Budgeting Loan for Travel Regulations please!

Montysmum_3

Hi everyone,

Please can any Benefits staff help? I'm a divorcee with 2 children, and am on Income Support following cancer surgery. I have an appoimtment to go to hospital about 250 miles away for a check up and consultation. I'll be going on public transport and taxis (due to leaving and returning outside bus timetables) and will have to take the kids as I have no-one to care for them.

I know that because I am on Benefit I am expected to pay our fares in advance (about 250 pounds all told) and recover MY part of it when I get to the hospital. The system won't pay my children's fares at all despite the alternative being leaving a 10 and an 11 year old home alone from 6 in the morning til gone 10 at night... or overnight if my appoinment is delayed and I can't get home til the next day.

This is all very well if you happen to have 250 pounds laying around in the bank to pay out in the first place, but I don't. Thus I simply can't pay these fares down to hospital and reclaim them when I get there! Nor can I afford the children's fares out of my own pocket.

I have been turned down for a community care grant and am thus going to apply for a budgeting loan. The question is can I.... will the rules allow me to apply for something of this kind?

Also, as looks highly likely, if the appointment runs late we shall be stuck 250 miles from home as there are no trains to my part of the country beyond 5pm. Can I apply for the cost of overnight accommodation in case this happens?

Thank you ever so much.

cifpower

You don't have to say specifically for what reason you need the budgeting loan. There are only categories, namely:

-Furniture
-Rent In Advance
-Travelling Expenses
-Clothing
-Maintenance/Security of home
-Re-entering work expenses
-Repaying other debts

You can choose travelling expenses and explain why if you wish in the space left in latter half of the application form or you could tick a different category.

LondonDiva

Have you thought of getting Social Workers involved to provide overnight foster care for the appts, as it seems as a very long day for them?

It would be better than attending appts with two children and then the hospital staff / reception having to act as impromptu nanny service if they need to have a private chat with you.

Morglin

In addition to the above advice:

Go to the CAB and ask them for some advice - Crisis loans include the criteria "to preserve health, safety and welfare" and this seems to fit into that.

It's not the usual thing they lend money for - but they have been known to do it.

Other than that, phone the office that deals with your IS and ask for a supervisor - it may be that they can help.

Otherwise, your local Social Services may be able to assist with travel warrants etc., if you explain the problem.

Lin

Montysmum_3

LondonDiva wrote: »

Have you thought of getting Social Workers involved to provide overnight foster care for the appts, as it seems as a very long day for them?

It would be better than attending appts with two children and then the hospital staff / reception having to act as impromptu nanny service if they need to have a private chat with you.

Overnight foster care with complete strangers? That wouldn't upset my children, would it? Are you sure?! They are 11 and 10, not babies! Neither I nor they would dream of the idea.

My children are also old enough and well mannered enough to sit with books and drawing materials, politely and quietly in the waiting room together with many other patient's relatives whilst I am consulting my Doctor. They don't need a Nanny service, nor would I expect the overworked staff at the hospital to provide it. If there is any chance that I will be in there for a signifiantly long time I can take advantage of the outpatients creche.

clairepix2003

Have you appealed the community care grant decision? As you should be entitled to some travel (a friend of mine put one in for visiting her hubby who was in jail they turned her down so she appealed and got it a few months later she put in for another one and got that 1 2) Goodluck

welf_man

You can ask for payment in advance - ring the hospital you are going to and explain the situation. Have all the figures for cost of the journey available to make it easier for them.

You could also ask whether the hospital has a Friends organisation that gives grants to patients for this sort of thing - many do.

Mel.