Hey,
So I had surgery on the 21st June. Anyway, I'm a full-time student at university and due to this I am ineligible for any form of benefit to support me during my recovery and also the jobs I work didn't have my earning enough for me to get Statutory Sick Pay. I have been stuck on zero hour contracts for most of my working life which has been of great irritants and a large factor in me going to university.

Anyway, I live on my own due to being disowned by my family but fortunately my university does have a support fund and gave me £600 for my 3 months recovery. Unfortunately this is far from adequate.

The university claims they go of the DWP (Department for Work and Pensions) guidelines on the matter which is £100 every 2 weeks. Fact is though they don't seem to account for the fact if I were receiving support from DWP I would also be getting Housing Benefit which in my area is £120 every 2 week so in reality £220 every 2 weeks in total.

My rent is £80 per week so once you times that by 12 weeks, which is the length of time I've had to have off work my rent is already £960 in total. £360 more than I have been awarded by my university to cover me for 12 weeks out of work.

As a result I am now ending up in a dangerous financial situation. I am starting to struggle to pay my rent and bills and this is causing me to worry, I mean even if I were to go back to work now I wouldn't be paid until a month from now by which I will be in even more of a mess.

My bank also doesn't allow me a formal overdraft so I am now accumulating massive bank charges and it seems unfair that I am being placed in this situation while I should be recovering from a major surgery.

My surgeon is quite adamant I am to take 3 months of work as well.

I did get told about the Action For Trans Health solidarity fund which I have looked into but they have just done a round of funding for which I have now just missed the deadline.

This means I am literally with no support and could end up in quite a mess and I really don't know where to turn.

My bank account is already in the negatives and I still need to pay for food and stuff and I am panicking now.

Does anyone know of any other support out there I could access?

Lily

Something I don't understand. Unless you had complications or have an extremely physical job, 3 months sounds a bit excessive to me for a recovery period. The normal times I have heard are 6 weeks to two months. I was dumb to do it and I had a desk job but I returned to work 2.5 weeks after my surgical date without causing any damage. Yes I was exhausted all the time and office chairs were extremely uncomfortable and I should have had more time. I would suggest you talk with your doctor and see if you can return to light work.

Quote from: LilyRobinson241092 on August 18, 2016, 06:35:19 PM
My surgeon is quite adamant I am to take 3 months of work as well.

6 weeks is the typical recovery time from SRS. I think that s what I took but I honestly could have gone back after 5 weeks

- Karen

I have discussed this with my surgeon but he was very adamant it be 3 months which even to me seems a little extreme. At this point though even if I do return back to work early it isn't going to help in alleviating my financial situation due to when I would next be paid.

Oh and just in case it is of interest my surgeon was Dr Thomas at Nuffield Health Brighton Hospital.

There is one other option that sometimes works. If you are completely honest with your landlord and other people, they may extend you credit. With the last recession, a number of our tenants where several months behind in their rent but they explained fully what had happened and offered a repayment plan. Fortunately we were in a position where we had suffice cash on hand to cover a loan. We wouldn't have done this if we detected a lie or an evasion so honesty as soon as possible is the best policy. Should this fail, you might have to consider sharing the couch of a friend until you are back on your feet.

Hey,
I got good news. I spoke to my university and they have given me an extra £500

That's an odd amount as unless you're in a couple, DWP guidelines are less than £100/week for a person living on their own- but if that's their conclusion then run with it.

What year are you in? Most banks will give you a 2/3K overdraft, if not more in the 2nd/3rd years at University, and the next wave of payments from SFE are incoming.

And by the way, you are legally entitled to SSP even on a zero hours contract in the UK, as long as you've worked for your current employer/agency - starting from the 4th day. 1-3 aren't paid as they are classed as waiting days.   Just download or PDF an SC2 form and hand it in, you can self certify for the first 2 weeks but will need a doctor to sign a fit note for you.  They can back date it, but some places won't take it if it's over 7 days from the end of you self certification.

Not as bad as it sounds as they'll fill it in, tick a box saying you are not fit for work and the reason why.

Don't let them shaft you.

Atom, you have to earn a certain amount per week to qualify for Statutory Sick Pay. If I remember correctly it is something like £120 per week you have to earn before you qualify and I got that figure off of Direct Govs site and Citizens Advice.

And DWP pay a person £50 per week, but that is just the part you can spend on yourself, ie; food, bills, leisure activities (if you can afford it after necessities). Housing Benefit is a separate calculation and in my area that amounts to £60 per week (a little higher actually but I'm giving the approximate here). However my university only accounts for the basic benefit part and not the additional housing benefit if I had been in that position. Either way I spoke to university on Friday and they agreed to give me an additional £500.

As for my banking situation, I got into some bad credit a few years back and even as a full-time student my credit rating is so bad the banks have repeatedly refused me for a student account/overdraft.

Student Finance doesn't come in till the end of September by which I would have been in quite a bit of financial trouble.

Either way though I got an additional £500 so my worries are over