Student Loans Company and ESA

[Lula]

Hi, and Hello to those of you that know me already!

 

My daughter has a loan with SLC and had to drop out of Uni after a year do to Mental Health Issues, that was about 4 years ago, she is still having these issues and has been on ESA for most of this time.

 

Because of this,

I have been dealing with the debts that she built up (due to mental health issues) and

 

I have managed to sort most of them apart from SLC,

 

I have given them proof that she is on ESA but I wont given them her address

as she is a vulnerable person and isn't tough enough to deal with it.

 

She gets about £52 per week to live on,

 

I pay her rent so that I know she will have a roof over her head,

everything else, gas, electricity, food, clothes, travel, she has to pay for.

 

This morning SLC have phoned me to say that it is their Policy that even if you are on benefits,

you have to pay something and he suggested between £10 and £30 pounds per month!

 

I asked him if he could live on that amount of money and he declined to answer,

 

I also told him that if he kept ringing and harrassing me for payment, I wouldnt be amused.

 

I also stated that once she was fit for work and was earning, she would make arrangements to pay.

 

He them told me that they might have to take further action,

I wished him luck taking a vulnerable person to court for a debt that they wouldn't

be able to pay because they are on benefits.

 

I asked him to send me an income and expenditure sheet

but I could do with some advice as I am not sure where to take it from here.

[dx100uk]

you sure this was the SLC and not a fleecing DCA?

 

SLC should know that no payments are due because she is not earning any wage.

so thus below the threshold

 

somethings not right here.

 

dx

[Lula]

I think you are right, pretty sure it was Drydens Fairfax, going to call SLC and give them a earful, thanks DX X

[Lula]

Just spoken to them, it WAS the SLC,

 

I re iterated that she has no money,

 

they said that as it was an overpayment they will continue to chase !

 

I am getting sent an income/expenditure form today.!!

 

So cross

[Lula]

Just spoken to them, it WAS the SLC, I re iterated that she has no money, they said that as it was an overpayment they will continue to chase ! I am getting sent an income/expenditure form today.!! So cross

 

Interesting to note that the email that was sent through with the IE form came from rgo_ collections@slcompany

[dx100uk]

overpayment...

 

that's an oddball one for SLC..

 

you are under NO obligation to fill that form out.

 

pers i'd be sending SLC an SAR

 

something is not right here.

 

dx

[reallymadwoman]

Possibly there is an overpayment because she dropped out after a year. If she completed the first year then didn't go back, there will be an overpayment for the period covering the summer holidays.

 

My daughter was in a similar situation in that she dropped out after a year

following which she claimed carer's allowance to look after me.

 

Despite being told she could not claim anything until the 1st September a

s she had received a full loan for the previous academic year,

SLC wanted the money back.

 

Our complaint went right through to whatever the independent tier is called (sorry, it's a few years ago now)

where they confirmed that it was an overpayment

but because of my daughters situation (carer, on benefits) it should have been written off.

 

I'll see if I can find any of the paperwork and expand a bit if you think this might be the cause of the problem.

[dx100uk]

September?

 

'an' academic year ends in early july at the very latest???

[reallymadwoman]

During a degree course the 'academic year' runs from September 1st to August 31st for SLC, Grant and benefit purposes.

 

I've looked out the paperwork, and my daughter's complaint went to the Independent Assessor.

 

She found that the University had (wrongly) reported that she withdrew from the course on the last teaching day of the year,

whereas in fact she 'withdrew' when she didn't arrive for year 2.

 

As a result, there was no overpayment.

 

Additionally she found that had there been an overpayment SLC should have used their discretion to write it off

because of the circumstances in which she withdrew (she needed to look after her disabled mother)

and that collection activity should have been put on hold whilst there was an ongoing complaint.

 

Outcome

- if the OPs daughter withdrew from the course after the end of the first year, there shouldn't be any overpayment.

 

If before the end of the teaching year, then her circumstances (withdrew due to health issues) should mean they write off any overpayment.

 

Complain to SLC, if you exhaust their complaints procedure, go to the Independent Assessor.

[dx100uk]

then uni [degree] is diff to say college and say HNC/HND etc

 

as the SLC stuff says [for those] it ends at the end of the teaching year.

 

there you've taught me something RMW!

 

dx