surestart maternity grant - missed deadline by 5 days

[ObsidianBlackbirdMcNight]

Have just found out I should be entitled to a surestart maternity grant which I could have claimed in the last 3 months sisnce my son was born (not before as I wasn't getting tax credits then)
He was born on sept 13th and it's now the 18th dec, if I go to the jobcentre to get a form, and opost it dating it last week, what are my chances?

nobody told me by the way, not MW, HV or anyone.

I doubt they'll let you claim tbh. Worth asking though.

well you can only ask/apply and keep fingers crossed!

the form needs a health professional statement completing, so that would be dated correctly.

Worth giving it a go, may not notice the dates...pressure of work etc.

i think you can apply and get the health prof bit sent in later, so that might be ok.....oh well I can only try. Could really do with it too

get it filledin then put a coffee cup on the date bit

lol! think it will be the post office stamp that gives it away! Post is delayed atm though so they might not notice....

actually best to hand it in via the jobcentre......they are normally pretty rubbish at date stamping in post....esp if an interfering security guard happens to take it in.

oh really? i'll do that then!

yes....guess where I work?! Is really frustrating when post isnt stamped in.

will be very lucky if its awarded but worth a try.

You could also go down the times of "whats happened to my application, what do you mean you havent received it I sent it in weeks ago, what shall I do?"

Exactly what tax credits are you receiving...its only certain levels that qualify

oh i get above the family element - about £1500 for this year. i was going to try that too...or just hope they put it down to their own backlog/xmas.

yes you would qualify then, good luck fingers crossed.

thanks!

Did you get this?

i have just got mine refused for being late -handed it into the job centre and it was sitting around on someones desk there for 13 days till they looked at it and they dared to say that that was the date i claimed! anyway i will appeal.

I missed the deadline because the tax credits people miscalcuted how much money I would be getting. I claimed anyway and was turned down, so I appealed. They rejected the appeal so I went to the next stage.

The next stage told me that technically I was right - that the delay was the fault of the tax credits people, but apparently the law didn't allow for them to over-rule the decision not to give me the grant, because technically the decision that I was too late was correct.

Keeping up .

So I took it to the next level again! Dog with a bone springs to mind - I reckoned I had nothing to lose. I had to go to a panel, which consisted of me talking to an adjudicator. On the day I had D&V and couldn't go, dh ended up going in my place with dd in tow! DH said he was really nice, was very sympathetic (probably thinking poor man, having to look after a baby lol), but said yes, we quite clearly had a point and ruled that we were to be made an ex-gratia payment of the full amount.

Three days later a cheque for the full amount came through the letter box.

Whether or not you'll have the same success I don't know as it would be difficult for you to argue that it wasn't your fault the claim was late, but definitely worth a go.

Oh no, I'm not making sense I don't think. I should always preview . I was initially told one amount by the tax credits people and wasn't eligible for the grant - when they eventually put us on the correct amount I was, but by then was too late to claim the grant.

Hope that makes sense now.