CSA1 - make sure you know this

kelloggs36

A reduction in carer's allowance does NOT automatically result in a reduction in maintenance due - it depends on how much of the maintenance requirement is being paid as maintenance due - often there is a huge gap between the two.

Cozworth806

littlemisscarole wrote: »

Hi All,

My husband just phoned the csa to find out firstly how much of his maintenance was 'carers allowance', in order for him to calculate how much it should be reduced by and they said they couldn't tell him and that he would need to speak to his case worker as they didn't have the breakdown of his assessment.

thay also said that he would have to be re-assessed before the reduction would be made!

I don't see why he would need to be re-assessed just because he may be entitled to a reduction due to his childs age.

The cynic in me thought it may be to put him off reducing his payments by scaring him with threats of re-assessment.

I may be wrong.

If nrp's are entitled to these reductions, they should happen automatically.

What I would say that any one using CSCS would be able to view the assessment breakdowns but whether they could explain it to you so you could understand it is another matter.
If you get the figures for Net, Exempt, Disposable and protected income along with maintenance requirement and his and total assessable income and post them here then I reckon we should be able to put you on the right lines

littlemisscarole

Hi

Hubby just got a call from csa to say that the amount of his maintenance of which is carers allowance is currently £30.24, once reduced by 50% would mean a saving of £15.12 per week.

As this is over £10, he would have been approx £60 per month better off (which would have been a godsend right now as we are really struggling since we were made to pay arrears within 2 years).

The lady on the phone said that by the time 'variations' are taken into account, this takes the saving (co-incidentally) to below £10. They won't action this as it's below £10!!

Even this would have made a huge difference to our current financial situation so it's rather annoying that they seem to have found a way of not reducing it.

Can anyone explain what these variations may have been?

thanks

kelloggs36

Without seeing the breakdown of your case not really! Normally as I said earlier, it is because you are actually paying below the maintenance requirement (which is the bit that uses the carer's allowance). Even if that is reduced, if the amount payable (due to the net income and allowances taken off) is less than the maintenance requirement it will mean no change to the payments due. It only really affects those who are paying the additional premium on top of the maintenance requirement due to high income and low housing costs.

cozzie

My OH is currently paying approx £90pw (still all being disputed as are arrears) of which £30.24 is carer's allowance. We rang them today, as youngest child has turned 16, and were told that it will continue to be paid to the PWC until there has been a reassessment and that we cannot ask for a reassessment unless there is a dramatic change in our circumstances. How can they justify doing this? Under their rules she is no longer entitled to this money and my OH shouldn't be paying it, but we aren't allowed to ask for them to impliment their own rules as:

'our workload is too great dealing with the backlog to justify the work'.

There must be something that we can do, this money will keep us afloat each week.

kelloggs36

PM me with details, I will advise how much difference it will make.

You should be complaining that the age of the child should mean a new assessment - do it very loudly, and via your MP if necessary.

CMAC_2

cozzie wrote: »

My OH is currently paying approx £90pw (still all being disputed as are arrears) of which £30.24 is carer's allowance. We rang them today, as youngest child has turned 16, and were told that it will continue to be paid to the PWC until there has been a reassessment and that we cannot ask for a reassessment unless there is a dramatic change in our circumstances. How can they justify doing this? Under their rules she is no longer entitled to this money and my OH shouldn't be paying it, but we aren't allowed to ask for them to impliment their own rules as:

'our workload is too great dealing with the backlog to justify the work'.

There must be something that we can do, this money will keep us afloat each week.

Before you charge in can i suggest that you have a calculation done away from the agency for two reasons. The payment needs to change by £10.00 and two the Carers Pre may go down but the child allowance has rocketed over the last few years.

Cozworth806

CMAC wrote: »

Before you charge in can i suggest that you have a calculation done away from the agency for two reasons. The payment needs to change by £10.00 and two the Carers Pre may go down but the child allowance has rocketed over the last few years.

Also if you get a case officer that has it in for you (or ex partner) this may open a can of worms to reconsider wages etc.
The savings or increase will also depend on when you had the last calc done.

cozzie

Thank you so much for your replies. This whole thing with the CSA has been a sham from start to finish, (e.g. assessments ranging from £30pw - £120pw, alleged arrears ranging between £3k - £2mill :eek: when the PWC has been receiving c-i-h etc etc. The list goes on and on).

We have no issue with paying a true assessment, but, when the PWC isn't adverse to lying and cheating, committing acts of denigration and PAS, and the CSA resort to manipulating facts and figures in order to obtain a DEO and imposing these alleged arrears then it gets to the point where my OH's home is placed on the line and we are left with no option but to resort to such penny pinching as clawing back carers allowances etc.

Anyhoo, FYI, we are currently in the midst of some level of complaint (done so many I forget which now) and the MP has been involved right from complaint #1. Each time we write a complaint we have to add new issues to be resolved/answered and then these develop into more, it's like a great big, mushy, brown snowball full of stones being rolled down a hill towards us, (ooh, I like that, must remember that one). My lounge is awash with CSA paperwork and completely unuseable as a room, (just as well the TV is broke and we can't afford to replace it), our relationship has sufferred terribly as have our personal sanities, hence me being awake at 2.30am!!

Sorry rant over.....

A 'private assessment' would be a great idea as my OH's wage has increased slightly. The last assessment, which we are currently paying, was done in Jan, so quite up-to-date. Let me know what details you want and you can have them quite willingly.

Must just sign off and say thank you all once again before I start re-ranting, really don't know what I would have done without this site and one other which I believe Kelloggs is also active on.

:T:A:j:beer::j:A:T