SUSI Maintenance Grant - Special Rate eligibility question

rhythm90 · 03-09-2018 4:29pm #1

Hi folks.

Quick question re: the criteria to qualify for the "special rate" of the SUSI Maintenance Grant. As on this page: https://susi.ie/quick-links/special-rate-awards/

Where it concerns periods spent on "qualifying" payments eg; JSA / JSB and how they can be joined up (if not concurrent), I'm basically struggling to interpret what the following means:

"It is possible to combine periods of Jobseekers Allowance and Jobseekers Benefit and other eligible payments for purposes of meeting the prescribed period of 391 days or 12 month requirement respectively."

From the section "Stacking of Eligible Long Term Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection Payments" near the bottom.

Does this mean I need to have 391 days concurrently... or 12 months concurrently... (365 days is 12 months right...?!) so...?

If it's 391 days non concurrently... then within what period? 2 years... more? Not very clear... I have spent 9 months on Jobbridge in the past, 2013 which I would be very grateful if I could now use that time spent in my favor to qualify for grant aid for college.

I satisfy the non-adjacent residency requirement, just trying to get to the bottom of what's needed to qualify for "Special Rate". Would they take this time into account since it is back in 2013?

Can anybody shed some light?

Thanks

Forever21 · 04-09-2018 7:36am

Income for grant is from 1st January 2017 to 31st December 2017 , no other year will be taken for grant purposes. Were you working last year , were you living at home with your parents.can’t say what type of grant payment you’ll get until we’ve a little more info.

rhythm90 · 04-09-2018 12:12pm

I was living independently on a jobseekers payment from 1st January until starting college mid September 2017... With SUSI I'm down as an independent applicant.

Sorry if I'm being dim... but if they don't take anything other than the previous year into account, how can needing to have 391 days on a qualifying payment be a condition? I can understand maybe if it applies only to people who've spent at least the previous 365 days + 26 days before that (391) in succession without any break...

But then they say that qualifying payments can be "Stacked" - so my question is, within what period do these individual payment periods need to have been? How far back can they have been? A hypothetical example - can 3 periods spent on a qualifying payment in past 3 years be stacked to meet 391?

If so, then back to 2013 - my time on Jobbridge could count towards being eligible?

Confused!!!

Forever21 · 04-09-2018 12:35pm

Have you been awarded a grant from Susi.

rhythm90 · 04-09-2018 12:41pm

Yeah so I was awarded the fee grant (€3k) and a standard maintenence grant of €135p/m last year based on where I was living - it was "Standard - Adjacent" rate I think of €1215 (/9 months = €135) .... Plus I have a letter approving the same fee grant again this year.

I hadn't reapplied for maintenence initially as I was hoping to get BTEA, but discovered I couldn't as was not starting into year 1 of a course. So I've applied for a review of the grant decision to seek maintenence.

I'm moving home now as my rent has gone up and I can't afford to stay where I am. So will be more than 45km ie; non-adjacent... but just want to get clarity on the "special rate" bit.

The difference being €5,915 vs. €3,025 for the 9 months. So I'm wonder whether I stand a chance of getting the higher rate... Just trying to leave no stone un-turned... You can appreciate I'm sure...

Forever21 · 04-09-2018 12:56pm

I can totally understand why you’re saying. First ring Susi to inform them your circumstances have changed, you will probably have to fill in more information online on your account such as parents income , change your address ect ., your grant will be accessed on your parents income.

Lau2976 · 06-10-2018 1:05am

Not sure if you've had this answered or not but AFAIK they mean you can stack payment from the same year i.e. if you were on JSB from January to June and then JSA from June until December of the qualifying year.

Good luck with the studies

matchboxyouth · 15-05-2019 10:50pm

Hi, I was just reading over this thread as I received a letter from SUSI Monday but was surprised and disappointed to see the maintenance grant not mentioned. I was almost sure that I was eligible for not only the maintenance grant but also the special rate.

My situation is this:
Living 187km from the course I've been accepted onto.
Household reckonable income calculated at €21159.
Course is a progression from Level 8 BSc Hons to Level 9 Masters.
Since 2013 I've progressed from level 5 to 8 on BTEA and JA during the summer and no other form of income.

My only idea is that because I'm technically still on BTEA for the college year that has just finished and because I applied the first day that applications opened, I was not awarded maintenance grant for September because you can't have BTEA and maintenance grant at the same time. Would anyone know what could be the issue?

SUSI Maintenance Grant - Special Rate eligibility question

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