My income each month was my NHS bursary, half of that went on childcare. The other part paid the monthly bills and then there was nothing left until the next month. Unfortunately the government just saw it as I had more money than before, therefore I can afford more rent. I showed them that my income and expenditure meant that I couldn't afford this amount, and three times asked for it to be recalculated. They basically wanted it so that I paid childcare and rent and other important things like car insurance, petrol, gas, electric and food were unaffordable. How is this an acceptable way to do things? They complain about the amount of people on benefits, but won't be reasonable to those furthering their education to get off benefits. How is this fair?!
I was basically given the choice between staying at university, or being evicted due to rent arrears whilst sorting this out (well attempting to anyway) NOBODY should ever have to make this choice. I spoke to someone at uni and they said about intercalating, I could leave for a period of time and then return and still be able to finish before the cut off. Thought this was a brilliant idea as I could work to get some savings up so I could afford rent while at uni, and hopefully keep one shift per week going to cover rent also.
I went for this options and applied for job seekers allowance while I looked for work. Knew I wouldn't need it for long and it was only so I could afford my bills in the interim between finishing uni and starting work. Thought it would be easy to sort out. How wrong was I!
They said they wouldn't allow me to claim as I was still a student, but admitted they didn't know what the word intercalated meant. I told them, they reassessed it. Came to the same conclusion. I looked for ways to get money to pay my bills but couldn't get anything. Student finances were saying I wasn't a student so not eligible for anything, DWP were saying I was a student so wasn't eligible for anything. The whole situation as messed up. And still every fortnight I had to go sign on, sit next to the same dossers, bullshitting the system and getting away with it, and being paid the whole time. Here was me, actually actively looking for work, having interviews, being told I wasn't eligible for the same benefits as the dossers.
It became so stressful I started getting sick. I couldn't sleep or eat. I was so emotional all the time. I was still being threatened with eviction because my "rent advisor" hadn't noted down what I had said in any previous conversations so it looked like I was ignoring every letter.
I then got "notice of court action" through my door. I was so upset and furious at the same time. I called my housing association the next morning and got a different rent advisor. It was then I found out that no conversations had been recorded. Even though I had called them at least once a week to let them know my situation and what was going on as far as benefits were concerned. It was this advisor that informed me of "underlying entitlement" where my housing and council tax benefit would be recalculated to my temporary income and it would stop and more rent arrears occurring. Why couldn't I have been told this a month ago?! MADNESS!!
I have to say at this point, I left uni on 3/1/13 had a telephone interview on 11/1/13 and a face to face interview on 16/1/13 where I was offered a job on successful completion of work training. I then did the four days of training between 29/1/13 and 1/2/13. So I knew I wouldn't need benefits for long. I knew that when I need a job, I get one quickly.
I was getting to the point in the whole process where I was getting very depressed, about everything. I couldn't see any way out of my situation. I had £82.60 to pay every bill, get all our food, and as we are on pre-payment gas and electric meters I couldn't just leave them with no money on. I had one week where I had to choose between food or gas.
If I had been getting JSA, I would've had another £71 per week on top of that to pay bills etc. also when the temperature averaged at 0 or below for the week I would've got cold weather payments of around £20 per week. Trust is to snow really bad in the middle of this whole process!! I went through £20 of gas in one week. That is when I had to choose between gas and food. Why should someone have to be in that position. Why should someone's child have to see their mum so upset and so depressed that every weekend she struggled to get out of bed as she didn't see the point. Where most days where spent in floods of tears, and she felt guilty because she couldn't even do anything with her child as the means to do so just weren't there.
Then last week I was told the decision makers had said (yet again) that I was still a student. Even though I had fully withdrawn from uni at this point as I couldn't go another month with no money. I was getting to the point where I wouldn't be able to afford next months car insurance. If I didn't have my car, I wouldn't be able to start the job I had been offered as I needed a car to do it. My personal advisor was furious (this whole time she had been fighting for me and keeping on top of everything as she knew I should be getting this and it was stupid that I wasn't) we had sent proof of my full withdrawal from uni, so why were they saying this?
I had to make yet another call. The person I got through to wondered why they had said that I wasn't eligible when the proof was there in black and white. He said I would get a call in the morning and will demand the decision makers reevaluate their decision and make immediate payment to me.
The next morning, 9:15 I was told that it had been sent back to the decision maker, as the proof was there, and they may not have seen it. She then called me again, around lunch, saying that there was some hopeful news, but a few more questions that need to be answered and I will be getting a call off her colleague to go through this with me. Just hearing the word hopeful was fantastic, but said to my mum that I'm not hoping for much at all! Around 1, I had the final call of the day. 12/2/13 they finally said yes, we can see you are no longer a student and you are eligible for JSA, but as my bursary used to be calculated as monthly they won't backdate it to 3/1/13 as the bursary should've lasted me until 16/1/13. He said a payment had been made for the backdated amount and will be in my account that afternoon.
YES! Finally I was able to get the money I was entitled to. I could pay my bills that were late because of having no money, and knew my bills for the rest of the month would be covered by this money.
I'm still awaiting a start date for my job. Because of the nature of the job I have had to wait for my CRB to come back, and all my references too.
I JUST opened the letter with my CRB in. And hopefully my references won't be far behind. Then all I will have to do is get my uniform, a start date and then I'm sorted!!
Never have I been so happy to be told I'm getting a benefit payment (I HATE being on benefits)
Never have I been so happy to get my CRB back in the post. I knew it was clean as my record has always been clean!
Let just say, I'm happy to be finally getting back onto the right track. Even if it was at the expense of my nursing.
Next time I should try and use this logic...
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