ESa and financial help for student with anorexia

saltpot

My 20 yr old daughter has had to defer her final year at uni - due to anorexia. She had student finance for last two years and was due to get it for this last year. She is now in the local eating disorders hospital and likely to be for 6-9 months. No dependents, single. I went to citizens advice to investigate benefits for her. She made a claim for ESA as they advised. Had a phone call today to say she won't get it as she has deferred her place for a year rather than left the uni.

Is there something else she could get as surely she can't be expected to live on nothing for such a length of time ? Can't seem to find any advice/ information about this at all. Does anyone know where I might get further help?
Thank you

bloolagoon

saltpot wrote: »

My 20 yr old daughter has had to defer her final year at uni - due to anorexia. She had student finance for last two years and was due to get it for this last year. She is now in the local eating disorders hospital and likely to be for 6-9 months. No dependents, single. I went to citizens advice to investigate benefits for her. She made a claim for ESA as they advised. Had a phone call today to say she won't get it as she has deferred her place for a year rather than left the uni.

Is there something else she could get as surely she can't be expected to live on nothing for such a length of time ? Can't seem to find any advice/ information about this at all. Does anyone know where I might get further help?
Thank you

Benefits whilst in hospital are limited as they are being provided for in hospital. The hospital will be acutely aware of this situation for long term in patients, have you asked their advice?

ESA is all I can think of, even students claim this.

bloolagoon

Edit - it appears she needs DLA, which isn't payable in hospital if a full time student.

Poppie68

ESA is payable even with long hospital stays, but don't know if it makes any difference that she was'nt claiming previous to being admitted, or that she is still classed as a student.
No doubt someone with more knowledge will be around soon.


EDIT: Yep sorry as a student she would only be able to claim ESA if she recieves DLA. As she is in hospital she can't claim DLA.

bloolagoon

This link (if current ) states that FT students need to be in receipt of DLA for ESA claims. I know many students who claim, but they do get DLA.

Is there a way to claim DLA?

http://www.cpag.org.uk/content/esa-and-students

Poppie68

bloolagoon wrote: »

This link (if current ) states that FT students need to be in receipt of DLA for ESA claims. I know many students who claim, but they do get DLA.

Is there a way to claim DLA?

http://www.cpag.org.uk/content/esa-and-students

She won't be able to claim DLA, if i remember correctly DLA is only payable for the first 4 weeks of a hospital stay.

bloolagoon

Poppie68 wrote: »

She won't be able to claim DLA, if i remember correctly DLA is only payable for the first 4 weeks of a hospital stay.

Well then I hope that link is out of date. It seems unfair otherwise. Or they give up student status.

Upsidedown_Bear

bloolagoon wrote: »

This link (if current ) states that FT students need to be in receipt of DLA for ESA claims. I know many students who claim, but they do get DLA.

Is there a way to claim DLA?

http://www.cpag.org.uk/content/esa-and-students

Yes - you can claim ESA as a student but only if you get DLA.

https://www.gov.uk/employment-support-allowance/eligibility

Upsidedown_Bear

Poppie68 wrote: »

She won't be able to claim DLA, if i remember correctly DLA is only payable for the first 4 weeks of a hospital stay.

Yes, that's right.

"For adults, DLA or AA stops after 28 days in hospital. When someone leaves hospital, they'll be able to start getting the benefit again. However, if the person you look after goes back into hospital within 28 days of leaving hospital, the two periods they're in hospital are added together and treated as one period."

From:
http://www.nhs.uk/CarersDirect/moneyandlegal/disabilitybenefits/Pages/DLAandAAclaimsandchanges.aspx

Poppie68

bloolagoon wrote: »

Well then I hope that link is out of date. It seems unfair otherwise. Or they give up student status.

There's no reason to pay out DLA if someone is in hospital as care is provided 24hours and as the mobility componant is paid out for help with getting around..... well your not going anywhere are you:) does make you wonder about paying motability though. wonder if rules are different if you have a car on the scheme!(edit: found the answer lol)
Sorry thats for another thread.

Dunroamin

I can see it's a difficult situation but what money does she actually need if she's in hospital?