Sure Start Maternity Grant
| What is an SSMG? |
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| Eligibility | The customer or partner must be in receipt of either IS, ESA (IR), Pension Credit, JSA (income-based) Working Tax Credit with a disability or severe disability element or Child Tax Credit at a rate higher than the family element.The customer or partner must:
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| When to apply | From 11 weeks before the baby is due until three months after the birth, adoption, residence order or parental order.If the claimant is waiting for a decision on a qualifying benefit or entitlement, or have asked for their Child Tax Credit award to be reviewed, they must still claim within the time limits. |
| How to Apply and Information required | To apply the claimants should complete form SF100 and return to Jobcentre PlusÂ
Details required will include verification of expected date of confinement, date of birth, adoption, residence order or parental order. Certificate at back of claim form SF100 to be signed by GP, Hospital Doctor, Midwife, Health Visitor or Practice Nurse confirming that advice on health/welfare of the baby and, if the claim is made before the birth, on maternal health, has been received. |
| Appeal | If the customer wants to know more about a decision or thinks it is wrong they, or someone else who has the authority to act on their behalf, can:
They can take any of the actions above, or take all of them, but they must get in touch with us within one month of the date of the decision letter. |
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{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi, Thank you for all your help I have now been awarded my SSMG and will receive my payment next week. I really think the people in the contact centre should all be given the same information and some of them maybe should also be taught how to be polite to people phoning in as some of them can be quite rude.
Once again thank you for all your help, you have been much more helpful than the people i have spoken to over the phone.
Thank you for getting back to us.
A small thank you helps to make it seem worthwhile
I haven’t appealed against anything as far as i know. When I made my application for the SSMG I was refused due to my Income Support not being processed fully and I was told on the phone to call back as soon as my IS was sorted out (which happened to be the very next day) When I called back to let them know the woman told me it would be passed on to the SSMG team to do a reconsideration, this was on the 24th February. I have been calling them every day as I didn’t know what was going on due to conflicting information given to me over the phone. When the reconsideration was first made the SSMG team called me and told me I would receive a letter within 10 working days with a decision they have never mentioned anything about 48hours to me. 10 working days is actually today and as far as I know there is no decision been made. I am going to call back again today to find out what is going on. I would have been much quicker making a whole new application even though I have been told from the start that I wouldnt be quicker making the new claim. I feel like I should have been told from the start that there was a backlog of reconsiderations and that I would have a much longer wait that was anticipated. I don’t feel like the people that answer the calls are giving out the same or correst information as I have been calling every single day since 27th February and have been told countless different things about time limits etc.
Unfortunately misinformation is rife , as guidance is not given to all at the same time so they’re all working to separate rules.
A reconsideration is simply another look at the decision to see if it was correct, if you were turned down for not being on income support on they day you applied- then this remains a material fact and a reconsideration would not help.
Given what you have now said, a new claim seems to be the logical next step as you are now on income support therefore this can not be given as a reason to refuse your application.
Apply again from the date your is was awarded/today.
Thanks, I have been calling every day for an update and have even been told from one person that it could take 4-6 weeks for my reconsideration to be made!!!! I am now thinking I should have made a whole new application as I received a letter back from them after just 8 days (not just working days). When I spoke to someone today they told me it would be any day but I am now starting to wonder just how big the backlog is that they have! I will keep calling every day and just hope it is done soon as i am now 33 weeks pregnant and booked in for a C section in 5 weeks and I still need things for the baby which need to be ordered etc.
The decision should not take this long, you mention a reconsideration? these have a time limit of 48 hours as far as we are aware- are you appealing a decision that has already been made? and if so, have you gone as far as the IRS or is it a local review?
Hi i’m wondering if anyone can help. I applied for a Sure Start Maternity Grant and was refused due to my income support not being sorted out at the time. I was told to call back when i was in receipt of income support so I did and they are now doing a reconsideration. They have been doing this reconsideration since the 24th February I have been told 10 working days until I receive a letter with the decision, it has now been 7 working days and they have still not made a decision. What are the chances of me being awarded my maternity grant now that I am in receipt of Income Support and how long will it take to get my decision and hopefully my payment?
Thanks
Hi,
your chances seem good, as the qualifying criteria are pretty clear, however timescales are a little more difficult to predict- if they say 10 days then you assume 20…