Means Testing

[PatA]

Hi everyone,
we've had a couple of chaotic weeks as Dad announced that he can't cope any more and that Mum will have to go into a home. A SW came to assess Mum's condition and Dad's needs as a carer. She offered to arrange a weeks respite for mum - who flatly refused because she can't leave dad on his own!! The SW told me that she would make them a priority case but could only make the arrangements if mum agreed to it. I rang the next day and said that mum had changed her mind and would she go ahead with the arrangements. I hadn't even discussed it with my mum but my sister and I decided that giving dad a break was more important than mum's argueing and we'd deal with that when the time came.Sounds a terrible way to do things, doesn't it, but i do believe that we have done the right thing. The SW came up trumps! She rang me the same day and mum goes off for a week next Sunday, and she is trying to make it every 6 weeks. She then told me that it would be means tested but it was entirely based on mum's income and savings. A man came to do this last week and dad said the question was " what assets does mum have? The answer to that is her pension and a couple of hundred in the building society. He then asked to see dad's Home Contents Insurance Policy which dad couldn't find but gave him a rough idea of what it costs. A few calculations later and he announced there would be no charge for the respite care.
I'd be interested in other people's experience of means testing as the request to see the insurance policy strikes me as being a very under-handed way of seeing if they have any individual items of value, and what would have happened if mum did have something?


On an entirely different note I hope all you Mums are having a great day. I'm off to put my feet up and watch the rugby!

 

[Norman]

Pat
small pension + attendance allowance ,lower amount only taken =no charge.
Regarding the insurance policy,you could be right except if it is Dad's name it doesn't count.
I would be interested to know why he wanted to see the policy?
Norman

 

[Sheila]

Dear Pat, you did the right thing, sometimes you justhave to take charge before the whole thing gets too much to cope with. Getting the respite sorted so it's a rolling one every six weeks is brilliant too. It will help your Dad when he knows he has that sorted on a regular basis. The first one will probably be hard for all of you, but you do get used to these things. Like Norman, I was curious to know why your Dad was aked to show that policy. They do get up to some artful tricks to see if we are all millionaires on th QT don't they! Makes you want to scream, grrrr Hope all goes well for you, love She. XX

 

[thompsonsom]

Dear Pat

Mum in law doesn't have much money and when assessed for daycare/respite we were advised no charge, but a couple of months after she had been to respite we received a bill for about £100 per week of stay, when queried it was told as she had not bills to pay at home as she was living with us this was her expected contribution as she gets Attendance Allowance and pension. Wished they had told us in beginning as would only use respite when going on holidays or desperate for a break. Also originally no charge for daycare now assessed as can pay £8.95 weekly, nothing it would seem is free except our time of course.
Your dad may be alright as mum will be seen as contributing to household expenses etc... Cant understand why would need to see home contents insurance as not as though its a policy that can be cashed in so no use to anyone, maybe he put it down as an expense.

Jan

 

[Anne54]

Dear Pat
We are the same as Jan assessed as not having enough income or savings to make a contribution then we get a bill for just over £100 for each stay, but its worth every penny to keep me sane, never had to show the insurance policy.
Anne

 

[carol]

Hello,

I haven't posted in ages, but I do read TP all the time!!

With regard to means testing, at the present time we also have a Statement of Financial Circumstances to fill in. The accompanying sheet details the things that the FAB (financial assessments and benefits) team would also like to see.

It includes: A section about your HOME

If you rent your home the FAB worker will need to see these things, if relevant:-
. your tenancy agreement
. your rent book or a letter from your landlord showing your current rent
. details of housing benefit that you receive

If you own your home, the FAB worker will need to see these things, if relevant:-

. a letter showing how much the morgage is each month
. an end of year letter showing how much morgage there is still to be paid off
. a letter or statement showing how much the morgage interest rate is
. details of any home improvement loans or second mortgage you may have
. details of any insurance policies which help you pay the mortgage when you are
off work.
. ground rent and lease
. details of any service charges you may have to pay for where you live

If you incur other expenses maintaining your home, the FAB worker will need to see these things, if relevant

. council tax bill
. water/sewage bill
. buildings insurance premium
. house contents insurance premium

They also require all information and details about money coming in i.e. pensions and benefits etc. and also details about savings ie. bank, building society, post office, stock and shares, premium bonds and national savings certificates, endowment insurance policies and details of any other savings.

If you incur special expenses because of frailty, illness or disability these will be discussed with the FAB worker. You should produce some evidence of additional costs, without which it may not be possible to make an allowance. i.e. if this includes additional heating costs you should have your last four quarters' fuel bills available!

Sorry for the long posting.

Best wishes to all.

Carol

 

[storm]

Dear all, Is that correct that when they go into respite you have to pay a fee even if you have been assesed as eligable for free care? If this is right it stinks!so they are telling carers they need a break but only as long as they pay towards it,the amount they pay to carers nowhere covers the cost of caring for someone 24/7 52 weeks of the year .ANGRY STORM

 

[connie]

Hi, Each time we hit acrisis. large or small, Lionel's CPN suggests a weeks respite.

Fine except that he funds his own respite care, £500 per week. Lionel does have some money inthe bnk, from the sale of his former marital home.. He lives with me, in my house, and pays me rent.

I can hardly ask him to pay out £500 at the drop of a hat, just to give me a break. I will use respite next month as I shall go away for 5 days with a couple of my old girlfriends. Lionel, bless him, will go into respite care, but SS and his CPN have suggested he does this every 2 months......... would they be so quick to offer same if they were funding. Connie

 

[Sheila]

Hi all, as Mum had to sell her flat when she became too ill to live alone, She was then, "well off"!! - one bedroomed retirement flat that's all she had. Anyway, they took off her for absolutely everything. Thousands over the three plus years. It was not till the last three weeks when she came home from hospital (after being admitted with the chest infection that led to 3 falls in 5 days hospital resulting in a broken hip) to die where she wanted with those who loved her, that any thing was paid for. Even then, I didn't get as much cover as I could have done with and the nights didn't happen till I was on my knees for several days in a row. Grrrrrr!! Love She. XX

 

[Sally]

Hi all,

the respite situation is a bizarre one because no laws or even rules really govern the funding of it. In the excellent Paying for Care Handbook written by the Child Poverty Action Group, it states that local authorities can only charge 'what is reasonable' for respite care. This means bascially charging someone so much but not putting them or their partner on the breadline, however, it does give local auth's free reign to charge high fees as Connie mentioned.

So this is the situation. Terrible for carers who see £500 disappear for just one week off.

Take care,
Sally

 

[Sheila]

Hi all, yes, that's what Mum was charged although it was a bit more by the end and a bit less at the beginning. She had a rolling respite every 4 - 6 weeks for three years, plus day care in between, came to an awful lot of lolly. That was without her private sits and baths etc. Considering she like all dementia sufferers, was ill, with an incurable disease that eventually would result in death, this seems really unfair. If she'd had a physical illness, she may well have been elegible for help, as it was, they creamed in every penny they possibly could. Grrrrr, love She. XX

 

[PatA]

Hi all, thanks for your input. We now have it in writing that there will be no charge for respite or for the person who's going to come and help mum get up in the mornings - although that won't be starting yet as there is "a shortage in our area". If we should get a bill later we've decided we'll take them on and use their own letter against them. That's probably being extremely optimistic but we'll wait and see what happens.
Thanks again

 

[Sheila]

Yes, keep that letter safe, send copies if need be to confirm what was said, but NEVER let that letter go anywhere! Really pleased that you are getting funding, Hope it all comes together real soon for you, love She. XX

 

[Chris]

Respite a postcode lottery??

So... respite care is another postcode lottery then ???? In this area I believe people get offered so many weeks residential respite care for £70 a week (not means tested) - then any more they want to take is at a higher rate - means tested probably - I will check up on this .

It seems so unfair that this is variable according to where you live.