Attendance Allowance should I appeal?

jenniferpa

Registered User
Jun 27, 2006
39,442
0
Cariad: I'm wondering if you applied for the "right" disregard. There are several, but the one for severe mental impairment does not require that someone else is receiving carer's allowance. Do you live with your mother?
 

Nebiroth

Registered User
Aug 20, 2006
3,510
0
My Mother got lower rate of AA
She lived alone so already got 25% discout
The doctor must have been sent a form by the LA because I did not send it to him

She got a FULL refund of all Council Tax

Yes. She would have been disregarded, so living alone, for Council Tax persons the property had zero residents and was therefore not liable to any Coun cil Tax.
 

Nebiroth

Registered User
Aug 20, 2006
3,510
0
Hi, my mam was turned down for council tax reduction because I do not get carers allowance!! Even though I virtually gave up my job (I work 6 hrs a week) and she needs 24/7 care.:mad:

Who did you ask to be disregarded?

Yourself (as a resident carer) or your mam?

If you applied to have yourself disregarded, then yes, you need to be getting Carer Allowance.

If you apply to have your mam disregarded, then Carer Allowance is not necessary. Your mam would need to qualify as "mentally or socially incompetent" (a horrible phrase, but I'm sure you know what is meant), and receiving something like Attendance Allowance.

It might be worth getting advice from, say, Help the Aged or Citizen's Advice and re-applying, this time, ask to have your mam disregarded.

In my experience, most authorites (DWP, Local Council etc) contrary to popular belief, do not actively seek to block people from getting things they are entitled to.

However, the process can be complicated and quite intimidating, and it;s easy to apply for the wrong thing or in the wrong way, and to thus lose out.

Incidentally, have your mam got Attendance Allowance, and have you applied for Carer Allowance?

Certainly, if your mam needs that level of care and you're providing 35 hours per week or more, it sounds as though you both quality! Working 6 hours a week shouldn't stop Carer Allowance, the important thing is that you provide at least 35 hours a week care and that your total personal income (just ours) is below a certain level and that your mam gets something like Attendance Allowance (either rate). You don;t have to live with your mam to qialify either.
 

amberence

Registered User
Mar 15, 2008
28
0
Barton upon Humber
I found applying for AA first for my step-fahter, then my mother quite easy to get. My local Independent Living Centre who deal with carers' benefits help in filling the forms so able to get it quicker than if I had filled the forms in. Then someone later came from the Pension Services to check over the AA forms, if indeed they needed and required it. Once the full process for AA completed, in no time was receiving it for my parents. So have to say found applying for and getting AA not a problem.

Keith.
 

Clive

Registered User
Nov 7, 2004
716
0
Hi

I had missed the fact that you could get Council Tax rebate for a person with AD who received AA. I didn’t know until I read about it on TP.

When my application was accepted by the Council it was just backdated to the start of the financial year, about three months.

I then both wrote to the Council and rang them, and said that Social Services had not advised me about Council Tax relief and so I had not known about it as I had to spend all my time Caring.

Eventually (without too much effort) the Council backdated the claim to the day mum first received AA which was about three years extra money.

Clive
 

Nebiroth

Registered User
Aug 20, 2006
3,510
0
It is fairly normal to be able to have benefits backdated to the point at which the person became elligible for them, not just to the time they are applied for.

But, you may have to ask for this to be done. After all, the council (etc) has no idea how long the condition has been present.
 

Sarah217

Registered User
May 12, 2008
4
0
Hertfordshire
Does anyone know if council tax benefit is available for carers?

I live alone but am reducing my hours (and unfortunately therefore my salary) to help care for my grandad from September and any extra money i can get will come in really useful.
 

Sarah217

Registered User
May 12, 2008
4
0
Hertfordshire
Boo. Thank you anyway. I did have a hunt but was hoping someone knew of some magic way I could reduce my bills.

Maybe I'll win the lottery instead. :D
 

Nebiroth

Registered User
Aug 20, 2006
3,510
0
Does anyone know if council tax benefit is available for carers?

I live alone but am reducing my hours (and unfortunately therefore my salary) to help care for my grandad from September and any extra money i can get will come in really useful.

Unfortunately, the disregard is only available for resident carers, ie, they have to live in the same property as the person they are looking after.

However, you should certainly look into getting yourself Carer's Allowance. Although it's only £50.55 per week that is better than nothing. It is means tested based on your income.

Remember that to get it, the person you care for must be getting something like Attendance Allowance or Disability Allowance.

Unfortunately, Carer allowance doesn't act as a gateway to other benefits like free prescriptions (which are means tested on income and savings). However, Attendance Allowance does this.
 

Clive

Registered User
Nov 7, 2004
716
0
If you get Carers Allowance you also get your National Insurance paid and a contribution towards the State Second Pension. It might only be a small thing but it could make all the difference when you eventually retire.
 

Chrissyan

Registered User
Aug 9, 2007
570
0
65
N E England
7 month marathon

Nebiroth: You were right about the letter with 'You are considered to be severely mentally impaired....' written on it. :( It was sitting on Dad's kitchen table today when I went round.:eek: This despite my sending a covering letter asking them to reply to me , after your warning. :mad: How unsubtle is that?? :confused: However ,although he mentioned the severely impaired bit ,Dad was more interested in not having to pay council tax.:rolleyes:

jenniferpa: You were right about doctors not being keen. I phoned the surgery & asked the receptionist, she told me to bring the form in to be signed & no there probably wouldn't be a charge, especially for Mr A, 'as we all love Mr A' :D. My other half dropped it off the next morning & I had enclosed an SAE. It sat in the GP's in tray for nearly three weeks:confused: Got it back finally after two phone calls. Sent it to the council & they only took a week reply.

Sue38: Glad you mentioned a download form, I had a look after reading your post & realised the one the social worker had ordered from the council was the wrong one.:eek: I hope your Dad's was approved without a hitch.

I know I left it a few weeks between the first AA rejection & asking for help on here before applying again, but even still the first AA application which was rejected was sent in on 6/11/07. It has taken me 7 months to get his AA & council tax disregard.
exhausted.gif


Now I am waiting to see what happens next, my Dad was asking. Presumably a revised council tax bill & a refund, the disregard applies from 14/0308?

Thanks a bunch for all your input, how do people manage that haven't got access to this site? I guess they just give up.
 

jenniferpa

Registered User
Jun 27, 2006
39,442
0
I imagine it varies, but we just got a cheque - no explanation, no covering letter, no nothing :rolleyes: and I never saw another council bill.
 

Nebiroth

Registered User
Aug 20, 2006
3,510
0
Nebiroth: You were right about the letter with 'You are considered to be severely mentally impaired....' written on it. :( It was sitting on Dad's kitchen table today when I went round.:eek: This despite my sending a covering letter asking them to reply to me , after your warning. :mad: How unsubtle is that?? :confused: However ,although he mentioned the severely impaired bit ,Dad was more interested in not having to pay council tax.:rolleyes:

That's awful! And after you took the trouble to write to them asking for this not to happen. How lucky that your dad was more interested in the money. I know my dad would be devastated to get something like that, as he believes there is nothing wrong with him, and even more devastated to realise it would have been me who had done it!


Now I am waiting to see what happens next, my Dad was asking. Presumably a revised council tax bill & a refund, the disregard applies from 14/0308?

Thanks a bunch for all your input, how do people manage that haven't got access to this site? I guess they just give up.

You'll probably just get a cheque for the backdated tax, and won't get any more council tax bills.

and indeed, it is horrific to think of people who struggle along without the help they are entitled to, either because they have no idea it's there or because they've been put off by the process.
 

sue38

Registered User
Mar 6, 2007
10,849
0
55
Wigan, Lancs
That's good news about the refund Chrissyann but not about the letter. We had exactly the same thing when they acknowledged the application. We asked the Council not to write to my Dad, but of course they did.

We are still waiting for the case to be determined and not holding our breath... :rolleyes:
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Grannie G

Volunteer Moderator
Apr 3, 2006
81,444
0
Kent
Sorry Sue.

I did not edit your post, my cursor on this lap top has a mind of it`s own.
Hope this will stand up in court.:eek:
Love xx
 

sue38

Registered User
Mar 6, 2007
10,849
0
55
Wigan, Lancs
Sylvia, you're too honest. If you hadn't pointed it out I wouldn't have noticed the tiny 'Edited by Grannie G'. Not that my eyesight's deteriorating now I'm 40 or anything like that :eek:;) ... only 6 days older than Kylie you know... going for a lie down now...
 

Chrissyan

Registered User
Aug 9, 2007
570
0
65
N E England
Complaining

Right I have got my stroppy head on. I am going to complain about the wording on that council tax letter from the Department of Finance & Procurement.

Exact wording: I refer to your application for disregard from the Council Tax and am pleased to inform you that you are entitled to a disregard for the following reason: You are considered to be severely mentally impaired within the meaning of the Local Government Finance Act 1992.

This disregard has been granted from 14th March 2008.

If the circumstances which gave rise to your application change in any way, you must inform this office immediately.


I want to try to get these unfeeling, uncaring 'revenue officers' to seriously change their wording on these letters. I haven't thought it through properly but have thought of seeing/writing to my MP & maybe writing to Watchdog (do you think they would care?)
fan.gif



Any suggestions welcome.
writing.gif
 
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Grannie G

Volunteer Moderator
Apr 3, 2006
81,444
0
Kent
Chrissyan

I`d just send them your s****y smiley.

I really do not see how anyone who is deemed `severely mentally impaired ` would be able to `inform this office immediately`.

Good luck.
 

Margaret W

Registered User
Apr 28, 2007
3,720
0
North Derbyshire
Hi, appeal. Put down the worst case scenario in all questions. Ring the AA people, they are amongst the most human of all government departments, Tell them you now realise there are other things that affect his functioning that you didn't think to mention.

Lots of people have given you examples.

Good luck.

Margaret
 

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