Please, please help - ex-Student seeking benefits.

JamesLB

Hello,

I am desperately in need of help.

I have fallen very ill and have been forced to take a year's Leave of Absence from my University course.

Because of this, my Student Loan has been stopped (they have even asked me to repay some).

I was living in private accommodation at £260/month which I cannot get out of.

I am too ill to work otherwise I would (actually, I'd have stayed at University if I was well enough to work) and have no income.

I have applied for benefits but have been rejected:

1) Income Support - because technically I am still a full-time student.
2) Incapacity Benefit - because I have not contributed enough National Insurance (I am only 21).
3) Housing Benefit - because I am technically a full-time student.

I began applying for these in February and only now am I receiving the final letters saying my claims have been unsuccessful. Up until now I have relied on family to pay my monthly rent, and friends to pay for my living expenses - e.g. food and utility bills.

I am totally at a loss as to what to do and I now have no idea how I am going to pay next month's bill. To make matters worse, my father died, totally unexpectedly (and as of yet, totally inexplicably) last month and I really feel like I am helpless.

If anyone can advise me on what to do, or how to convince the Benefits people that I am eligible for something, I cannot put into words how grateful I would be.

Thank-you,

James.

missk_ensington

I'm not an expert, but I think you would have to prove you have left your course in order to qualify. What about the grants/loans you received in April?

Also, if you Dad has died your Student Finance needs to be re-calculated, and I would expect it's going to be in your favour as their household income will be reduced.

In the short term, you need to apply for a Hardship Loan via your Student Support Office, and the Access to Learning Fund (I received £1500 from them the other day, its non-repayable). You can repay your emergency loan from the ALF pay out. If you're situation in genuine there is no doubt that they will give you something.

What year of study are you?

clairehi

Hi

the University student advice centre (or similar) should be able to help you on the financial side.

I was in a similar situation to you. I was advised that to qualify for income support you have to have abandoned your course. however it is possible to tell them this while still having agreed with the university that they will hold your place open if you are well enough to return next year.

possibly you could reapply stating that circumstances have changed and you have now abandoned your studies due to ill health.

really sorry about your dad.

Fran

Hi James,

CRUSE might be of some help to you regarding your bereavement.

The best thing you can do is take advice from your local Citizens Advice Bureau and also your college Students Union. CAB will know all about entitlement to benefits and SU will be able to advise the best course of action regarding your course and student finance.

If you are too ill to leave the house, you should find out if your local CAB do home visits or ask someone to go on your behalf, having given them a letter authorising them to do so.

While some people on this forum may have up to date knowledge about various aspects of this, it is not guaranteed that you are receiving the best advice on a forum, so I would strongly recommend you sort this out through CAB and SU.

Good luck.

JamesLB

Thanks for all your advice - I am in my second year of university.

I have contacted both my Student Support Office (who have given me an Access to Learning application letter) as well as the Citizen's Advice Bureau.

Unfortunately, I seem to have expended the advice that the CAB can give me, as they agree that i "slip through the gap" when it comes to benefits entitelment and "wish me the best of luck" when I apply for Disability Living Allowance - even though it is unlikely that i will be awarded this. I was told this over the phone with my adviser today which prompted my desperate plea on here for advice.

I simply cannot believe that there is no logical way out of this and that there is no help available to someone in my situation.

missk_ensington

What is the nature of your illness? DLA is awarded based on HOW it affects your day to day life, not WHAT it is. You could have a brain tumour or liver failure, but unless costs are incurred by your condition you probably won't get it. It is supposed to pay for carers and things like that.

Get your ALF application in, they are pretty good and process quickly. Mine was done in 2 weeks! Have you enquired about short term emergency loan from your student support office?

MissKx

Fran

clairehi wrote:

Hi

the University student advice centre (or similar) should be able to help you on the financial side.

I was in a similar situation to you. I was advised that to qualify for income support you have to have abandoned your course. however it is possible to tell them this while still having agreed with the university that they will hold your place open if you are well enough to return next year...........

James, have you looked into this? Perhaps you will need to speak to the college about your specific situation, tell them you have no income so you are going to be forced to leave the course, but you really want to be able to join the course again. Then get help from CAB with an appeal with the original decisions on IB/IS/HousingBen. You have a month in which to appeal from the date of the last decision you received. (Presumably three different dates?). In order to qualify for IS you have to apply for IB and be told you are not entitled, which it seems you have already, so IS is the one to go for (for reason of sickness, otherwise you would be expected to claim Jobseekers Allowance).

Another avenue of help you might try is Shelter, they might have some info re the housing situation.

I have copied your thread to the Student Board in case people have had a similar experience.

neenaw_4

JamesLB wrote:

I have applied for benefits but have been rejected:

1) Income Support - because technically I am still a full-time student.
2) Incapacity Benefit - because I have not contributed enough National Insurance (I am only 21).
3) Housing Benefit - because I am technically a full-time student.

1. Being a full time student doesn't mean you can't get Income Support. I know because I get it

2. There is an Incapacity Benefit for Youth that is non-contributory - ie you don't have to have paid NI contributions. Chances are, you could qualify under this. My friend has.

3. Same as point 1. I get Housing Benefit and am a full time student.

Don't quote me on this but my guess is they've assessed your claim wrong.

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/advisers/claimforms/iby1.pdf

Gemmzie

neenaw is right

You've applied for the wrong type of IB and IS - you need the Youth (under 25) one. Ring Job Centre Plus and you can do the claim over the phone - they ask a few questions and then ring back a few days later to complete the form for you over the phone, send it to you to sign and send back.
I see no reason you shouldn't get that. Although they may ask for a letter from the University confirming that you will not be returning until Sep/Oct 2007. And of course, a doctor's certificate.

msmicawber

I notice that you're being chased to repay your Student Loan. This only has to be paid back if you are (a) working and (b) earn above a certain amount annually (used to be about £15,000, but may have gone up a little). You need to write to them and let them know that you're taking time out from your course through ill health and satisfy neither of the conditions above. As you have pointed out, you are still classified as a full-time student as you are taking time out and haven't left the course, so they shouldn't be trying to get you to repay your loan.

I saw this statement on the Student Loans web site: "If you defer or repeat a year due to circumstances beyond your control, you may be offered full support." (http://www.slc.co.uk/index.html). It's not clear if they mean on your return to study following a break, but it's worth contacting them to have your circumstances clarified. Also, they appear to be able to exercise some discretion.

neenaw_4

i think the reason he is being asked to repay some of the student loan is because, for example, if they give you £1000 for sept-dec but you leave in nov then they will ask for some money back for the month of december that you weren't in education.