WATCH: How parent carers can claim Universal Credit for a disabled student

2 mins read

Tuesday 31 January 2023

Tags: universal credit, facebook q&a, universal credit for students

Ever since the introduction of new rules in 2021 preventing most disabled students from getting Universal Credit, Contact has helped hundreds of families to navigate the complex benefits system so that their young person wouldn’t miss out on financial support.

Many disabled young people can still qualify for Universal Credit if they establish a ‘limited capability for work’ before starting their education course — a time-consuming process that we recommend starting on when your child turns 16.

Because these regulations can be quite difficult to navigate, our Family Finance adviser Derek Sinclair recently hosted a Facebook Live Q&A where parent carers could ask questions and get advice on their children’s Universal Credit claims.

The one-hour Q&A session was incredibly popular. Derek answered over 100 questions from parents who were grateful to receive expert advice on such a complex subject, and almost 3,000 people have watched the livestream since it took place.

If you missed it, or if you don’t use Facebook, you can now also watch the Q&A session on our YouTube channel:

This is a great opportunity to better understand the rules and what your disabled child could do to prepare ahead in order to facilitate a quicker Universal Credit claim in the future.

It’s also packed with brilliant advice and tips based on other parents’ shared concerns, which we believe many families will find helpful and relevant to their situation.

Visit our Universal Credit webpages for more in-depth information and advice about claiming for a disabled student.