If you are thinking about studying, you should contact your local education authority (LEA) to see if you qualify for a grant or for any help with course fees.

Each of the benefits has different rules on studying and these are outlined below. Contact a Welfare Rights worker for further advice on how your benefits will be affected if you go to college.

Disability Living Allowance

There are no specific rules regarding studying and claiming DLA. Generally, your entitlement to DLA will not be affected by studying.

Remember though that you do have an obligation to tell the DSS when your circumstances change. If your health has improved so that your mobility and care needs have changed, you have a duty to notify the DSS. There are more details under the section on DLA. in Employment - benefit implications.

Incapacity Benefit

There are no specific rules which prevent you studying whilst claiming IB. However, if you are studying full-time, this may lead the DSS to query whether you are genuinely too ill to work. For most people who have symptomatic HIV, this should not pose a problem, as the DSS will usually accept that you are unfit for work. In other cases it may be possible to argue that the nature of the course and the hours you are studying are very different from employment, and that although you are well enough to study it does not follow that you are well enough to work. You may be asked by the DSS to complete a form asking for details of the course and, whether the college offers you extra support because of your health problems.

Income Support

Full-time students generally cannot claim IS for the duration of their course - including holidays. IS can be claimed though if you are a full-time student and you are either a lone parent or a disabled student. The DSS will treat you as a disabled student if:

• You qualify for the disabled premium; or
• You have been too ill to work for at least 28 weeks; or
• You are deaf and qualify for a disabled student's allowance.

The amount of IS paid will be affected by any grant that you receive. In practice this usually means that your total income will remain almost the same as before you became a student. If you are getting IS, then you will also be entitled to full housing benefit and council tax benefit.

Housing Benefit

Full-time students usually cannot claim HB. However, you can get HB if you are a student and you fall into one of the following categories:

• You get Income Support.
• You are a lone parent.
• You are a disabled student.

Council Tax

If you are studying full-time, you should let the council know. If you are alone, or live with other students, then your home will be exempt from the council tax so you will not have to pay anything. If you live with other people who are not students, then seek advice, as there may be several ways of reducing your council tax bill.