I’m going to contact SS today about getting a financial assessment done. It will need to be completed within the next couple of months. Does anyone know if they act quickly when needed as it took six months for a care needs assessment.
Social services assessment
- Thread starter jackdog35
- Start date
The financial assessment will not be done by social services but by a council finance officer. In my wife's case I first filled out a 'Capital Reduction' form showing that her capital was approaching the upper threshold within the next 2 months. I was informed about what evidence I needed to show and emailed the documents to the finance officer. Briefly, this was confirmation of income, bank statements and statements showing the value of investments. The requirement varies between councils and in our case was for statements covering the most recent 12 months.
It took only a short while for my wife's contribution to be confirmed. This was a few weeks before the appointed date (ie the date when council funding would commence). From that date payments have been to the council (not her care home) in respect of an invoice received monthly.
It took only a short while for my wife's contribution to be confirmed. This was a few weeks before the appointed date (ie the date when council funding would commence). From that date payments have been to the council (not her care home) in respect of an invoice received monthly.
I rang social services this morning and they’re still saying she’s not close enough to the threshold to do an assessment and yet she’s only got five week’s funding. I don’t want her to be in the home and run out of money and not have funding in place.
From checking my records, I can see that I may have short-circuited the process by speaking directly to the financial assessor first (I had his details from previous correspondence). I did it slightly early because of the potential for delays due to Covid. The assessor said that was fine.
My timeline was:
- submission of capital reduction form, 11 November
- submission of financial assessment summary information and supporting evidence by email, 19 November
- receipt of letter confirming contribution, how this was calculated and start date, 23 November
- submission of social care financial assessment form 23 December (this should probably have been done before contacting the financial assessor)
- council funding commenced, 30 December
So, although I followed a slightly unconventional path, the whole process was wrapped up in just a few weeks. From notification of the contribution to start of council funding my wife self-funded for a further 7 weeks, at which point her assets fell below the threshold.
Hope this helps show that it can be done quickly.
My timeline was:
- submission of capital reduction form, 11 November
- submission of financial assessment summary information and supporting evidence by email, 19 November
- receipt of letter confirming contribution, how this was calculated and start date, 23 November
- submission of social care financial assessment form 23 December (this should probably have been done before contacting the financial assessor)
- council funding commenced, 30 December
So, although I followed a slightly unconventional path, the whole process was wrapped up in just a few weeks. From notification of the contribution to start of council funding my wife self-funded for a further 7 weeks, at which point her assets fell below the threshold.
Hope this helps show that it can be done quickly.
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Yes thanks that’s really helpful and does give me some hope. I’m having to sort so much for my mum and take the stress away from my dad having to do it. I think he feels very lost without her.
Can I ask what this form is ? I have recently sent in the initial financial assessment form to social services. Is there another one later ?
No, I just did the forms in a different order. There were just 2 forms: the capital reduction form and the social care financial assessment form. I prepared a summary statement for financial assessment (rather than a form) and sent it with supporting information to the financial assessor. I have edited my post above to make this clearer. Different councils may have slightly different procedures and guidance should be available on their websites.
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On the other hand council's can drag their heels. I have been trying to get a financial assessment for my husband since July. He is now below the first threshold but they still can't tell me when they will be in a position to assess him. They told me " Don't worry.Just pay the bills,we will refund you"!! At £5400 a month they can whistle for it. I am now paying enough to keep him under the threshold when his pensions come in every month. Red letters will soon start dropping through my letterbox. Today I have written to my MP not for help personally but to try and get her/ her party to see what stress families of dementia sufferers are subjected to.
Is your husband in a care home? Our situation has changed now as my mum is in hospital awaiting a care home but as no one has power of attorney everything is dependent on social services.
Yes,he's been in a care home for 22 months now. I do have power of attorney. I am preparing for a long wait. It really is a scandal that on top of the stress of having a loved one with dementia people have to deal with understaffed and underfunded social services/finance and benefits teams. If they send the ballifs in all my husband now owns is a £40 radio that he never listens to.
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