BTEA - Leave of Absence = Illness Benefit?

*Hank Scorpio*

Hello,

I have a query related to BTEA and taking a leave of absence from uni for health reasons.

I currently am in 2nd year of my 3rd level course but have applied for leave of absence for the rest of this year due to illness. I get the BTEA.

I went to my local social welfare office today and told them this and that it my plan to go back to second year in Sep 2012 when hopefully I will be better.

They told me that I should then apply for Illness Benefit for the time I'm out ill and when I feel better to get moved on to JA, and then come Sep 2012, back to BTEA.

The illness benefit seems very much related to your PRSI contributions but I've been in college for 3 years now as before I started my degree I did a 1 year FETAC Lvl 5 course. Before that course I was unemployed for about a year so dont have any recent PRSI contributions.

Does anyone have any advice on this?

cee_jay

As you are leaving college due to health reasons, you are presumably not fit for work. Therefore you cannot claim JSA, and should claim Illness Benefit while you are unfit. If you don't have the required contributions for Illness Benefit, you keep submitting your medical certs to Social welfare, and you can go to your CWO for supplementary welfare allowance for payment.
When you are better then, you can go back to SW and make a repeat claim for JSA.
Keep any documentation you may have re: leaving the college course this year for your application for BTEA next year as it may be required. From the guidelines:
A BTEA participant who fails to complete, or drops out of a course will not be permitted on to the scheme to pursue a different course unless the Department is satisfied that certain circumstances pertain. The condition may be waived where there are mitigating circumstances, for which evidence must be provided, that would make it unreasonable to expect a person to have continued the course.

*Hank Scorpio*

I see. Supplementary Welfare Allowance. How much is that exactly? EDIT; Ok, I checked citizensinfo.ie and it is 186p.w.

The quote 'A BTEA participant who fails to complete, or drops out of a course will not be permitted on to the scheme to pursue a different course etc' I've read before but I'm not dropping out of the course which that sentence seems to refer to. I'm just taking a leave of absence until September.

My programme office and the head of my department said they would give me a letter to support me in taking leave and returning next September.

Thanks for the reply.

cee_jay

Supplementary welfare allowance is currently €186 p/w.
http://www.welfare.ie/EN/Schemes/SupplementaryWelfareAllowance/Pages/BasicSupplementaryWelfareAllowance.aspx

*Hank Scorpio*

How is SWA paid? Is it directly into one's bank a/c or do you pick it up weekly into hand?

cee_jay

I think its usually paid to Post Office, but can be paid by cheque or bank account but I am not 100% sure about that. You would have to chat with the CWO about it - it would depend on each person's circumstances.

*Hank Scorpio*

Hi again.

I got the Illness Benefit form and a Disability Allowance form from my doctor. I was advised to apply to both schemes and see if I'm eligible for either. In the meantime then to claim SWA.

Having some trouble filling out the IB form.

In PART 1 it says ''before my illness began I last worked on _''. Should I put in the date my uni approved my Leave of Abesence?