BTEA

Mrs Garth Brooks

Does anyone know if there is a deadline to when you can apply for the BTEA allowance? Would they accept the form in the middle of september?

And how do they calculate your days?

I finished a year's long course, level 5 in a PLC. If the exams go well, I have the option to progress to a level 6 in the same PLC college. Since its a PLC college, I have read that I only need to be on the dole for 78 days. If i do progress, I dont start until the third week of september.

My dole claim doesn't start until the 6th of june and with the first 3 days unpaid. So i start getting the money from the 9th of june. Sundays aren't counted.

From the 6th of june, counting the 78 days, it won't be until the 3rd of september. If its from the 9th of june, the 78 day will be on the 7th of september.

Am i safe to stay on the dole, in the hope i get the BTEA?

Sonz

If you did the full college year without working or anything that would affect the claim they should just transfer your payments straight to job seeker without any fuss. As for the BTEA for september, there was a forum sent out in april maybe may asking you to fill up stating if you'r returning to college or not and send it to them, it would then be a direct transfer of money back to the btea system. You just need to bring in the letter stating your accepted from the college in september. Thats what the SW office told me anyways. I'm sure if you call them on tuesday they will have an answer

Mrs Garth Brooks

Sonz wrote: »

If you did the full college year without working or anything that would affect the claim they should just transfer your payments straight to job seeker without any fuss. As for the BTEA for september, there was a forum sent out in april maybe may asking you to fill up stating if you'r returning to college or not and send it to them, it would then be a direct transfer of money back to the btea system. You just need to bring in the letter stating your accepted from the college in september. Thats what the SW office told me anyways. I'm sure if you call them on tuesday they will have an answer

Oh that's a great reply but what if im new for claiming the BTEA. I lived of savings for the past year as I wasn't entitled to anything last year. I left a job, so i wasn't unemployed, so wasn't entitled to the BTEA. I wasn't entitled to the grant either.

Have applied for the dole for some money for the summer. I was going to take out a loan for the next year. But if im on the dole for 78 days i may be entitled to the BTEA. So would like to know for sure if i would be entitled to it or not. That's why i'd like to know if there is a deadline to when you can apply, cause counting the days, it will be in september.

KeithTS

I'm not too sure about the days needed, I went on it last Sept and I needed 234 days but that may have changed since then.

As far as a cutoff date, I don''t think there actually is one as long as you are claiming JSA before applying.

A friend of mine started college last year, he knew nothing about BTEA when starting until I told him. He applied 3 weeks or so into the course, it was a bit messy but he got it in the end. As far as I know thought they only count the days up until the start date of the course and that's it though.

Speak to the jobs facilitator for your local welfare office as even if you are just below the number of days they can reccommend you and push it through anyway.