Ruled out because of €193.50 p.w pension
A LIMERICK woman trying to get her life back after losing her husband of less than a year, and her job, has been refused a FÁS training allowance because of her widow’s pension. The woman alleges she was led to believe that she would qualify for the allowance last May.
Trish Wall, originally from Castleconnell and now living in Nenagh, is surviving on a contributory widow’s pension of €193.50.
Having lost her husband tragically 11 months into their marriage, Trish has been picking up the pieces for the last two years.
When she was told that she had been successful in securing a place on an upskilling course for pharmacy staff, she “felt like at last there was a ray of hope”.
Last May, when Trish started into the process of applying for a course, she declared that she was in receipt of the pension.
“They said that wasn’t a problem, I would still qualify for the training allowance”.
Trish was due to start the course on Monday last. “The previous Thursday, I rang FÁS to find out when I would be paid my first week’s training allowance as the course is in Limerick and I had researched accommodation rather than coming up and down all the time, which would be expensive. They told me on Thursday at 10am when I would be paid and there wasn’t a problem then. “At 3pm they rang to say I still had a place on the course but that I would not be paid the allowance because of my pension. There’s no way I can afford to do that course without the allowance as there are weeks I can’ t feed myself on what I have.
“I’m devastated, I feel like my one bit of hope and opportunity has been snatched away,” she told the Limerick Post.
Trish had hoped that updating her skills would give her a good chance of getting a job.
“But that’s all been taken away now, I can’t tell you how gutted I am -they must have known this, yet they let me carry on hoping”.
Trish would have been paid €188 training allowance, plus €59.60 travel.
The Limerick Post contacted FÁS for a comment and was redirected to the Department of Social Protection, which referred the query back to FÁS.
A spokesperson for FÁS then said they cannot comment on individual cases. “Eligibility for a Training Allowance is governed by a number of different factors. An individual in receipt of widow’s contributory pension does not automatically qualify for receipt of a training allowance”.
