The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) is saddled with many responsibilities, one of which is the payment of the newly introduced R350 grant to specific people. Have you wondered how to apply for the grant or appeal against certain errors after filling out your form? Was your application declined on certain grounds, and do you want to know what next to do?
SASSA allows individuals to appeal their rejection status so long as you can prove them wrong. All you have to do is provide documents to back your claim and then follow up the reconsideration process. Here’s how to submit your appeal for R350 and the actions to take if your application for the grant is rejected.
What Is SASSA R350 Grant?
Before I talk about what the SASSA Appeal for R350 is all about, it will be worthwhile to talk about the R350 grant first. The R350 grant is a Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant that was introduced by president Cyril Ramaphosa to help certain people in the country cover their expenses.
He launched the initiative after declaring a national state of disaster owing to the Covid 19 global pandemic. The grant is not meant for everyone; instead, it is designed to be paid to unemployed people and caregivers who only receive payment from the state for the job they do.
If you are a recipient of any other grant – be it the social grant, National Student Financial Aid Scheme of South Africa (NSFAS), Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF), or you have a source of income, the R350 grant is not for you. The R350 grant is paid per month for six months, and beneficiaries are expected to use it to care for their needs during the pandemic.
What Is SASSA R350 Appeal For?
Once you are unemployed or a caregiver and you want to benefit from the scheme, all you have to do is to apply for the R350 grant. You must back up your unemployment status or the fact that you are a caregiver. You would also need to provide your Identity Number or Department of Home Affairs Refugee permit number, name and surname as captured in the Identity Document, gender, and disability, contact details – cell phone number, as well as your residential address.
The SASSA will then conduct a thorough verification to determine if you are qualified for the grant or not. All received applications for the grant are verified monthly to confirm if the applicants meet the criteria.
If, for any reason, your application was rejected, you would have to appeal for your application to be reconsidered. Well, you can only do this when you are sure you have no job, or you are a caregiver.
If you’ve left your job and your unemployment status did not reflect on SASSA, you are also entitled to file for the SASSA R350 appeal. Once you appeal, the SASSA will take it up from there to either reconsider your application or decline it. You are expected to submit your appeal within 30 days of when you were notified of your declined application.
How To Submit Your SASSA R350 Appeal
Submitting your appeal is a compulsory step you must take to make the SASSA have a second look at your application. You need an internet-friendly device to lodge your appeal online.
As published by the South African Government online, you can submit your appeal through the following steps.
- Visit the SASSA website https://srd.sassa.gov.za/
- Find your way to where you have the “Application for reconsideration” writeup.
- Click on the yellow bar
- Fill in the required fields
- You will then be able to view all your information
Note:
- You can also lodge your appeal by sending an email to [email protected]. (The link sends email). Once your appeal is considered, you will receive feedback via SMS feedback.
- While lodging your appeal, you must provide substantial reasons why SASSA’s decision to decline your application was wrong.
Unfortunately, we don’t know the exact information that will be required for the appeal.
How Many Times Can I Send My Appeal Request?
You are allowed to send your appeal request only once. In other words, you are not allowed to send your appeal again after you must have forwarded it to the SASSA website or the email listed above.
Even if your feedback is delayed by SASSA, you are still not allowed to forward your appeal for the second time.
How Do I Check The Status Of My SASSA Appeal?
It’s not bad to track your appeal, especially after you have waited for feedback for a long time. It takes a simple process to check your Sassa Appeal. Here’s how to do it.
- Go to the SRD Grant website.
- Scroll down to ‘Click here to apply online or check reconsideration status.’
- Click on the yellow bar
- Fill in the required fields
- You will now be able to view your information
You can also check your appeal status by reaching out to SASSA on 0800 601 011.
How Do I Know My SASSA R350 Appeal Request Has Been Approved?
There are two ways to know if your appeal has been approved by SASSA. First and foremost, you can find out by checking the status of your appeal on SASSA’s website. The section above will guide you.
Again, once your appeal has been approved, the SASSA will send you a message through SMS informing you about it and what next to do. Applicants whose appeal was approved and successful will be requested to provide their banking details and will be paid for the applicable months.
Here Are Possible Reasons An R350 Appeal Might Be Declined
All appeals are treated in a fair and transparent manner to ensure a high standard of administrative justice is maintained in the administration of grants. However, an appeal might be declined if the applicant fails to meet certain directives.
Right now, the SASSA hasn’t mentioned the specific reasons an appeal might be turned down by the agency. However, there are certain reasons people’s applications are declined by SASSA. You must know them, so you don’t end up wasting your time. Some of the reasons applications for the R350 grant are declined are:
- Alternative Income Source Identified
An applicant’s application can be rejected if the SASSA finds out that the applicant is employed and is contributing towards income tax. However, if the applicant feels the reason is invalid, he can submit a request for reconsideration via the agency’s website. Just click under the tab “Apply for reconsideration.”
2. Identity Verification Failed
Your application can also be declined when your personal information on SASSA’s website does not match with the details you provided on the Department of Home Affairs website. All you have to do is to make the necessary corrections on SASSA’s website under the tab – “Request Names and Surname” Update.
You can also submit a request for reconsideration via the website under the tab – “Apply for reconsideration” if you feel the reason is invalid.
3. Existing SASSA Grant
If an applicant is a current recipient of a social grant other than a child grant, the person’s R350 appeal will be declined. However, the applicant can submit a request for reconsideration if the person feels the reason is invalid.
4. NSFAS Registered
If an applicant is a recipient of the National Student Fund Aid Scheme, the person’s application will not be considered by SASSA. You need to prove the agency wrong before your appeal will be reconsidered. Visit the website https://srd.sassa.gov.za and click under the tab “Apply for reconsideration” to get it sorted out.
5. UIF Registered
The application of an applicant who is currently receiving the Unemployment Insurance Fund benefit will be declined by SASSA. One of the rules guiding the R350 grant is that an applicant must not be a beneficiary of any grant that is not child-related.
If you feel SASSA’s reason for throwing out your appeal is wrong, then go ahead submit a request for reconsideration via their website.
6. Government Payroll Registered
Another reason applications are declined is when the applicant is a worker in a government institution. However, the applicant can submit a request for reconsideration via the website should he feel the reason for the decline is invalid.
So long as you are armed with the right or authentic document or whatever to challenge and possibly overturn SASSA’s decision, you can appeal as many times as possible. However, you can only forward your appeal once at a time. In other words, you must wait for their response or feedback on the one you submitted before making another move.
What Website Can I Appeal R350 From?
A lot of SRD R350 grant application has been declined for serious reasons. If, for any reason, your application was rejected or declined, you can lodge an appeal for reconsideration. Simply log on to the SASSA website – https://srd.sassa.gov.za and move to where you have “application for reconsideration.” Follow the instructions, and you are good to go.
You can also send your appeal to [email protected] if you cannot pull it through on their website.