BTEA rule changes

WillyWaggler

I just completed 2 years on VTOS in Cork. I can complete one more year in England to get a degree and had planned to do so by filling out the UCAS form and being provisionally accepted. The rules for BTEA on the welfare website stated that I could get the payment while abroad within the EU.

However, as of 16th May, without any publicity or notice, they changed the rules to mean you could only be accepted if studying within Ireland or Northern Ireland. I only found this out today when I decided to double-check what I knew. I can no longer afford to go abroad to study, and because the rules were only changed a couple of weeks ago, I didn't bother applying for the CAO.

It was really sneaky and malicious to change the rules right in the middle of most people exams, when everybody had already decided what they were doing next year and the CAO had long closed and with no publicity whatsover.

I'm wondering if anybody else is in a similar situation and/or opinions on the any course of actions you think I should pursue. Here is the page in question: http://www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/Back-to-Education-Allowance-Scheme.aspx

Thanks a lot!

mp22

Thank you for the link regarding this matter however the state benefits forum is not the place for discussions about gov/dept policy.

Closed