Guide to Funding for Students with Disabilities 2017/18

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1 Guide to Funding for Students with Disabilities 2017/18 Who is this guide for? This funding guide provides information on the further types of funding which may be able to full-time students who have a disability or long-term health condition. Information about standard financial support via Student Finance England can be found on the NTU website. What funding am I entitled to? Living costs If you have a disability or long-term health condition, you may be entitled to a higher amount of maintenance loan to help you with your living costs. This is known as the Special Support Element. If you started your course after 1 st September 2016, you could be awarded up to 1,179 extra*. If you started your course before 1 st September 2016, you could be awarded up to 1,741 extra*. In addition, more of the loan is disregarded as income within a benefit assessment. To qualify, you would need to meet one of the following criteria: You have a disability and qualify for a Disability Premium or Severe Disability Premium. You have been treated as incapable of work for a continuous period of at least 28 weeks (two or more periods of incapacity separated by a break of no more than 8 weeks count as one continuous period). You are deaf and qualify for the Disabled Students' Allowance. You are waiting to go back to a course having taken approved time out because of an illness or caring responsibility that has now come to an end for a period not exceeding one year. You are entitled to Personal Independence Payment, Armed Forces Independence Payment or Disability Living Allowance. You are entitled to housing benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit. *Please note, the figures provided are for those students living away from the family home. Maintenance is meanstested. This means that the amount of maintenance you will receive will be determined by your household income. Those students who live within the family home may receive a reduced level of funding. We would advise that you contact the University s Student Finance Advisers for guidance.

2 Disabled Students Allowance If you incur additional course-related costs as a consequence of a disability, mental health difficulty (such as depression or anxiety) or specific learning difficulty (such as dyslexia), you can apply for the Disabled Students Allowance. This is a needs-based allowance and is available for specialist equipment, non-medical personal helpers and/or additional travel costs, subject to a needs assessment. The disabled students allowance is not treated as income and will therefore not affect your entitlement to benefits. For further information, please contact Student Finance England or alternatively, if you have any queries regarding your eligibility, please contact NTU Disability Support by disability.support@ntu.ac.uk or telephone: Students and benefits am I able to claim? Your entitlement to benefits may change when you become a full-time student, as elements of your student income may be regarded as income when your benefits are being calculated. This section provides clarification on how your student funding entitlement may affect your eligibility to benefits and also provides information for eligible students who are not currently claiming benefits. Personal Independence Payment // Disability Living Allowance The purpose of Personal Independent Payment and Disability Living Allowance is to provide an extra income to people with disabilities to compensate for the extra costs involved with having a disability. It is payable to people who need help looking after themselves and those who find it difficult to walk or get around. You do not need to have someone looking after you to be eligible. It is no longer possible to claim Disability Living Allowance, new applications will be assessed for Personal Independence Payment. Full-time disabled students are eligible to claim Personal Independent Payment, this is a non means-tested benefit. It will not be affected by the level of student funding you receive. Students who are eligible for Disability Living Allowance are also eligible for Income-related Employment and Support Allowance. For further information regarding Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independence Payment please contact: Disability and Carer s Service Telephone: Text phone: Webpage: DCPU.Customer-Services@dwp.gsi.gov.uk Disability Rights UK Telephone: Webpage: enquiries@disabilityrightsuk.org

3 Incapacity Benefit Incapacity Benefit is an earnings-replacement benefit for people who are unable to work because of an incapacity. Students already claiming will continue to receive Incapacity Benefit but new claimants will need to claim Employment and Support Allowance instead. Contribution based Incapacity Benefit is not means tested so your student income will not affect your benefit entitlement and you will continue to receive this benefit throughout the full duration of the academic year. Income-related Incapacity Benefit is means tested however and qualifying students will only be able to claim full Income-related Incapacity Benefit during the summer vacation period. only be able to claim full Income-related Incapacity Benefit during the summer vacation period (1st July st August 2016). Income support If you are a full-time student you will not usually qualify for income support for the duration of your course including vacation periods. This is because your student funding package is designed to meet your living costs. You may, however, still qualify for income support as a full-time student, if you are: A disabled student who: - qualifies for the income support disability premium or severe disability premium; or - qualifies for a disabled students allowance because you are deaf; or - has been treated as incapable of work for a continuous period of at least 28 weeks. A lone parent (including foster parent) who is responsible for a child under the age of 5 who lives in your household. (Lone parents who are responsible for a child above the age of 5 will be able to claim Jobseekers Allowance rather than Income Support). A couple who are both full-time students and you or your partner are responsible for a qualifying child. only be able to claim full Income Support during the summer vacation period (1st July st August 2017). Employment and Support Allowance (Income-related) Full-time students must be in receipt of Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independence Payment to be able to claim Income-related Employment and Support Allowance. Income-related Employment and Support Allowance is means tested and so your student funding entitlement will be taken into consideration during the assessment process. only be able to claim full Income-related Employment and Support Allowance during the summer vacation period (1st July st August 2016).

4 Employment and Support Allowance (contributory) Claimants need to have worked and paid sufficient national insurance contributions to qualify. This benefit is not means-tested which means students can continue to claim whilst in full time education (during the entire academic year). If you would like further information regarding Incapacity Benefit and Employment and Support Allowance, please contact: * National Jobcentre Plus Customer Contact Centre Telephone: Text phone: * Disability Rights UK Telephone: Webpage: enquiries@disabilityrightsuk.org Housing Benefit Most students attending a full-time course are excluded from Housing Benefit throughout the year until the course finally ends. However, disabled students may still be able to qualify. You will therefore be entitled to claim Housing Benefit whilst undertaking a full-time course of study if you: - Are in receipt of Employment and Support Allowance (income-related or contributory) - Have been treated as having limited capability of work or incapacity for work for 196 days - Are in receipt of Incapacity Benefit or Income Support and have been incapable of work for 28 weeks - Qualify for a disability premium or severe disability premium - Claim a Disabled Student s Allowance because of deafness - Are waiting to go back to a course after taking approved time out because of illness or caring responsibilities which have now come to an end * Eligible students who rent from the education establishment (halls of residence) can still claim Housing Benefit. Housing Benefit is administered by your Local Authority. To find out how to contact your Local Authority please visit: Discretionary Hardship Fund The University has a limited fund of money to assist students in financial hardship. The Fund has strict eligibility criteria and a standardised assessment procedure, set nationally, which calculates the level of support based on a significant shortfall between annual income and basic expenditure. Assistance from the Fund is only intended to supplement statutory funding where there is a proven additional need. Application forms for the Discretionary Hardship Fund will be available from Student Support Services at the start of the academic year at the following locations: - Student Services Centre - City Campus - Clifton Student Centre - Brackenhurst Student Centre

5 Summer Vacation Fund The University has set aside limited funds primarily to assist non-final year undergraduate students who are unable to work over the summer vacation period due to illness or disability. The Fund can also assists lone parents with dependent children during the period when there is no benefit entitlement. If you think you may be eligible, you can contact the fund administrators by or by telephone: /2521. Useful contacts Disability Support Team Student Financial Support Team /4603 Student Finance England (minicom) Student Finance Wales (minicom) Student Finance Northern Ireland (minicom) Student Awards Agency for Scotland NTU Student Financial Support September 2017