income support for student on DLA

alwaysonthego_2

elfen wrote: »

Also, has he applied for DSA (Disabled Students Allowance) This way, he'll get more if he's entitiled and they think he needs it, and it will help get equipment he may need but can't afford

It says in the OP that the lad is in receipt of DLA.

Ames

DLA and DSA are completely different benefits.

alwaysonthego_2

Ames wrote: »

DLA and DSA are completely different benefits.

whoops misread it

kitten47

Hi
Thanks for everyones help thus far.

I understand some of the info but not all so I want to ask student_advisor if you can clarify some of the info you gave.

First I should answer outstanding questions ok here goes

My son is on DLA he has also applied for DSA and gets help in lab with his own assistant 3 hrs a wk. He has a disability advisor who helps him if he is struggling with his lecturers or work and meets him weekly to make sure he is doing ok, she is the person who helped him claim DSA this year. As far as I know she has not offered to help with any other benefits. I organise his direct payments which are paid for by local council.

What I dont understand is what is a special support grant and what advisor at uni would he approach to ask about entitlement to benefits. What is SFE? His uni is quite a posh one and they do not seem to have a student union as such although they have an SU bar, they are not encouraged to join the student union and he does not have a SU card. I must also add we are not an affluent family and we survive on a tight budget so any benefits my son can claim will make a huge difference to his life.
Thanks again to everyone who has replied

kitten47

Oops sorry also forgot to ask where would I get CPAG Welfare Benefits book from and what is CPAG

healy

kitten47 wrote: »

Oops sorry also forgot to ask where would I get CPAG Welfare Benefits book from and what is CPAG

CPAG stands for Child Poverty Action Group.

Here is the website: http://www.cpag.org.uk/

student_advisor

kitten47 wrote: »

He has a disability advisor who helps him if he is struggling with his lecturers or work and meets him weekly to make sure he is doing ok, she is the person who helped him claim DSA this year.

It is unlikely that this person would help with the benefits side. There should be some kind of student services with welfare advisors, sometimes these are run by the student union, but not always. Contact details for the team should be available on the institution's website.

kitten47 wrote: »

What I dont understand is what is a special support grant and what advisor at uni would he approach to ask about entitlement to benefits.

The special support grant is mostly the same as the maintenance grant, but it does not reduce the amount of maintenance loan available and is ignored as income for benefit purposes. Your son is entitled to it if he gets DLA. He needs to write to SFE or his local authority (whoever he has applied to for funding) to say "please assess me for the special support grant, as I receive DLA and enclose XXX as proof."

kitten47 wrote: »

What is SFE?

Sorry, lazy short hand, Student Finance England - the ones with all the money!

kitten47

Thanks to all the info you have given me, I now feel able to contact the university and ask if we can speak to someone re discussing my sons need for help to claim benefits. I am also going to contact SAAS, funding body for scotland where we live to ask if my son could apply for a special support grant.

If anyone has any more info on this subject please give me the info you have gleeened as it is all gratefully received.
Thanks
Kitten

student_advisor

kitten47 wrote: »

Thanks to all the info you have given me, I now feel able to contact the university and ask if we can speak to someone re discussing my sons need for help to claim benefits. I am also going to contact SAAS, funding body for scotland where we live to ask if my son could apply for a special support grant.

If anyone has any more info on this subject please give me the info you have gleeened as it is all gratefully received.
Thanks
Kitten

Ooh SAAS, that changes things a little. Info provided below is based on English funding. Not sure what funding is available through SAAS as they set their own rules.

Apologies if I have confused things, I assumed that you were resident in England.

kitten47

Hi again

I have now contacted the university but am no further forward. They do not help individual students fill in forms or claim benefits. They are directed to the local CAB. This is because they only have one money advisor for the whole university apparently so they just give general advice.

Also it was suggested if he claims HB it could take months and interfere with his other benefits.

I wish a specific question to the powers that be could be rewarded with a specific answer relative to the persons individual case.

It would be great to be able to get your benefits checked and told if you are claiming correctly and if there is anything more you can claim. It is wrong to be told you claim first and then may have done the wrong thing because you will end up worse off.

I think it is deliberately complicated to intimidate and create fear and anxiety to genuine claimants to put people off claiming so the government save cash.

I am constantly disillusioned by the lack of empathy by staff working in the benefit agencies who speak to you as if you are trying to cheat the system. I understand that benifit cheats exist but most people who claim are entitled and feel humiliated by having to go cap in hand and do not deserve the sarcasm and mean spirit that is shown to them.

Oh well enough of my ranting, I will try again to get some answers via CAB. Heres hoping.