Have student loan now disabled claiming DLA advice please

gregrichards

Hi looking for advice please

I was a student between 2002-2005 got my degree and have a student loan + the £2000 graduate endownment you have to pay in Scotland. I had two back operations that went wrong last year, am now disabled and claiming DLA and incapacity benefit. I genuinely cannot work because I physically cant.

I read online that if you become disabled and cannot work that you loan is written off, does anyone have experience of this?

Thanks in advance for your advice.

secret_squirrel_5

You have to be permanantly disabled and not able to work again for life. If there is even the possibility that you will be able to be medically fit to work again in the future then you are not eligible. You would of course need to have medical agreement and be in contact with the Student Loans Company.

Why not call the SLC and have a chat with them?

Bear in mind, DLA is not counted as income for the purposes of Student Loan repayments so it won't affect anything if/when you do return to work.

gregrichards

Hi

Thanks for your reply. I dont know if or when I will get better and neither do my nine consultants. I have nerve damage, walk with a stick and am on 31 tablets a day now. I want to work and get my life back but dont know if I ever will.

I will phone them on Monday, thanks for your help.

secret_squirrel_5

Let us know how you get on.

Zziggi

gregrichards wrote: »

Hi looking for advice please

I was a student between 2002-2005 got my degree and have a student loan + the £2000 graduate endownment you have to pay in Scotland. I had two back operations that went wrong last year, am now disabled and claiming DLA and incapacity benefit. I genuinely cannot work because I physically cant.

I read online that if you become disabled and cannot work that you loan is written off, does anyone have experience of this?

Thanks in advance for your advice.

i believe this only applies if you took out student loans between certain dates (the 'old' system?) I was a student up until 1997 and i know this qualifies. You can try to get them to write off your student loan under the clause you have discussed above, but getting them to do it is impossible. You have to be on indefinite award/life award DLA (top rates), IB/SDA etc etc, have a letter from your GP/consultant that states unequivically that you will never ever be medically fit again to work in any capacity. Now GPs/consultants are HIGHLY unlikely to be so definitive and willing to "write you off" in this way because it does carry implications for the GP/consultant if they write this officially and then you later recover (would you have grounds to sue the medical professional?). Even if you GP/consultant gives you a letter effectively stating you are extremely unlikely to ever work again - this is not accepted. It has to be worded in a particular way to qualify for the secretary of state to write it off. For legal reasons GP/consultants are EXTREMELY unwilling to write it in the exact wording you require for SLC.

I have also looked into this in some depth and had countless communications from SLC and believe me, unless you are a cabbage on a life support system, they ain't gonna write your SLC off (and even then they'd fight to not write it off!!).

Sorry for the bad news.