How To Lodge A SASSA Appeal for SRD R350 Grant

Q: How do I appeal a Sassa R350 grant declined?

You can lodge a SASSAA appeal via an online portal or visit the nearest SASSA office. You can follow the step by step guide given in this article to lodge an SASSA appeal.

Q: What’s the role of ITSAA in appeal?

The Ministry of Social Development has appointed persons as a member of ITSAA to consider and decide on appeals related to covid-19 SRD grant.

Q: When can I lodge an appeal against SASSA?

When you receive the notification that your application is rejected, from that day within the next 30 days but not exceeding 90 days, you have to submit an appeal.

The SASSA was established in the year 2005, since then SASSA is administering the social grants for the welfare of South African citizens. During the period of Covid-19 SASSA started a program called Social Relief of Distress. It is also known as the SRD 350 grant. If your application is declined then you can make SASSA appeal regarding the same.

The aim of this SRD grant was to help South African citizens, Refugees, Asylum Seekers, and Special Permit Holders, financially who are between the age of 18 to 60 and they are either unemployed or their income is less than R585.

Also to receive this grant the applicant should not be the beneficiary of any other financial schemes like UIF or any other social grant. If you think you are eligible for SASSA SRD R350 grant and your application is rejected though you fulfilled every criteria, then you can appeal SASSA’s decision to the Independent Tribunal for Social Assistance Appeals (ITSAA)

Overview of SASSA Appeal Process

If you are an applicant of the SRD grant and you got the notification from SASSA that your application is rejected. If you disagree with the decision then you have the right to appeal against it. This appeal process is handled by the Independent Tribunal for Social Assistance Appeals (ITSAA).

You have to appeal SASSA’s decision within 30 days but not exceeding 90 days after you receive notification. After you lodge the appeal, ITSAA will inform the final decision within a period of 60-90 days. The Ministry of social development has appointed persons as members of ITSAA to consider appeals regarding covid-19 SRD and share the final decision. If your appeal is sustained against SASSA’s decision then you will receive the grants payment.

SRD R350 Grant Eligibility Criteria

There are different reasons why your application might get rejected. So before you submit any appeal, it’s important to be familiar with the eligibility criteria of the SRD grant. If you fail to meet the eligibility criteria, it can be the top reason behind your application getting rejected.

Nationality: To be eligible for this grant, an applicant must be a South African citizen, Permanent Resident or Refugee registered on the DHA database or a special permit holder under; the Special Angolan Dispensation/ the Lesotho Exemption Permit dispensation / the Zimbabwe Exemption Permit Dispensation/ an asylum seeker whose section 22 permit or visa is valid.
Residency: Applicant must live in South Africa.
Age: Applicants age must be between 18 to 60 years old.
Lack of income sources: Applicants should have insufficient means (not more than R350 per month) or applicants must not be able to help themselves and their family members.
Other Grants: Applicants should not be the beneficiary of any other grants.
UIF Payments: If the applicant is contributing to or eligible to UIF (Unemployment Insurance Funds) payments then they are not eligible for SRD 350 grant.
Financial Support: Applicants must lack financial support from any other sources. They should be jobless.

If you fulfill the given eligibility criteria and still SASSA rejected your SRD grant application then you can proceed to SASSA appeal against it.

Things You Must Consider Before Making A SASSA Appeal

If you are lodging an appeal, firstly verify your information is correct or not. Login on the portal and verify it.

If the information is incorrect or outdated then provide the accurate and complete information.
Also your regular income should not exceed R595 per month.
Verify your ID, name and surname correctly.
Don’t get involved in any fraudulent activities.
Your details must match with the home affairs record (Department of Home Affairs)
Your status should not be deceased on the home affairs database.

How To Submit An Appeal for SASSA SRD R350 Grant Online?

The process of lodging an appeal is very simple and straightforward. The SASSA has provided a separate portal for it. But again I would advise you to double check that the information you provided to SASSA, which is reflected on the SRD DSD Appeal Electronic Platform is complete and correct. Then only your appeal will be considered. Otherwise, it will be declined again.

Step 1) – Access the SRD appeal portal

Visit the srd.dsd.gov.za website to initiate the process. Click on the green bar written “click here to lodge an appeal or check appeal status”

Step 2) – Enter your credentials

Once you click on the “lodge appeal” button. You have to enter your South African ID and the phone number that you used to submit the application. After that click on the send pin.

Step 3) – Enter Verification PIN

You will receive a SMS containing a verification PIN on your registered mobile number. Enter the given PIN and click on submit. You will enter the appeal section.

Step 4) – Choose Month

Once you enter the appeal section, there you will find the records of all months. From that select the month for which you want to submit an appeal.

Note – If your grant is rejected for multiple months then you have to make an appeal for each month separately. You can’t submit a single appeal for multiple months. If you do so, then your application will be rejected by ITSAA.

Step 5) – Reasons and Supporting Documents

After you select the month, then you have to attach all of the supporting documents as a proof of your eligibility for this SRD grant along with the concise reason. These documents include the proof of unemployment, last six months bank statement, residential proof, identity documents and other relevant documentation that supports your claim for the grant.

Step 6) – Submit and Wait

After you attach all the documents. Review your application and then click on the submit button. Now your application is received by the Independent Tribunal for review. The Independent Tribunal takes 60-90 days for reviewing your application and giving a decision on it. The outcome will be notified by ITSAA in 60-90 days.

During this waiting period, it’s important to keep any correspondence or proof of your appeal submission. If you don’t get any response within the expected time period, you can follow up with SASSA to inquire about the status of your appeal.

What if My Appeal is Unsuccessful?

If your appeal is rejected by SASSA or ITSAA, then you can’t appeal further. The decision of ITSAA is the final decision and there is no further internal recourse. But if you think that it’s unfair to you and you want to challenge this decision, you can seek legal assistance. As per the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act, 2000, you can approach the High Court for judicial review, within a period of 180 days.

Reasons for SRD Appeal Declination

During the process of SRD grant application, if SASSA finds that you are no longer eligible for the benefits of this grant then your application will be rejected. There are various reasons that may lead to the rejection of your application.

We receive a number of requests from applicants to understand the reason behind declination. We have listed them all. Let’s see each one by one and understand them.

alternative_income_source_identified: This means that applicant had a balance of R595 or more coming into their bank account during the reconsideration period, which indicates that the applicant has an alternative source of income that exceeds the eligibility threshold given by SASSA.
existing_sassa_grant: This means that the applicant was receiving another social grant during the reconsideration period.
identity_verification_failed: This means that the personal details you provided in your application do not match with your details maintained in the record of the Department of Home Affairs.
gov_payrol_registered: This indicates that the applicant was in employment of a government institution during a consideration period. It indicates that the applicant was not jobless. This grant is only for unemployed people.
nsfas_registered: This means the applicant was beneficiary of National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) during the consideration period. It means that they have another source of financial support.
uif_registered: This indicates that the applicant is registered with UIF (Unemployment Insurance Fund) and received the payments during the consideration period.
age_outside_range(>60): This means that the applicant is over 60 years of age during the considered period. That’s why the applicant does not qualify for this grant, as they don’t meet age requirements.
age_outside_range(<18): As per the criteria an applicant must be above 18 years of age. This reason indicates that the applicant is younger than 18 years of age during consideration period and hence does not meet the eligibility criteria.
Deceased Record on DHA: This indicates that the applicant is registered as deceased on the Department of Home Affairs database during consideration period.
exclusionary_response_found: This indicates that as per information provided on the application form, the applicant is already receiving funds more than R350 per month.
Debtor: To receive the grant each month, you need to qualify for it every month. This reason indicates that the applicant was paid R350 in a month where an applicant did not qualify. So to correct this mistake, further payments will be resumed only when the applicant gets qualified.

SRD Grant Appeal Helpline

If you have any issue regarding SASSA appeal or any queries related to it, you can contact the Department of Social Development, Independent Tribunal for Social Assistance Appeals (ITSAA) via following means –

Tel: 012 312 7727
Email: [email protected].
Fax: 086 534 3124 or 086 216 371
Postal Address – Private Bag x 901, Pretoria, 0001

FAQs

You can lodge a SASSAA appeal via an online portal or visit the nearest SASSA office. You can follow the step by step guide given in this article to lodge an SASSA appeal.

The Ministry of Social Development has appointed persons as a member of ITSAA to consider and decide on appeals related to covid-19 SRD grant.

When you receive the notification that your application is rejected, from that day within the next 30 days but not exceeding 90 days, you have to submit an appeal.

Conclusion

We saw various reasons behind the rejection of your SASSA SRD R350 grant application along with their meaning. It’s important that you provide the correct and complete information while making an application. Also you should fulfill all the eligibility criteria to receive the grant payment.

If you think your application is rejected even after fulfilling all eligibility criteria. Then you can SASSA appeal regarding the same. If your appeal gets declined and you think it’s injustice with you then the last option is to approach the High Court for judicial review. You can visit the nearest SASSA office regarding queries related to SRD grants. For appeal inquiries, you can contact ITSAA or Department of Social Development via the above contact details.