help for a student

stephy110288

hi, i'm a full time student, i'm in my second year and i'm 22
i dont live with my parents, i live with my partner and have done for the past year. however because i'm still not classed as an independant student or mature student, my loans are based on my parents income (they do not support me financially whatsoever) so I get around £5500 a year. obviously this wasnt enough to live on with rent to pay etc etc so up until now i have worked part time usually about 3 days a week waitressing
recently i have been diagnosed with a chronic medical condition, and i have been too ill to work and lost my job. i am now struggeling financially and applied for the access to learnin fund, they granted me £800 which has helped for now but in the next term i will only be gettin £1600 ish to last me 4 months!
i have applied for DLA but i dont think i will get it as i am able to walk around on my own etc most of the time... the form was very hard to fill in as my symptoms are not the same every day, some days i cant get out of bed, some days i'm ok. so i think they will decline me.
uni were unhelpful and said that if i dont need a carer or a wheelchair or somethin in uni then its nothin to do with them
its crazy that i know i'd be better off quittin uni and just signing on!! obivously not going to do that though.
does anyone have any advice of what to do if DLA gets turned down, or anywhere else i could look?
thanks in advance

Oldernotwiser

Isn't your partner supporting you through this?

I really don't think that you would be better off leaving university as JSA is only just over £50 per week.

RazWaz

It could be worth looking into a disabled students allowance, as it entities you to claim benefits while still getting student loans. The amount you'll get is still based on what the law says you need-what your student loans are. The big plus though is that you can claim Housing benefit.

Oldernotwiser

RazWaz wrote: »

It could be worth looking into a disabled students allowance, as it entities you to claim benefits while still getting student loans. The amount you'll get is still based on what the law says you need-what your student loans are. The big plus though is that you can claim Housing benefit.

Sorry, you've got the wrong end of the stick on this. The DSA will only offer funding for extra equipment and help needed for your course.

For a disabled student to claim HB/LHA s/he needs to be on IS or ESA(IB). In both of these cases the partner's income will be taken into account.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/DisabledPeople/EducationAndTraining/HigherEducation/DG_10034898

http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/index/life/benefits/help_with_your_rent_-_housing_benefit.htm

RazWaz

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

Sorry, you've got the wrong end of the stick on this. The DSA will only offer funding for extra equipment and help needed for your course.

For a disabled student to claim HB/LHA s/he needs to be on IS or ESA(IB). In both of these cases the partner's income will be taken into account.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/DisabledPeople/EducationAndTraining/HigherEducation/DG_10034898

http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/index/life/benefits/help_with_your_rent_-_housing_benefit.htm

This was the case when I was a student as I got the DSA.

Oldernotwiser

RazWaz wrote: »

This was the case when I was a student as I got the DSA.

But I assume that you were on IS first?

stephy110288

hi thanks for the advice... my partner helps as much as he can but he's only just graduated and is on low income and doesnt really have much money himself... he is 23 so doesnt qualify for working tax credits or anything. we keep our finances completely separate and split everything down the middle
i asked the university about DSA, but they didnt seem to think i would be entitled to anything as what i need in financial help rather than literally someone to help me get around uni. they didnt really want to talk to me at all to be honest
I've always been fine with my part time wages and my loans and grants but i'm really worried about next term when there's a much bigger gap between loan installments

RazWaz

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

But I assume that you were on IS first?

Yes, but once the DSA is in place the OP should be able to place a claim for ESA(IB). They wont get the full amount as partners income is taken as part of the calculation but it's worth looking at as it may provide a small amount of income each week, which could be enough to help them get through to their next loan payment once the last one ran out.

DSA isn't just for having someone to help you in uni, mine paid for a new laptop as well as a notetaker.

dmg24

RazWaz wrote: »

Yes, but once the DSA is in place the OP should be able to place a claim for ESA(IB). They wont get the full amount as partners income is taken as part of the calculation but it's worth looking at as it may provide a small amount of income each week, which could be enough to help them get through to their next loan payment once the last one ran out.

DSA isn't just for having someone to help you in uni, mine paid for a new laptop as well as a notetaker.

The OP's student finance will also be taken into account. Even if the partner is working full time on minimum wage, they will earn too much for the OP to qualify. There is also the key question of whether the OP would pass the WCA!

RazWaz

dmg24 wrote: »

The OP's student finance will also be taken into account. Even if the partner is working full time on minimum wage, they will earn too much for the OP to qualify. There is also the key question of whether the OP would pass the WCA!

Even so, I really don't see how it would hurt to try. OP's partner might not be working fulltime, and if their situation changes, they will be able to get claims sorted out a lot faster.

stephy110288

Ok what is WCA? Is that the medical test? I might sound naive and stupid but I have never claimed any benefits so don't know anything about this but would my partners income definitely be taken into account? We live in a house share with another friend, an keep our finances separate why would they presume he pays for me? Don't shoot me down for sounding stupid but I honestly don't have a clue how this works other than what I've read on the internet so I really don't know much that's why I've posted on here. I'm aware that I may not pass the test yet as I know a few people with my condition have failed, but I want to know what I can do now before I get in a nasty situation with no money