Hospitalisation, Attendance Allowance, Pension & Direct Payments

[Mo_N]

I posted this question of my "Update on Mum" thread but haven't had any response so think it may have been missed by some so I hope you don't mind me repeating myself.


As mum has never been hospitalised for more than a few days before I haven't a clue whether her pension & attendance allowance etc are affected.( I hope not as these part pay for her carer who is doing a sterling job covering the hospital visits I cant do)

Any help on the subject much appreciated. I don't feel I have the energy or concentration to grapple with the small print in the booklets or sit on the phone trying to get through to the relevant departments.

Thanks
Mo
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[min88cat]

Hi Mo

With regards to the Attendance Allowance, I believe that they can be in hospital for 4 weeks before it is stopped. You then have to ring them to get it started again once they are out.

I don't think pension payments are affected, but I'm sure someone else will be along to confirm one way or the other.

 

[jenniferpa]

Definitely not pension - this is no longer impacted by a stay in hospital. Attendance Allowance can be though.

If you are in hospital for 28 days or more consecutively, then AA stops until you are discharged. There are some more complicated rules about readmission to hospital though, so I'll find chapter and verse and repost.

 

[rajahh]

when you go into hospital if you receive attendance allowance you are supposed to tell them. I know it was taken away from my husband when he was in, and only reinstated when he came home .

It was stopped after he had been inhospital for 6 weeks. This was in 2007 m I amnot sure about his pension as unfortunately I have destroyed his bank records for that year.

Jeannette

 

[jenniferpa]

OK

However, if the person you look after goes back into hospital within 28 days of leaving hospital, the two periods they're in hospital are added together and treated as one period.

When counting up the days in hospital, the day someone goes into hospital and the day they come out of hospital are not counted as part of the 28-day limit.

from http://www.nhs.uk/CarersDirect/moneyandlegal/disabilitybenefits/Pages/DLAandAAclaimsandchanges.aspx

 

[Kathphlox]

You really must inform the DWP & Attendance Allowance when ever she goes into hospital even if you know it's only for a few days.. because if she was admitted again within 28 days it will all be added together. Then when she comes home, inform them of that, keep a good record and write down the day you rang them on a calendar or diary because they tried to claw back £150 off dad's allowance when they got it wrong, I took it to appeal and won.... Yeah I know.. PITA.

Don't forget that DWP, Attendance Allowance & the people who pay Carers Allowance don't really talk to each other.. I was told by someone at DWP that they would inform the other dept.. but they didn't.. what a big mess that was.. our Carers Allowance is paid to my hubby as he claims Pension Credit for us. I completely forgot about that and I had to pay quite a sum back to them, fortunately some dept. had underpaid us by £1500, so it just came out of that.

Theives and Vagabonds I call them

 

[Contrary Mary]

Yes, I have had to phone about Mum's attendance allowance quite a bit lately: It has never been much of a bother, I have given them the details and all has been OK.

The one tip I would give you is to phone soon after 7.30 in the morning when the helpline opens. It should hopefully be a lot easier to get through

Hope everything goes as smoothly as possible for you.

Mary
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[The DIL]

I informed pensions when MIL was in hospital. She wasn't entitled to her attendance allowance and increased pension credit associated to the attendance allowance. She has had a letter confirming this before she came out of hospital. I think that she owes a substantial amount of money because despite me telling them they didn't actually make the reduction, but we don't know how much or if they have asked for it back because any letter she gets she hides, despite telling us she puts everything on the shelf for us to see. One day we'll find the letter or there'll be no pension in the bank for a little while!!

 

[Mo_N]

Thank You

Thank you all for your accurate advice. I knew I could rely on you

I made the necessary phone calls today so it's another thing I can forget about for a while.

Mo
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