nursing homes /heating allowance

[ben]

Are you supposed to get the goverment winter heating allowance if you are in a care/nursing home ?

 

[jenniferpa]

If you're talking about the winter fuel payment, maybe. See here

http://www.direct.gov.uk/Bfsl1/Bene...Articles/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=10018657&chk=MrR8zy

It depends on whether or not you get pension credit.

If you're talking about Cold weather payment - I don't know!

Jennifer

 

[Kriss]

My Aunt still gets it but her house is still unsold. I assumed it was due to that but now you mention it I can't see how they would connect the 2 so I guess it must be for everybody.

 

[jenniferpa]

This is the age concern leaflet about this
http://www.ageconcern.org.uk/AgeConcern/Documents/FS1_0905.pdf

the relevant bits
You are entitled to cold weather payments of £8.50 for each qualifying week if:

• the average temperature in your area has been, or is expected to be, 0 degrees
Celsius or below for seven consecutive days; and
• you have been awarded Income Support or income based Jobseeker’s Allowance
for at least one day during the period of cold weather and you are getting
disability premium or you are responsible for a child under 5; or
• you have been awarded Pension Credit for at least one of those days and you
are not in a care home.


You are entitled to a winter fuel payment if you are aged 60 or over in the week
beginning on the third Monday in September (the qualifying week).

You are not entitled to a payment if during that week you fall into one of the following
categories:

• you have been in hospital for more than 52 weeks;
• you are getting Pension Credit, Income Support (IS) or income based Job
Seeker’s Allowance (JSA) and you live in a care home and have been in the
home for the 12 preceding weeks;
• you are subject to immigration control;
• you are serving custodial sentence.

 

[ben]

Thank you for the help

Thanks for the infomation .

ben

 

[Kayla]

We had to pay some of Mum's winter fuel allowance back after she went into a care home. We asked about it, and they wouldn't have taken action if we hadn't, but it is intended for people living in their own homes. She still gets Attendance Allowance and the Registered Nursing Care Contribution because she is in a Nursing Home now.

 

[chip]

Do you get this for younger people with Dementia? As my husband feels the cold in the winter and i have to keep the heating on

 

[jenniferpa]

Have you seen these
http://www.eagagroup.com/grants/warmdeal/qualify.htm
http://scotland.shelter.org.uk/advice/advice-4450.cfm

It looks as if you might be eligible for the cold weather payments.

Incidentally chip, have you looked at the independant living fund (I don't know whether it operates in Scotland)? Someone my mother knows (under 60) who is confined to a wheelchair following a stroke gets a tremendous amount of help from them (wrongly, in my opinion, but that's another issue) http://www.ilf.org.uk/home/index.html

Jennifer

 

[Nebiroth]

Do you get this for younger people with Dementia? As my husband feels the cold in the winter and i have to keep the heating on

I seem to recall that there were a lot of complaints that relatively able-bodied, fit persons over 60 got the Winter Fuel Allowance, while those under 60 with disabilties which made them house-bound or in a wheelchair, did not. So it is age based


To get Cold Weather Payment you or your husband would need to be getting Income Support. People who qualify should get the extra payment when the weather meets the conditions.

You might be better off looking at Disability Living Allowance instead.

If your husband gets a certain level of DLA, then perhaps you could apply for Carer Allowance, and you might qualify for Income Support as well depending on your earnings and savings.

You might also qualify for a "Warm Front" grant, too.

Perhaps you should speak to, say, Citzens Advice or the Benefit Enquiry Line.