Budgeting Loan?

johnsons_baby

Hello,

I'm having trouble with my elder sister which I am trying to help her with.
To outline, she's been on IS (Lone Parent) since Feb, she was self employed as a childminder prior to that but due to her ill health (I'm not convinced but still....) she decided to be a stay at home mum to her kids, 6, 3, 1.

She applied for a budgeting loan in October to pay off some catalogue debts and buy a new washer dryer (no she hasn't tried Freecycle or such and won't consider second hand).

She sent back her declaration or rather I did, well within the 14 period. 10 days after, she rang as she'd not received the money. They said the declaration was received too late, apply again.

She did so, on 15th Nov and JCP sent it back in their internal mail for her. On 26th she rang and enquired as to the status, the said the form had been sent out but she hadn't received it, they sent out another and was told to get JCP to fax it to them.

The form was received on 1st Dec, last Monday I took her to JCP, the advisor faxed it as requested.

She's still not heard anything but I think wrongly our JCP told her it would be paid within 3 days.

She's now majorly panicking about not having a washing maching before Christmas but can't get through to them on the phone, either constantly engaged or cuts off due to high demand for their service.

Can anyone offer me any reassurance to offer her that its probably within normal limits for processing?

atrixblue.-MFR-.

i cant reassure you whats going on is within routine processing and i cant say it not routine either, the social fund like the rest of the DWP in some aspects really do lack the admin skills in processing applications.

i once had a letter from DWP telling me to fill in parts xyz and when i looked they were completed, so i sent a letter back with the form saying the form is complete why send it back to me asking me to fill in xyz when it is already filled in?

its nice to have a brand new machine, but sometimes its cheaper to repair the one you have. most parts are replaceable and straight forward so you dont need to be a mechanic to replace the part.

i managed for years with baby twins on freecycle washers, yip sometimes they are bad ones but atleast it gets you by for a few weeks or months to ride out the storm as it were.

johnsons_baby

I got mine from eBay but it went bang and luckily I'd saved so did buy a brand new one but that was my first non second hand purchase or freebie.

Unfortunately she's become obsessive about trivial things lately, like this loan.....I can't lend her money as I'd never get it back but she feels they are deliberately making her wait when according to her 'they know I need it'.....

BigAunty

Why not just step back and let her sort her own problems out? A poster here says 'never ascribe to conspiracy what may be caused by incompetence' - they are probably overwhelmed by demand and not on top of their work load. They aren't out to get her but they probably are indifferent to her plight which is slightly different...

I know I sound really hard and nasty but I once got sucked into a needy friend's personal problems running around sorting out her life until I realised she practised some kind of 'learned helplessness', that she knew if she came out with a sob story, someone else would pick up the pieces for her - she then became one long sob story - everyone seemed to do her wrong in some way, mainly deliberately, her paranoia was horrible.

Are you aware that she will get nearly £1300 per month in income support, child tax credits and child benefit, if she is in rental accommodation? Plus perhaps some fruit/veg vouchers each week for the youngest, free school meals for the eldest? That she won't have to pay council tax and is likely to have either all or most of her rent paid by housing benefit? Also that her partner would be expected by a CSA formula to pay 25% of his net income in child maintenance to her (though she may have a separate agreement with the ex or he might be one of the large number of fathers who fail to pay anything).

johnsons_baby

She owns her home, but only has 6 years on her mortgage left and its very small (about £192 per month).
Children's father is unemployed and pays the CSA minimum, a week from his JSA.
I agree with you about learned helplessness, she has a minor back condition but her GP mentioned DLA to her, this has set her off in as much as she reckons its worsening......I have stepped back but need to step further back, sadly

atrixblue.-MFR-.

johnsons_baby wrote: »

She owns her home, but only has 6 years on her mortgage left and its very small (about £192 per month).
Children's father is unemployed and pays the CSA minimum, a week from his JSA.
I agree with you about learned helplessness, she has a minor back condition but her GP mentioned DLA to her, this has set her off in as much as she reckons its worsening......I have stepped back but need to step further back, sadly

unfortunatly GP's dont know the criteria to DLA very well, and reccommend it to people that have small ailments, when it comes to making that DLA GP submitted report for the claim the GP then back tracks slightly by offering little or no support in that claim, then the patient gets frustrated because A. the GP recomended this claim to the patient and the patient then thinks they should automatically get it on reccomendation from the GP to claim DLA and B.the GP backtracks in any support to the claim.

some GP are brilliant and know the criteria and give them a praising report to the DWP DLA and stand by their report.

i agree you need to step away from this and let you sis sort out hr own things rather than become dependant on others to sort things out, you go from being family support to being full time carer inbetween your job if you dont.

sniggings

can you get a budgeting loan for loans?

BigAunty

sniggings wrote: »

can you get a budgeting loan for loans?

That's what I thought - surely the govt doesn't let benefit claimants have a loan through the DWP to pay off consumer debts - i.e. provide a tax payer funded sum to pay off a private arrangement? Surely credit agreement issues are strictly between the person who took out the credit and the company issuing it?

However, it says here

"You could get a Budgeting Loan to help pay for essential things like rent, furniture, clothes or hire purchase debts. "

https://www.gov.uk/budgeting-loans/overview

On another advice site, it breaks down the criteria to

[SIZE=-1]What things can a budgeting loan be awarded for? [/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]You can get a Budgeting Loan for: [/SIZE]

• [SIZE=-1]Furniture and household equipment [/SIZE]
• [SIZE=-1]Rent in advance / removal expenses [/SIZE]
• [SIZE=-1]Travelling expenses [/SIZE]
• [SIZE=-1]Clothing and footwear [/SIZE]
• [SIZE=-1]Home improvement, maintenance or security [/SIZE]
• [SIZE=-1]Work related expenses[/SIZE]
• [SIZE=-1]Maternity and Funeral expenses (from 8th May 2012 only)[/SIZE]
• [SIZE=-1]Repaying HP or other debts (for expenses associated with above) [/SIZE]

johnsons_baby

The form is so 'loose' you could basically tick a box then use the money for anything and no proof is asked for apparently.....

sniggings

johnsons_baby wrote: »

The form is so 'loose' you could basically tick a box then use the money for anything and no proof is asked for apparently.....

it is paid back, so I don't find that a problem.

johnsons_baby

True....
She managed to get through to them today and her loan is coming through tomorrow, so the whole process is taking a month or so, if anyone is looking for any info on this.