Disabled Student-Universal Credit

poppy12345

bigbill wrote: »

Without reading all this post I would guess that the new UC claim does not include any extras such as LCW / LCWRA / SDP so would be a lot less than his previous HB calculation which would have had the disability premium and possible SDP included in their calculations.

Time will tell once more info is given.

Had you read the thread you would have seen that the OP's son has LCW under ESA as an active claim when he's home from Uni during summer holiday. This is paid at the rate before that changes took place in April 2017.


As they live at home when not in Uni, it's highly unlikely that the SDP would have been paid.

huckster

It might help if we had a full breakdown of the £5534 that was paid previously.

With a full breakdown, we might understand the previous award and that would inform us what elements should still be payable.

pmlindyloo

Rules for students under Universal Credit

http://data.parliament.uk/DepositedPapers/Files/DEP2018-0759/Students_Eligibility_conditionality_and_student_income_v8.pdf

calcotti

That pasted link has got one of those gremlins that has inserted a gap into the middle of the word income. I am unable to post a corrected link, looks ok when typed out but displays wrongly when saved. Anybody wanting to follow the link needs to edit out the gap in the word income.

As previously posted there is a £110 disregard/month. The maximum grant available to a student is taken into account regardless of whether or not the student has taken it up.

benstuart

My apologies,
I have just spent over an hour responding to everyone , but the post has not appeared, it would appear it does not like cut and paste , as well as posted links for new members,
I will try again,
Regards,
Stuart.

benstuart

Hello,
May I start by thanking all those that have taken the time and trouble to respond.
I will respond in post order(My apologies if I miss anything or that this is not the most effecient way to respond.
Post 13
You are quite correct, the LCW should be included as Ben's claim predates April 2017, I will query this with the DWP.
Ben did get the one bedroom rate.
Post 14.
Your calculations are correct, apart from the fact thathe is not in the LCWRA group, I was merely pointing out that the regulations changed in April 2017.
Post 15
His maintenance loan is £6236, he started in 2015, but missed a year through illness.
Post 16
The £5534 was apportioned , ESA £2252 and HB £2982.
I have written to my MP,Ben's MP,The chairman of the APPG on Disability and Damian Hinds(DWP Minister)
Post 17.
Your figures would appear to be correct under the current regulations, giving an award of £120 per month(A reduction of only £4000 per year)
Post 18
You are correct, ESA entitlement still applies all year,the student loan is apportioned over the academic year, therefore earning threshold is breached and no payment made.
Post 21
Current "award" does not includeLCW etc.
Weekly eligible rent £110.45 to quote Durham CC
"As you are receiving ESA, I can pay your maximum HB of £110"
Post 23
ESA £2552, HB £2982.
Post 24
Sorry the link does not work for me.

I have tried unsuccessfully to post links and cut and paste from the Disability Rights UK website, but as a new member, I am precluded from doing so.
I have found the Disability Rights UK website most informative.(search disabled students universal credit on the site).
Their CEO wrote to Damian Hinds in July, highlighting the plight of disabled students.
In his reply, and I quote
"UC is designed to encourage disabled people to undertake education", but without explaining why.
Quite how this would be achieved by reducing a disabled students award by £5534, is not clear..
I have written to him for clarification.
Once again thank you for your time and patience,
Regards,
Stuart.

calcotti

To use the link in post 24 you need to edit out the gap in the word income. It’s a glitch that appears sometimes when pasting links that this site inserts gaps which shouldn’t be there. I tried to explain this in post 25.

Very glad you have raised this with MP.

calcotti

If we use grant of £6,236 and rent of £110/week (£476.67/month)

Standard allowance £251.77
LCW £126.11
Housing £476.67
Maximum UC payable = £854.55

loan £692 less £110 disregard = £582

UC payable is £272.55/month for 9 months and £377.88 for 3 months (when there are no housing costs and no loan) which I make £3,586.61 for the year.

Compared to the £5,534 previously this is a loss of £1,958 for the year. Admit I don’t understand the breakdown of the previous award if ESA was only paid for 3 months in summer and HB was paid for 9 months at £110/week.

If the DWP use the maximum grant available of £8,700 this would obviously reduce the UC (is the available grant reduced due to household income?).

I think the difference is because for HB purposes the student loan was ignored as income but is not for a UC.

Damian Hinds response is typical of all official statements which ignore the points put to them but simply make an opposite statement. Recent report by Public Accounts Committee of MPs stated that a significant risk to the successful rollout of UC is the DWP's 'systemic culture of denial and defensiveness - it starts at the top.

benstuart

Thanks for that, although so far the DWP .have not included the LCW and the maximum rent the DWP have used is £75(which is the Local housing Alowance rate), but Durham CC, have used a figure set by "The Rent Service" and is set at £137 less charge for services giving £110 per week
I will query with DWP

calcotti

benstuart wrote: »

Thanks for that, although so far the DWP .have not included the LCW and the maximum rent the DWP have used is £75(which is the Local housing Alowance rate), but Durham CC, have used a figure set by "The Rent Service" and is set at £137 less charge for services giving £110 per week
I will query with DWP

The DWP are right to use the LHA rate but I think it should be the one bedroom rate not the shared room rate (if getting Daily living PIP) and the DWP may have got this wrong.