Paying for a double gravestone?

[pippop1]

Does anyone have any views on how the following will be viewed by an English LA please?

My mother is currently self-funding and in a nursing home. My husband and myself have POA for financial matters.

Sadly my father passed away earlier this year. He was also in the same care home but in its residential wing.

My brother, who doesn't have POA as he lives in a different country, came to visit Mum and he and I went to order/organise my father's gravestone. In our religion there is a ceremony to put the stone up around 9 months to a year after the person has died.

My Mum (via the POA) has already paid a few hundred to reserve a plot of land next to my father for my mother (again this is what usually happens in our religion).

My brother convinced me that we should order a double gravestone (which is not uncommon) rather than a single one as it was slightly cheaper than two separate ones and also kind of nice to be together.

Although my mother is currently self-funding and receives the nursing allowance, she is soon to be down to her £23,250 amount and paying for the double gravestone rather than the single adds approx £2000 to the cost of the stone.

When we eventually apply to the LA for funding help how will they view the extra £2000? It's not strictly for her care is it, but it is most likely what she would have wanted me to do.

There is no cost for the funeral as again, in our religion, you pay to belong to the Burial Society throughout your adult life (like insurance).

Does anyone think they know how it will be viewed?

 

[nitram]

The worst the LA can do is regard the £2000 as deliberate deprivation of capital.

As there is no way they can recover the money they will treat it as notional capital which will effectively reduce the lower limit of capital, when they cease funding, from £14250 to £12250.

Just order the double gravestone.

 

[pippop1]

Thank you. That's most reassuring.

Unfortunately Mum and Dad had a joint account so money that we'd put into it for their care fees (from sale of their shares and so on) in the account all went to Mum when Dad died. If we'd split the account into two then Dad's money would have been able to go where he requested it should go in his Will.

This way it just delayed us asking for funding for Mum by a few more months.

I guess that's probably right really but I'm annoyed that I didn't know that money in a joint account belonged to the other account holder if one died.

If anyone else is in the same position (i.e. both parents in a care home and a joint account) then try and split the money equally into two accounts.

The worst the LA can do is regard the £2000 as deliberate deprivation of capital.

As there is no way they can recover the money they will treat it as notional capital which will effectively reduce the lower limit of capital, when they cease funding, from £14250 to £12250.

Just order the double gravestone.

 

[Saffie]

When the LA becomes involved accounts have to be split anyway. I think most things held jointly automatically go to the other joint holder when someone dies. I know a house does.