Petition for people with dementia of all ages who receive either Attendance Allowance or PIP/DLA

Jessbow

Registered User
Mar 1, 2013
5,677
0
Midlands
I guess different councils must do different things.

My Mothr didnt recieve any benefits other than state pension, and she qualified for council tax disregard and it wa backdated to time of diagnosis.

What is the ''medical certificate'' that you mention?
 

Browny10

Registered User
Dec 20, 2019
172
0
I guess different councils must do different things.

My Mothr didnt recieve any benefits other than state pension, and she qualified for council tax disregard and it wa backdated to time of diagnosis.

What is the ''medical certificate'' that you mention?
With most councils you need to complete a simple form that requires the GP or consultant to "certify" the date when the person first started with Dementia. It is very interesting that your Mother only needed state pension as this would open it up to anyone over pensionable age. Would you be happy to let me know which council that was and if possible contact me with the details
 
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Jessbow

Registered User
Mar 1, 2013
5,677
0
Midlands
With most councils you need to complete a simple form that requires the GP or consultant to "certify" the date when the person first started with Dementia. It is very interesting that your Mother only needed state pension as this would open it up to anyone over pensionable age. Would you be happy to let me know which council that was and if possible contact me with the details
West Herts
 

Knitandpurl

Registered User
Aug 9, 2021
696
0
Lincolnshire
My council would only backdate the council tax exemption to the beginning of the tax year, and it took 2 attempts- they ‘never received’ the first application. Strangely enough also had to apply twice for assessment for my Mum (was still waiting when she went into a Care Home) and for Blue Badge, all ‘never received’. And took nearly a year to get assessment for help with care home funding, they seem oblivious to how stressful this all is.
 

Jaded'n'faded

Registered User
Jan 23, 2019
5,258
0
High Peak
How on earth can a doctor state when dementia started? What is known is that it starts many years before symptoms appear...

I don't understand how anyone can say it started on a particular date.
 

Palerider

Registered User
Aug 9, 2015
4,160
0
56
North West
How on earth can a doctor state when dementia started? What is known is that it starts many years before symptoms appear...

I don't understand how anyone can say it started on a particular date.
I think the OP mean't to say date of diagnosis not time of onset??
 

canary

Registered User
Feb 25, 2014
25,018
0
South coast
I think @Jaded'n'faded that it will put the emphasis on date of diagnosis. At the moment it is just a matter of cognitive impairment, but I think there might be an unintended consequence that people who do not have a diagnosis of dementia (even if they are receiving the relevant benefit) will not be considered eligible.
 

nitram

Registered User
Apr 6, 2011
30,072
0
Bury
How on earth can a doctor state when dementia started?
My wife's GP left that bit blank and form was accepted by LA
2022-04-24_165927 (Medium).png
 
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fromnz123

Registered User
Aug 2, 2019
201
0
UK
we got my husband’s diagnosis on the 4 August 2021, he was referred to the memory clinic in August 2020 It took a year of tests and assessments before the diagnosis

Although attendance allowance was approved June 2021, the council tax discount was only awarded from the date he received diagnosis 4 August 2021
 

Browny10

Registered User
Dec 20, 2019
172
0
There is nothing in the Council Tax Discount SMI Disregard pocedure that requires a formal hospital diagnosis of dementia, it only requires a GP to certify when in their opinion they meet the requirements of SMI as in the LGFA 1992.
The LGFA 1992 Schedule 1 section 2(2) states :-For the purposes of this paragraph a person is severely mentally impaired if he has a severe impairment of intelligence and social functioning (however caused) which appears to be permanent.
The laws as they stand only require a GP (or other medical practitioner) to certify the date.
To confuse the issue even further councils often refer to this as the "date of diagnosis".
Councils vary in their interpretation of the laws. Of the 382 UK councils questioned through a FOI request, 127 said that they backdate to the date of GP diagnosis/certification and 255 said they wait until the date they are also in receipt of a qualifying benefit. Thus the petition https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/614616
 

Browny10

Registered User
Dec 20, 2019
172
0
Require council tax discounts for dementia are backdated to the diagnosis date

People with dementia are only 'disregarded' (not counted) for council tax if they have a medical certificate and are eligible for certain benefits. Some benefits have waiting periods of up to six months, meaning many people with dementia have to wait months to qualify for council tax discounts.
More details

We want the Government to require that council tax disregards are backdated to the date a person was certified as being severely mentally impaired, where they then go on to qualify for a relevant benefit. This should mean that people with dementia - no matter their age - receive additional council tax discounts for longer periods, potentially saving them thousands of pounds.

There are over 600,000 people with dementia who receive care at home. We believe current rules are unfair, and need to be reformed.
Sign this petition https://petition.parliament.uk/petition ... atures/new