Attendance Allowance - EPA

[harvey]

Just a quick update on attendance allowance & EPA.

We were told by a lady at the benefits office that if we had EPA we would need to register before MIL was granted attendance allowance.

Pleased to report that MIL has been granted the allowance without us having to register!! It is to be paid into her bank account together with her state pension.

We did send a certified copy of EPA to the benifits office which was returned very quickly.

Polly

 

[connie]

Thank you Polly for your update.

Quoted by Polly:We were told by a lady at the benefits office that if we had EPA we would need to register before MIL was granted attendance allowance

Must admit I had never heard this before, and certainly did not apply in our case.

So glad that you managed to get things sorted satisfactorily.
(Why do some people confuse the issue. It's hard enough anyway to sort out benefits etc.)

Well done.

 

[Cate]

Hi Polly

Mum has an EPA not registered and all her payments are paid directly into her bank account, including her AA.

We may have come across someone at the benefits office who is making it up as they go along!!

 

[Norman]

This is the confusion again about a person being able to give permission to accept
direct payments.
The rules say that that they must be mentally capable to request DP.
The carer can not make the request on their behalf.
This varies from area to area and how they interpret the rules.
I didn't have a problem applying for Peg but some people do.
I know of one TP member who has been refused.
Norman

 

[jenniferpa]

But surely, Norman, Attendance Allowance doen't come under the category of Direct Payments? It shouldn't anyway.

Like everyone else, I had no problem getting Attendance Allowance paid into my mother's account without registering the EPA. I swear, one wonders what training, if any, goes on in these benefit offices.

 

[Margaret W]

Well, I am envious of you all! Mum was granted AA from July 2007. We got the July-September back payment in September, then a letter to say that from October 22 it would be paid with her pension, and we would get the back pay from September to October 21 prior to Oct 25th.

We did get the AA paid with her pension on Oct 22, but not so on Oct 29 or Nov 5. £64.50 down the Swanee. It took me no fewer than 14 phone calls on Monday and Tuesday this week to get Department A to tell me that Department B had told them to stop paying in pending an investigation into mum's eligibility, and to get Department B to tell me that they had not told Department A to stop paying.#

The lady at Department A told me the reason my mum was NOT getting AA was cos she was self-funding! I tried to explain to her that self-funding people DO get it, but she was having none of it.

I will create a separate post re Assessed Income periods.

Margaret

 

[nemesisis]

whats an MIL ?

 

[Grannie G]

Dear nemesisis

MIL=Mother-in-law.

 

[Norman]

Jenifer
I wasn't suggesting that AA came under Direct payments,but but giving another illustration of confusion in goverment offices.
Norman

 

[jenniferpa]

Ah I see - it would appear that I would fit right in in a governement office as I am distinctly confused

 

[Nebiroth]

Just a quick update on attendance allowance & EPA.

We were told by a lady at the benefits office that if we had EPA we would need to register before MIL was granted attendance allowance.

I don't know why they told you this. This is not necessary, unless you are claiming a benefit on someone's behalf. You can still do this even without EPA registrered, but you have to fill in extra sections on the form to explain why you and not the claimant themselves are doing it. If you have EPA, you can just tick the box marked "I am claiming on someone's behalf and I have power of attorney". Obviously in that case, it has to be registred.

It is also possible for the DWP to name someone as an "appointee" so that they can manage a claimants benefits - but they will investigate before they do this, usually by asking someone to visit and make sure the appointee will be acting in the claimant's best interests. Being made an appointee does not require EPA either.

In no way is an EPA, registred or otherwise, a pre-requisite for Attendance Allowance!

Glad to hear you got it though.

 

[christine_batch]

Attendence Allowance

On Monday I telephoned the Care Home to explain I ws unwell with a stomach bug as well as a cold and did not want to give it to Peter.
Whilst I was talking the the brilliant Manager, he mentioned all the form that they fill in the the Patients' famillies'.
Attendence Allowance came up and it is one of the forms they fill in as well.
Their approach is that Carers have so many forms to fill in the S.W. could but don't, so they do it. Therefore many do not bother filling them inapprox 40 pages.
After the call, I already know it is a brilliant home but they try to make it easier for Carers. Then the Continual Care part came up but I will leave that to another day as I have been teaching the 8 year old Grandson to make a home made apple pie and I am k****ered.
Best wishes to everyone. Christine