# Social Welfare Office stalling my fees application



## Spoofer (8 Sep 2010)

I am due to start a course next week for which I've applied for a BTEA, plus tuition fees through my local council.

In order to process my fees application the council have required a bunch of documention for which I've submitted. I only have one piece of documentation outstanding and that is a statement from my social welfare office as I've been on JSA for the past year. As my Dad has also been unemployed for a year the council also request a statement from him for means testing purposes.

So two weeks ago on the Wednesday myself and my dad go up to the local SW office and make a request for these statements. We're told there is a slight backlog of 8 other requests and they hope to have them ready to be posted out on Friday. My Dad gets his in the post the following Monday, I get nothing. 

I go back to the SW office later that day to see if I can collect it. I'm told now that they are "awaiting information" from the head SW Dept. and that it can take up to another 5 days.

Giving them the benefit of the doubt I wait over week and I still receive nothing in the post. I go back up to the SW Office today and now I'm told by the woman who processes these statements (which are only one sheet of paper with the figures written in) that there is a massive backlog, they are taking over two weeks to process, that they are stilling "awaiting information" from the head SW Dept. and that she only does these statments on Fridays. All this from two weeks earlier when I was told two days, then five days and now another two weeks and my dad got the same statment in days!

The knock on consequence of this farce is that the council cannot process my fees application and the college cannot register me as I cannot get the fees paid.

Can anybody give me advice on what to do here? I'm at a complete loss at the nonsense going on. I know I'm being fobbed off by these lazy and I get the impression the more I "pester" them with my request the more they will stall me on this. I am completely unsatisfied with this treatment because it looks its going to take forever to get this piece of paper which I need urgently.


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## skint (9 Sep 2010)

I'm waiting over 3 months for my single mothers application to go through and no one will help or explain the delay its appalling!


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## truthseeker (9 Sep 2010)

My father in law is now in his 8th month waiting on his application for disability allowance to go through. Its an absolute disgrace.


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## skint (9 Sep 2010)

They wont even answer the phones or anything! People out there get their money every week without fail and they spend it on drugs and drink and people who need it to survive are waiting months and months... It's all wrong


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## j26 (9 Sep 2010)

Bear in mind that there are unprecedented demands on the SW system at the moment. Extra staff were allocated, but it seems still not to be enough.

Don't get annoyed with the staff, get annoyed with the people who haven't given them the resources they need.

Have you tried talking to the college to explain the situation and see can you attend lectures pending the documentation, and reguster when it arrives?

Have you considered that there is some problem with your application since your fathers came through so quickly?

Don't dismiss people the way you have just because they're not doing exactly as you want when you want. It's offensive and shows yourself in a poor light. You are one of over a million people interacting with SW, they do not sit there with nothing to do but wait for you to call.


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## pixiebean22 (9 Sep 2010)

It's very unlikely that the college will allow him to register while this mess is sorted out.  My boyfriend was in the exact same situation when he went back to college last year, his dad's information had to be provided, fobbed off numerous times, went to college and literally begged them to let him register on the agreement that fees would be paid as soon as the situation was sorted and they basically told him to pee off and he then had to get a loan of the money to pay fees and it took weeks and weeks after that for situation to be sorted out.  He got his money refunded but the system is a joke.  He also didn't receive his first grant payment until January, you're supposed to get that in October all due to these backlogs


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## Joe Q Public (9 Sep 2010)

It just shows that the country has gone to the dogs.


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## pixiebean22 (9 Sep 2010)

It's very disappointing in general when you consider that people are trying to get back to education and further themselves and not just sitting around while they can't find a job and these kind of obstacles are being thrown up.  I assume the OP could be in danger of losing his college place if this goes on much longer.


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## Joe Q Public (9 Sep 2010)

> I assume the OP could be in danger of losing his college place if this goes on much longer.


If he does not register within the time allowed he will be deemed to have forfeited his place and the college is free to offer it to someone else.


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## annet (9 Sep 2010)

Another idea, it may be worthwhile to look for the personal information under the FOI Act 1997 & FOI (Amendment) Act 2003 and do it under Section 4. I'd register the letter as well. Under statute, there are strict time limits in which they have to deal with an FOI application.

There's alot of people who will be registering late. I'd talk to the admissions office and ask them whether you can attend lectures, tutorials etc while waiting for your Registration to come through. The other problem that may not be quite so easy to overcome would be the use of library facilities, exams and the correction of essay's (but hopefully that wont go on that long). It may be advisable to speak to the Department itself.


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## Joe Q Public (9 Sep 2010)

I would think if the person was denied his place over the delays of the department he would have grounds to sue the government for damages. 


> Another idea, it may be worthwhile to look for the personal information  under the FOI Act 1997 & FOI (Amendment) Act 2003 and do it under  Section 4. I'd register the letter as well. Under statute, there are  strict time limits in which they have to deal with an FOI application.


What would that achieve at this stage?


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## annet (9 Sep 2010)

Its a way of getting the information and they cant fob you off they have to deal with an FOI request!


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## Joe Q Public (9 Sep 2010)

All it would get you is a copy of the application form. It wouldn't get it moved any quicker.


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## annet (9 Sep 2010)

*Clarification*

A written statement of accounts of the payment and current rate that they are and were in receipt of for the preceeding year = departmental statement and hence proof that you were and are in receipt of jobseekers for that year. That information is on Departmental files and you've got a right to access it under FOI - but I am obviously not talking about access to application forms etc. 

Of course, they can alway's lodge a formal written complaint.


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## Joe Q Public (9 Sep 2010)

Which will be answered with a bull excrement reply. At the end of the day none of this will save the college place.

Personally I would sue the state.


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## annet (9 Sep 2010)

*possible*

They cant give bull if you are looking for specific information - its factual. They may well give a bull answer in response to a complaint, and if so you escalate it to the next level which is the Office of the Ombudsman - one of many complaints they receive on this Dept!

Of course, there's the option of going down the legal route - but do you not have to be able to demonstrate that you exhausted all reasonable and possible options to get that information in the first place to make a sound case? 

Then there's the costs financially and mentally, and realistically sueing the Dept is not going to get the person registered on the course any faster and definately not within the lifetime of this academic term, which is the OP's ultimate aim!


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## Spoofer (15 Sep 2010)

Thanks for your replies

Update:

I'm still waiting for the statement 3 weeks from my initial request.

I went out to the college to explain the situation. They have indicated to me that it is not a necessity to have the fees paid immediately BUT I will not be fully registered. The consequence of this is that I will not receive a student card. He explained to me that last year some students did not receive student cards until December/January as fees were not paid until that point.

As I will not have a student card, I can't use a number of the university's facilities, I cannot withdraw books from the library (not exactly conducive for studying a HDip) nor I will be able to get a Student Travelcard for my rail fares (which will cost me an extra arm and leg considering I'm on the dole). I will get temporary access to the library and can do exams but that's about it.

Now here is where the spanner hits the works. I've been accepted for the BTEA but I will not be paid the BTEA until I'm fully registered with the college! I can't get registered because the same people requesting my registration are holding up my fees application! Cluster****. No BTEA payments = no college for me and back to the dole queue.



j26 said:


> Don't dismiss people the way you have just because they're not doing exactly as you want when you want. It's offensive and shows yourself in a poor light. You are one of over a million people interacting with SW, they do not sit there with nothing to do but wait for you to call.



This is not the first time I've been screwed around by them in the SW office and on each occasion its not been due to lack of resources, it's down to laziness and a lack of people skills that are prominent in there. I am now 3 weeks waiting for this statement to try and get myself off the dole queue and the people who are meant to helping me do that are standing in my way fobbing me off telling me it will take 2 days-5 days-2 weeks and making no effort to get the issue sorted. All I want is some respect, service, communication and an effort from them yet, I'm shown in a bad light? You don't have a clue buddy.


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## Sue Ellen (15 Sep 2010)

Hi,

You may get some help from their complaints procedure which I used some time ago and found very efficient and helpful http://www.welfare.ie/EN/Publications/SW104/Pages/CommentsorComplaints.aspx


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## pixiebean22 (15 Sep 2010)

Spoofer I'd assume that if you're registered for the BTEA you will not be entitled to your dole payment eventhough you won't be getting your BTEA until you're fully registered.

My bf got a letter form the social welfare office a few weeks back and it said that he would receive his first BTEA payment on 15 August and I think there's some sort of "back week" requirement when it comes to these things so he was without any money for nearly 2 weeks.  His dole used to come into his account on a Tuesday, his BTEA comes in on Wednesday.


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