediatly regardless of the devestating efect this will have on the lives of my family.

I have sent the above in an email to the appeals and complaints departments. Thsi morning I received an email from the appeals section denying that we qualify fro appeal and that the email has been forwarded to complaints.

Please if anyone can help, please please do. We are absolutley terrified that we could lose our house over this!

Thank you in advance, any help will be truly appreciated.

Taiko

They are correct.

Appeals are based on The Education (Student Support) Regulations. These do indicate that if the partner is a full time student, then the applicant cannot qualify for ADG. Likewise, you do not qualify for SSG as it's a case that, although you have children, you are in an advanced level of education. The regulations determine you are ineligible for this.

As it stands, I think despite the errors SFE are conducting theirselves properly here. Your case is not an appeal, it is a complaint.

Oldernotwiser

moonloo09 wrote: »

5) I am infact unemployed. My only income is a bursary and small loan from Student Finance England.
6) My husband is unemployed, his only income being the loan and grants from Student Finance England.

You aren't unemployed, you're both students.


9) As student Finanace Engand is aware, we are living only on NHS Bursary, loans and grants with 2 young children to support (aged 5 and 3). By claiming back almost £3000 for an error made by Student Finance England, this will leave us in severe hardship and possibly unable to support our young children.

As you don't seem to be claiming child benefit and child tax credits I'd suggest that you put in a claim for both urgently.