Disabled Students Disability Benefits

1. EMPLOYMENT AND SUPPORT ALLOWANCE (E.S.A.)

This benefit was introduced in Oct 08 to replace Incapacity Benefit and Income Support for the long term sick (over 28 weeks) and for disabled people. Most claimants will be transferred onto ESA between April 2011 and March 2013. There is an income based and contribution based E.S.A., plus Employment and Support Allowance in youth and you may receive one or both of these benefits. Assessment for benefit is based on limited capability for work according to a work capability assessment.

Student Entitlement

Part-Time Students who have limited capability for work and full-time students in receipt of Disability Living Allowance can claim income based E.S.A., both part and full time students qualify for contribution based E.S.A if they have paid enough national insurance contributions. E. S.A. in youth has specific more complicated conditions of entitlement and you should seek advice if you think you may be entitled.

Also see part 5 of this leaflet.

If you are claiming income based ESA you can claim help with mortgage interest payments on the first £200,000 of your mortgage after a waiting period of 13 weeks up to at least January 2012.   

Claiming E.S.A.

To make a claim you need to call the local Contact Centre 8am-6pm-Telephone 0800-055-6688 or textphone 0800-023-4888-a telephone interview will be conducted and a claim form completed -you then enter a 13 week assessment phase for benefit when you are paid a basic allowance of E.S.A. You will then undergo a work capability assessment which determines whether you are eligible for benefit and either the support component or the work- related activity component top-up. Most claimants will be eligible for the latter and will be required to undertake work related activities including attending six work focused interviews. In most cases you will attend an initial ‘work focused interview' after the 8th week of your claim-at this interview a personal adviser will talk to you about your work prospects, the steps you are able to take to find work and the support that is available to you. If you are placed in the work related activity group you will be required to attend a further five work focused interviews at monthly intervals. The interviews are mandatory- if you fail to attend or participate in them your ESA can be sanctioned, but sanctions can only be applied after the 13 week assessment phase is over. 

2. INCAPACITY BENEFIT/INCOME SUPPORT

Incapacity Benefit is a contributory benefit paid to people who were incapable of full-time work before the introduction of E.S.A. Income Support is a means tested benefit paid to the disabled and the long term sick who did not satisfy the contribution conditions for Incapacity Benefit before the introduction of E.S.A. They both have the same eligibility conditions but one depends on contributions and the other on what income and savings you have. Existing claimants should continue to receive these benefits rather than E.S.A. but the government have plans to migrate claimants from Income Support and Incapacity Benefit onto E.S.A. by at least April 2013.  

Sometimes the D.W.P. review your disability benefit entitlement when you become a full-time student and treat you as capable of full-time work because you are attending a full-time course and use this  reason to stop paying Incapacity Benefit/Income Support/Employment and Support Allowance. If your medical condition remains the same regardless of the fact that you are a student or you are trying to do the course for therapeutic reasons you should challenge the decision and put in an appeal. A full-time course does not necessarily have the workload or the responsibilities of a full time job and if your benefit stops whilst you are studying a full-time course but your medical condition has not changed and you do not feel capable of full-time work you should seek advice about appealing. It would help if your doctor can confirm that your illness has not changed and/or that you are taking up the course for therapeutic reasons.

Incapacity Benefit, Income Support and Employment and Support Allowance are important benefits as they provide a passport to entitlement to Housing Benefit but as this is a means-tested benefit the amount you receive depends on the total income of you and your family.

Student Funding

Employment and Support Allowance/Incapacity Benefit and Income Support can in some circumstances(subject to means test) be paid in addition to any student funding you can get and help you qualify for discretionary access to learning funds, the Special Support Grant and a higher rate of student loan from Student Finance England.

For details call Student Funds-0151-291-3435 

3. DISABILITY LIVING ALLOWANCE.   

This is a benefit intended to help severely disabled people who have either care needs in connection with bodily functions such as eating ,drinking, taking medication, getting around, or who require regular supervision due to mental illness such as panic attacks, drop attacks, fits, epilepsy etc, or mobility needs because they need help with getting around due to their disability.

It is paid in two parts-a mobility component and a care component-these are broken down into rates-the care component has a lower, middle and higher rate and  the mobility has a lower and higher rate. There are different conditions of entitlement to qualify for each rate. The benefit can be awarded for short periods of time or indefinitely.

Students sometimes experience problems when they start college and the benefit authorities assume that the medical condition has improved as a result-however if you have a long term medical problem that is not likely to improve your Disability Living Allowance can be paid for life and you only need reapply if the condition gets worse and you feel you are entitled to a higher rate. It is worth seeking advice before doing this because the whole award is revised and it could result in less benefit.

Disability Living Allowance can also be paid for a disabled child under 16 if the child has a disability and as a result has needs over and above that of a "normal "child.

Disability Living Allowance is an important benefit if it is paid to the claimant or for a child because it can passport entitlement to income related Employment and Support Allowance and Housing Benefit-(subject to the means test) and it can generate a higher rate of these because of the disability and severe disability element and the disabled child premium. Receipt of this benefit for a child automatically gives a higher amount of child tax credit due to entitlement to an extra disability and/or severe disability element.

Student Funding

Disability Living Allowance does not affect entitlement to Student funding and helps students qualify for discretionary access to learning fund payments from the University and the Special Support Grant and higher rate of Maintenance Loan from Student Finance England.

For details contact Student Funds-0151-291-3435

4. CARERS ALLOWANCE

Carers Allowance is paid to carers of disabled people receiving Attendance Allowance or Disability Living Allowance care component at the middle or highest rate who are caring for a disabled person for at least 35 hours per week.

It is NOT payable to full-time students who are required to study for 21 or more hours per week which applies to the majority of full-time students. This includes study undertaken on or off the premises but not meal breaks.

If students are studying less than 21 hours per week they may be able to dispute this rule if they can get a letter from the head of department stating that the course requirement is less than this. Some full-time students who are not required to take up all the full-time modules because, for example, they are attending part-time on a full-time course or are repeating part of a year may be treated as studying less than 21 hours per week.  Alternatively-if the Carers Allowance is stopped on starting your course it may be possible for the money to be claimed by the disabled person being cared for in the form of the severe disability premium as part of income related Employment and Support Allowance or Income Support payments providing that the person lives alone.

Student Funding

Carers Allowance does not affect entitlement to Student Funding and helps students qualify for discretionary access to learning fund payments from the University.

For details contact student funds-0151-291-3435

5. SEVERE DISABLEMENT ALLOWANCE/EMPLOYMENT AND SUPPORT ALLOWANCE IN YOUTH/ INCAPACITY BENEFIT IN YOUTH.

Severe disablement allowance was abolished on the 6.04.01.It was a benefit intended for young people who were considered 80% disabled before the age of 20 or 25 in some cases. If you received SDA before it was abolished you will continue to receive it as long as you satisfy the conditions. Claimants since 6/4/01 claim Incapacity Benefit in Youth instead without satisfying the national insurance contribution conditions but they must satisfy the continuous 28 week Incapacity for work rule. Incapacity Benefit in Youth was replaced in October 08 by Employment and Support Allowance in Youth which has the same qualifying conditions. To qualify for youth based Employment and Support allowance you must be at least 16 and have been under 20 or 25 in some cases when your period of incapacity for work started. 

It is not payable to full-time students under 19 who are studying for 21 hours or more a week, but you can claim as soon as you are 19 as long as you have been sick for 28 weeks before it. It passports claimants entitlement to Housing Benefit. The qualifying conditions are complicated so if you think you are eligible seek advice. .

Student Funding

The above benefits do not affect entitlement to student funding and help you qualify for payments from the discretionary access to learning fund, the special support grant and higher rate student maintenance loan.

For details contact student funds-0151-291-3435

6. DISABLED STUDENTS ALLOWANCE.

Disabled Students Allowance is not a social security benefit but a grant intended to assist a disabled student with the extra costs of their study. It is claimed on a D.S.A.1form from Student Finance England-the form is available on their website at www.direct.gov.uk/studentfinance.You also need to seek advice with claiming the grant from the Support for Students with Disabilities Department of the University. They can assist you with making your application and putting your study needs and support into place.

The Allowance has three parts;-Specialist Equipment Allowance, Non-medical helpers Allowance and a General Disabled Students Allowance.

It can be claimed by both full and part-time and undergraduate and postgraduate students. It is disregarded from means-tested benefits and does not affect your entitlement to other social security benefits.

For further information see Bridging the Gap-a guide to D.S.A.s in Higher Education obtained via -0800-731-9133 or www.dfes.gov.uk/studentsupport/forms and guides.

Also by seeking advice from Liverpool Hope University- Support for Students with Disabilities department.-0151-291-3065

IF YOU WANT ANY FURTHER INFORMATION OR ADVICE on any aspect of Social Security benefits whilst studying please contact   Student Support and Wellbeing to make an appointment with the Student Welfare/Benefit Adviser. Tel 0151-291-3813 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it