students and benefits

[abc123def]

Hi I wonder if you can help me.

 

Someone with various disabilities is starting a full time vocational undergraduate degree at university. They receive lrc and lrm of DLA indefinitely. They will be receiving all the necessary support via DSA though obviously that doesn't provide money. They are single with no dependants. Unlike other students because of their disabilities they will not be able to work at all to supplement their income. They have no parental support available.

 

Are they entitled to housing benefit towards the cost of their halls fees? The cost of that alone is almost every penny of the bursaries and student loans available to them and they will also need to eat, travel and live. So it's not financially possible as it stands.

 

Also, I know that students can claim esa if they are in receipt of dla. How does that work wrt the wca as they are not actually 'unfit' to work and are doing a full time degree?

 

Thank you.

[**Margaret**]

:abc123def:

 

Full time students in receipt of disability living/personal independence can be treated as having limited capability for work, without a work capability assessment, for an income related claim to employment n support. An assessment may be needed to determine eligibility for the higher support component.

 

There's lots of pointers to finance, including housing benefit, for disabled students on the Disability Rights UK site at;

 

http://www.disabilityrightsuk.org/funding-higher-education-disabled-students

 

Margaret.

 

 

 

 

[abc123def]

Thank you so much Margaret. An adviser had told me they wouldn't be entitled to esa but that says different. Also the fact they can claim housing benefit is going to make the difference needed to be able to do the course so that's fantastic.

[Nystagmite]

If they haven't worked for the last 2 tax years and haven't paid the appropriate amount of national insurance, (I don't know the rules for this) they would have to meet the income rules for ESA. Any amount of ESA (even pennies) would entitle someone to full HB.

 

The only criteria, apart from the income side of things, for HB is that you have a proper tenancy in place. So, for someone in halls, they would have had to sign a tenancy agreement, in the same way that someone who rents privately would do.

 

There are some disregards; but most student finance, apart from tuition fees and the special support grant are counted as income for benefits, regardless of whether someone takes it.