Told RA will stop as I'm a FT student,is my only option left to withdraw from uni?

ohwell

Last summer I was never told by my "Rents Officer" at my local CWO office that if I remained on DA that I would lose my RA once I went to uni as a mature student. I had been told by DA that as I was on DA I had two choices, stay on it or transfer to BTEA. By the time the Rents Officer did tell me it was too late, the deadline for BTEA had passed and I was on my 3 year degree course.

A few days ago I get a letter saying my RA, which covers both myself and my wife, will end in 4 weeks time as I am a full time student. Now if this happens I will have no alternative but to leave my course so I am no longer a full time student. Last summer on three occasions within 3 weeks I contacted the Rents Officer explaining that I would be remaining on DA and applying for a grant and I wanted to make sure that the grant wouldn't affect my RA, I was told each time it wouldn't, all was fine. But what the Rents Officer didn't say was that as I was remaining on DA that I would lose my RA! My grant is about €2,300 pa, my RA is about €6,000pa. Now why on earth the Rents Officer didn't tell me I have no idea, maybe he didn't know himself,not sure. But he didn't and now I'm in the situation I'm in.

So, what to do? I've 4 weeks before RA is cut off. I can appeal but an appeal can take months and months, it can literally take upto 2 months alone before you even get a bloody receipt of having lodged the appeal! (I was onto them today) And while you're appealing your RA stops. So, a no-win situation there.
If they think I will simply remain a student they are very mistaken, I won't, I'll withdraw from my course to make sure I retain my RA if it comes to it and it's looking most likely that it will come to it.

Had the rents officer told me I would lose my RA I would have transferred to BTEA but I was never told this despite telling him I was remaining on DA while studying full time! Rather than assist me with getting the hell off SW in the medium term they've put a roadblock in my way which means I will probably have to leave my course and remain on DA and continue getting RA for god knows how long. Very silly. I'll still get RA only to continue getting it I'll now have to leave university. Crazy. Your thoughts? Any point contacting a few TD's or Ministers? Thanks.

Rasmus

ohwell wrote: »

Last summer I was never told by my "Rents Officer" at my local CWO office that if I remained on DA that I would lose my RA once I went to uni as a mature student. I had been told by DA that as I was on DA I had two choices, stay on it or transfer to BTEA. By the time the Rents Officer did tell me it was too late, the deadline for BTEA had passed and I was on my 3 year degree course.

A few days ago I get a letter saying my RA, which covers both myself and my wife, will end in 4 weeks time as I am a full time student. Now if this happens I will have no alternative but to leave my course so I am no longer a full time student. Last summer on three occasions within 3 weeks I contacted the Rents Officer explaining that I would be remaining on DA and applying for a grant and I wanted to make sure that the grant wouldn't affect my RA, I was told each time it wouldn't, all was fine. But what the Rents Officer didn't say was that as I was remaining on DA that I would lose my RA! My grant is about €2,300 pa, my RA is about €6,000pa. Now why on earth the Rents Officer didn't tell me I have no idea, maybe he didn't know himself,not sure. But he didn't and now I'm in the situation I'm in.

So, what to do? I've 4 weeks before RA is cut off. I can appeal but an appeal can take months and months, it can literally take upto 2 months alone before you even get a bloody receipt of having lodged the appeal! (I was onto them today) And while you're appealing your RA stops. So, a no-win situation there.
If they think I will simply remain a student they are very mistaken, I won't, I'll withdraw from my course to make sure I retain my RA if it comes to it and it's looking most likely that it will come to it.

Had the rents officer told me I would lose my RA I would have transferred to BTEA but I was never told this despite telling him I was remaining on DA while studying full time! Rather than assist me with getting the hell off SW in the medium term they've put a roadblock in my way which means I will probably have to leave my course and remain on DA and continue getting RA for god knows how long. Very silly. I'll still get RA only to continue getting it I'll now have to leave university. Crazy. Your thoughts? Any point contacting a few TD's or Ministers? Thanks.

Unfortunately the rules are that you can't receive RA while you are a FT student unless you are on BTEA, and it is up to the person to know all the clauses and regulations. If you leave now, you lose your grant and would have to pay to repeat the college year.
So if I were you, I'd do whatever is possible to stay on your degree - move and find a studio to live in until you can apply for BTEA and rent allowance again, borrow, go to St. Vincent De Paul, whatever it takes.
In the second year, you'll be eligible for all the benefits - so for the best part of the year it would be really tough, but in the grand scheme of things you'll be better off - a free degree and a place to live while you get it.

ohwell

Rasmus wrote: »

Unfortunately the rules are that you can't receive RA while you are a FT student unless you are on BTEA, and it is up to the person to know all the clauses and regulations. If you leave now, you lose your grant and would have to pay to repeat the college year.
So if I were you, I'd do whatever is possible to stay on your degree - move and find a studio to live in until you can apply for BTEA and rent allowance again, borrow, go to St. Vincent De Paul, whatever it takes.
In the second year, you'll be eligible for all the benefits - so for the best part of the year it would be really tough, but in the grand scheme of things you'll be better off - a free degree and a place to live while you get it.

Thanks for your reply but I have been onto the BTEA section, as I didn't apply for BTEA in Year 1 I am not entitled to it in Years 2 or 3 either. So, no, I will not be eligible for BTEA at all now. Plus I am married and we have a dog so moving to a studio and paying the rent ourselves isn't feasible. Especially with further suspected cuts to SW possibly coming down the tracks.

Yes, if I leave now I lose my grant but I retain my RA. If I stay I retain my grant but I lose my RA. In such a scenario I'll have no option but to leave. So leave I will. And as a consequence rather than potentially having a degree and hopefully starting on a career path in a short few years time, I'll now very possibly be on DA and getting RA for the foreseeable future. Not what I want but my hands being forced, so be it. I'll now end up costing the State way more in the longer run than if I simply continued at uni, if I was able to simply continue at uni. But looks like that option isn't there for me. Ok.

What annoys me is that the Rents Officer never told me the problems I'd face re: rent allowance and being on DA while attending uni - even though he knew that this is what I would be doing. Still can't figure out why he didn't tell me despite knowing my situation, which I explained to him more than once prior to starting my course. Oh well, looks like I'll be withdrawing from uni, it wasn't going very well in any case given my various health issues. So, it's remaining on DA for me it looks like rather than getting the hell off it. If this is what they want along with the associated longer term costs, then this is what they'll get. I made an effort to get the hell off SW they are the ones blocking my way. So be it. Thanks anyway.

Rasmus

Sorry to hear that. I did not know you couldn't apply for BTEA in 2nd year. Have you approached your mature student support officer in your college? They know the ins and outs of the many issues that mature students face. I'm a mature student myself, and I had to jump through some hoops to get here (paperwork, research etc). I must have talked for hours with all the different departments to make sure everything was in order and it was going to work.
It's amazing what can happen if you get the right person on the phone, so maybe make a 'friend' in the BTEA department, go down and talk with them, tell them all you want is to get off welfare but this is in your way.
I hope you don't leave college.

ohwell

Rasmus wrote: »

Sorry to hear that. I did not know you couldn't apply for BTEA in 2nd year. Have you approached your mature student support officer in your college? They know the ins and outs of the many issues that mature students face. I'm a mature student myself, and I had to jump through some hoops to get here (paperwork, research etc). I must have talked for hours with all the different departments to make sure everything was in order and it was going to work.
It's amazing what can happen if you get the right person on the phone, so maybe make a 'friend' in the BTEA department, go down and talk with them, tell them all you want is to get off welfare but this is in your way.
I hope you don't leave college.

I've just gotten onto the BTEA section again and have explained what's happened, this time the BTEA section in Carrick on Shannon not Longford where the BTEA attached to DA is located. They seem more sympathetic. Going to discuss it with the supervisor and phone me back. Hopefully they'll say I can move onto BTEA. If not then it most certainly is bye bye uni.

I'm in this messed up situation because of the Rents Officer at my local CWO office to be honest. I too went and got information, I phoned them 3 times last August prior to starting my course and still with plenty of time to move to BTEA if needed, for which I was eligible. I explained I was remaining on DA , was going to uni full time and was applying for a grant which would be roughly €2,300pa. I asked: will that grant affect my RA. Three times I was told: no it won't, no it won't, no it won't. When in fact the complete opposite was true, yes it will, yes it will, yes it will. As it seems you cannot remain on DA and go to uni full time and keep your RA. However this is not what I was told UNTIL I was at uni and the application deadline for BTEA had closed. Crazy. It isn't as though I didn't seek information, I did, three times, problem is I was given the wrong information, three times, the 8th, 15th and 22nd of August. I jotted it down in the diary at the time.

Thanks again anyway, will see what BTEA say, I explained it all to them. One way or another I'll be keeping my RA and if that means leaving uni then I'll leave. A pity if it comes to that, for me, but also for the State for who it'll in turn cost tens if not hundreds of thousands more in the medium to longer term. But that's that I guess!

Trish2007

Can your wife not apply for the RA for both of you.

Kristopherus

Trish2007 wrote: »

Can your wife not apply for the RA for both of you.

Was thinking the same. Why can she not apply?

ohwell

Trish2007 wrote: »

Can your wife not apply for the RA for both of you.

I don't think my wife can apply. My wife is also a mature student. Currently my wife is what's called my "qualified adult dependant".

BTEA in Carrick on Shannon (where the national office is based) said I should apply for BTEA to the BTEA section at the DA section in Longford (where the national DA office is) Maybe it's slightly confusing. And to attach a detailed cover letter explaining why I'm in this situation. BTEA at the DA section will then decide whether I can even at this late stage be transferred onto BTEA which will in turn enable me to remain at uni. Otherwise I'll really have no option but to withdraw from my course. I don't want that and the State really shouldn't want that if the idea is to get people off SW as quickly as possible. I explained to BTEA Longford that I was only in this situation due to completely wrong and inaccurate information which was given to me, repeatedly, by the Rents Officer at my local CWO office. They agreed and said to make an application as late in the day as it is - will see what happens. I wouldn't be overly confident but I wouldn't be unduly pessimistic either, 50/50 I'd say.