HELP!!! Full time student with a PIP award.

I am a 50 year old, full time, final-year degree student. I am single (divorced). I began my course in October 2016. My daughter is 20 and attending university outside of London.

I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia in 2009 but have managed my symptoms and been able to work etc., using significant quantities of pain relief. Unfortunately, I am no longer able to take my usual top-up pain medication - which has literally kept me going for 9 years, because it has damaged my kidneys.

I have worked throughout my course, but have been really struggling to manage my symptoms. I have had four different types of medication but the side effects are dreadful. AT one point, I slept through my home being flooded! My increasingly chronic symptoms have had a detrimental impact on my attendance etc. As a consequence of this, I was advised to apply for DSA which I was awarded during the summer of 2017. I am now provided with DSA funded transport between my home and campus, together with other support to facilitate my study needs at university.

On the advice of my DSA Assessor, I finally applied for PIP this year, and am in receipt of standard rate in respect of daily living needs (awarded 6th November 2017 to 28 February 2020). I believe that I should have been awarded the enhanced rate, but I have not been well enough to pursue this.

Unfortunately, my symptoms are worsening, so I need to try to reduce my working hours or stop working until my medication can be sorted out. My GP has given me a fit note saying that I need to work less. However, I am very worried about how I will pay my rent and bills if I do do this.

I have tried to understand the rules for claiming housing benefit and ESA but I am completely confused. I live in a universal credit full service area and need to report two changes of circumstance - a rent increase and a significant decrease in my income.

Please could you help me to understand whether I must work for a minimum number of hours each week to get some help, whether I can claim ESA and/or Housing Benefit, and how this all works in practice? I don’t understand the difference between the two types of ESA. Do I need to be signed off as unfit to work for 6 months in order to make a claim? I have been looking for less physical work which fits around my lecture timetable, but am struggling to find enough hours of work. Most employers don't want someone who isn't completely well.

As a full-time student with a PIP award, can I claim HB?

I have a student loan for living costs.

Please help – I am really worried about how I will pay my bills etc.

Hello Gordon,

Thanks so much for your response.

Unfortunately, I ran out of energy and fell asleep so didn't see it until this morning!

It is both. I am unable to afford to be just a full time student so I found a job which fitted around my timetable and have been doing that since starting my course in October 2016.

Prior to that I worked at a Learning Mentor and SEN Teaching Assistant for 7 years. Prior to that I had a two year break to care for my newly-disabled daughter who couldn't attend school full time, and prior to that I was a senior manager in local government for 20+ years.

I have sought welfare advice but to be honest apart from the PIP application, it wasn't particularly helpful. I think they felt that I am capable of sorting things out myself, so I feel rather "on my own" with this and very low which doesn't help with 'the fight'.

I can manage to pay my rent using my student loan and overdraft for a couple of months if I am very, very careful, but have no money for anything else. My current employer has offered me a few hours a week to keep me going - they have been amazing, but just couldn't afford to keep me on and pay for alternative workers when I was too unwell to work.

I was looking at the new style ESA information but it is very confusing. I was wondering whether I should claim for new style ESA and if I do, whether that will get me assessed for LCW? Although my fantasy scenario is to be able to stop work until June 2019 whilst I finish my course (I have literally been on my knees health-wise for the past 18 months), I am happy to continue working, preferably part-time - I just need to do something which is not so physically challenging, which is what I am struggling to find.

Do you think it is worth ONLY doing a change of circumstance to my local authority regarding my HB? Or is this not possible? I don't have to claim ESA - my priority is to be able to pay the rent, but my earned income will be less than half of what I was earning from this week...

Thank you,

Cassandra

Thank you, Gordon.

That is really helpful.

I do currently claim Housing Benefit and receive a small amount each fortnight, based on my income, although I've never been certain this is okay, given that I am also a full-time student. Will notifying a change of circumstances (wage reduction due to health and rent increase) force a move to UC? Is it best to do this immediately, or when I have some wage slips showing my change of income?

Do you think it will be okay to deal with my Housing Benefit change of circumstances at the same time as making a claim for New Style ESA?

Also, please could you tell me how I can find out whether I have paid enough NICs? I would be very surprised if I haven't...

Thank you so much for your help. It is much appreciated.

Cassandra