Pension and hospital stay

Turning_into_scrooge

My father has asked me to post this question for him and i promised him i would, so here goes

At the mo he is in hospital and has been for 6 weeks and will be in for quite a while longer due to a stroke. One of the nurses came up to him today and asked for information from him so they could inform benefits/pension he is a long term patient. So his question is, because he has been in for 6 weeks will he lose his government pension for the duration of his stay in hospital? He was under the impression that this had stopped and is very worried as he still has bills to pay at home whilst he is not there, fortunately my brother can afford to keep things going for him for as long as is needed but he's getting very upset about it as he started work at 15 yrs retired at 65 and is now 75 and hasn't really had much of a retirement due to other circumstances. The chances are he is going to be in hospital for at least another 2 months if not 3 before he can go home. _pale_

Thanks in advance :A

I have posted this also on the benefits board as i forgot this board was here, sorry for any confusion it may cause :beer:

Paul_Herring

See http://www.thepensionservice.gov.uk/atoz/atozdetailed/retirement.asp#whathappens

margaretclare

Hi Paul

This is a useful site that you gave the link to. I didn't know this either, but it seems that nothing happens until the person has been in hospital for 52 weeks i.e for a whole year. Obviously a person who has his own home will still have bills to pay even though he's not using water, heating, power for cooking etc but there may be other costs e.g. a gardener to avoid the garden getting to be a wilderness and an open invitation to burglars: "this house isn't being lived in".

This is where direct debits are so useful. My husband and I both worked from age 16 to 67, over a century between us. We have a joint account from which all household bills are paid. I was recently in hospital from 5th to 15th December, and it was such a comforting, reassuring thought to know that I didn't have to go anywhere to draw pensions or pay bills - it all happens automatically.

Worrying about these mundane everyday things isn't going to help the OP's dad get better - he needs peace of mind and freedom from worry.

Best wishes

Aunty Margaret

mrbnewc

Just to let you know that Hospital Downrating on the State Pension no longer applies. It used to be 6 weeks, then 52 weeks, then the Government made the decision to not reduce them at all.

The rules surrounding Attendance Allowance/Disability Living Allowance still stand. This is removed completely after 28 days in NHS care.

Mr B

Cook_County

On the positive side it is possible that he may qualify for a discount on the council tax either because there is a single occupier for the time he is in hospital or if he is arguably disabled. The chance of getting a discount is probably low, but you may want to call your local council just to ask...

Turning_into_scrooge

Cook_County wrote:

On the positive side it is possible that he may qualify for a discount on the council tax either because there is a single occupier for the time he is in hospital or if he is arguably disabled. The chance of getting a discount is probably low, but you may want to call your local council just to ask...

thanks for this, he does get the single persons discount. I wasn't aware there were any more available and certainly not for someone under 80 yrs of age - he is 75 - but its certainly worth checking out, :beer:

hermit-crab

That is a most informative website. Thanks Paul Herring.