Fallen through the cracks in the system ? need help

student1000

Hi guys.

I found this site when researching matched betting and other potential ways of making money. If someone could me point in the right direction regarding benefits it would be greatly appreciated.

I will try and explain the situation briefly:

Last year I woke up with severe pain in my joints and since then it has progressed into severe RA OR LUPUS. I was on a student placement with a civil engineering company. I was no longer able to complete the Placement. I thought I would be able to cope with university, but the disease progressed and I had to drop out of my civil engineering degree aswell.

I have one year in my degree left to do (that I was unable to complete) , The university have been very understanding and are allowing me to complete my degree sometime in the future. Although I am not sure I will be able to do that, however if my condition improves with anti -tnf medication in the future, i intend on completing my degree and then going into a research type carrier.

I have been living at home for about six months now. I have applied to ESA but they have refused as I am still technically a student although I am not attending university . I have explained the situation over the phone but they have told me that I am not entitled to ESA unless I 'abandon' my course, which at this stage I do not want to do although I need the money.

I have used my student loan and overdraft to fund my living cost at home until now. My mother has two other sibling to look after and can only find part time work, she is supporting me the best she can but is struggling allot. We are struggling with bills and the cost of food. I normally would have got a job in summer and was finically independent.

I have applied to DLA as well which I am certain I will get, but that will take up to 3 months. I have no source of income at all, or financial support other than my mum.

I cannot work, I Am house bound with severe physical pain in my legs and spine mostly. Most jobs in London will involve me getting on the tube or the bus which i cannot do.

Does anyone have any ideas what I am entitled to or on how i can make money?

Anubis_2

Is there any reason why you cannot abandon the course other than not wanting to? Needs must where your health is concerned, I would focus on your situation now, and if you do get better, surely you can retake your course at a later stage?

sulkisu

The only significant additional cost to your mother at this time is food for you - it's unlikely that your being at home will have a significant impact on bills and utilities. Even working part-time, surely she can afford to feed you for a few months until your DLA comes through? With two other children and a low income she should be receiving tax credits and other benefits as well.

Alternatively, I agree with Anubis, you might have to abandoned your course and return to it when you are better.

Magic_Fairy

I am sorry to hear of your health problems and hope your condition improves soon x

atrixblue.-MFR-.

look at the long term, civil engineering is physical on times would you be able to carry out your job effectivly once graduated?

at the moment the system isnt in your favour due to you still being a student.

dont be certain you will get DLA from the get go, its best to be prepared to fight to get what your entitled to the DWP make some really daft decisions regarding DLA wich upon times make a DWP tribunal shake thier heads and wounder how it ever got to them in the first place and thats mainly due to the fact of a Atos medical doctor fubaring a medical report they are the ones with the golden key to DLA and it only take one to tell you to your face you meet the criteria only to write a report that says the oposite.

ESA can also impact on a DLA claim, at a medical phase, again Atos holds a golden key to the level of benefit, and if they think the condition you have doesnt match the level of award for DLA this will spark a review of you DLA once youve got it and like wise if esa comes first then the report will be used as evidence with the DLA office in making a decision.

the financial impact to your mum i disagree with above poster.

living with mum anyway when this condition developed i agree that nothing changed with bills etc. but as a sole driver in the house, the extra fuel cost for taking you back and forth places when your not fit to drive if you can! can mount up monthly extra wear and tear to the vehicle extra fuel cost, extra mileage, taking days off to get you to appointments does have a knock on affect to finance in some ways.

its better to think you wont get dla, so when you do get it its a plus and if you dont you expected not to get it and can prepare to fight for it, having all your medical information report and diagnosis sheets etc ready to go. any changes in the mean time just keep updating the DLA with them.

at this stage, youve used your student loan, so coming off university will land you up in debt aswell as your over draft, abandoning you course at this stage of your condition is feasable and justified IMHO because the last thing you need to do rightt now is start borrowing more money to live and digging a bigger hole.

if at the stage you were dignosed and abandoned you course you could have handed back your loan and payed off the amount outstanding and used a little to settle you bank overdraft so you only had a small debt to settle and manage ok with ESA only.

pmlindyloo

I remember reading an article about this and have found it:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-11693224

This says that the rules have changed so that students who have suspended their course can claim ESA.

If no-one on here can provide an official link about this then I would suggest that you contact your local MP for help. (In my experience they are very quick to help)

pmlindyloo

Have found this:

Social Security Benefits: Students

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he plans to bring forward proposals to enable employment support allowance to be available immediately to students who suspend their studies due to a health condition or disability. [20139]
Maria Miller [holding answer 28 October 2010]: Students are not normally eligible for social security benefits as they should be supported by the higher education system. However, there are exceptions which enable disabled students receiving disability living allowance to receive employment and support allowance. Disability living allowance is not normally payable before a three month qualifying period. The Government have no plans for allowing exceptions to these rules in respect of students.
When a student becomes too ill to continue their course and so abandons it, they are no longer treated as a student and may apply for ESA immediately. From November 2010, students who become too ill to continue with their studies and, with the agreement of the university or college authorities, suspend (rather than abandon) their participation on the course will no longer be treated as having a student loan available to them when working out how much they may be entitled to. If a student suspends a course in those circumstances and has drawn-down their loan, we will only take it into account for the period the loan is intended to cover.

Hope it helps and good luck!

Dunroamin

student1000 wrote: »

I have used my student loan and overdraft to fund my living cost at home until now. My mother has two other sibling to look after and can only find part time work, she is supporting me the best she can but is struggling allot. We are struggling with bills and the cost of food. I normally would have got a job in summer and was finically independent.

Do you mean that you have received student funding for a period after you dropped out of university?

pmlindyloo

Dunroamin wrote: »

Do you mean that you have received student funding for a period after you dropped out of university?

The OP has been living at home now for 6 months so I doubt that his student loans would have continued after the first term in which he suspended his course.

But, am assuming loans are awarded every term (long time since my children were at uni ) so good point to make.

Dunroamin

pmlindyloo wrote: »

The OP has been living at home now for 6 months so I doubt that his student loans would have continued after the first term in which he suspended his course.

But, am assuming loans are awarded every term (long time since my children were at uni ) so good point to make.

He did say "I have used my student loan and overdraft to fund my living cost at home until now." which concerned me.