Social funeral fund help

stressed81

My Dad died back in feburary of this year and as I was unemployed at the time I applied for to the social funeral fund for help. I sent them all the imformation they requested including a closing statement for his post office account. After 6 months of trying to get hold of them they have finally written back saying they need a statement with all the transactions 2 weeks prior to his death.
Now here is where I have been problems. I have rang the post office and the lady on the end of the phone has said that I need to write a signed and written request to the post office. She could not however tell me the address to send thr request to, and told me to look on the internet. I cannot find the address for the life of me on the net. Does anyone have any ideas?

thanks Aaron

anmarj

i have a note of it at work, will pick it up for you then

AsknAnswer2

They have no reason to ask for statements prior to death, as money held in any of his accounts prior to the date he died are frankly none of their business (at least not for the purpose of this application). They only need a statement showing the balance held at the date of death, and any transactions after that up until the account was closed. I'd be querying why they need to see this.

Regulation 10 of the Social Fund Maternity and Funeral Expenses regulations states that any money available or due to pay for the funeral under that regulation (copy and paste below) may be deducted from any award considered for funeral expenses.

Deductions from an award of a funeral payment

10.—(1) There shall be deducted from the amount of any award of funeral payment which would otherwise be payable—

(a)the amount of any assets of the deceased which are available to the responsible person (on application or otherwise) or any other member of his family without probate or letters of administration, or (in Scotland) confirmation, having been granted;

(b)the amount of any lump sum due to the responsible person or any other member of his family on the death of the deceased by virtue of any insurance policy, occupational pension scheme or burial club, or any analogous arrangement;

(c)the amount of any contribution towards funeral expenses which has been received by the responsible person or any other member of his family from a charity or a relative of his or of the deceased;

(d)the amount of any funeral grant, made out of public funds, in respect of the death of a person who was entitled to a war disablement pension;

(e)in relation to a pre-paid funeral plan or any analogous arrangement—

(i)where the plan or arrangement had not been paid for in full prior to the death of the deceased, the amount of any sum payable under that plan or arrangement in order to meet the deceased’s funeral expenses;

(ii)where the plan or arrangement had been paid for in full prior to the death of the deceased, the amount of any allowance paid under that plan or arrangement in respect of funeral expenses.

(2) The amount of any payment made under—

(a)the Macfarlane Trust,

(b)the Macfarlane (Special Payments) Trust,

(c)the Macfarlane (Special Payments) (No. 2) Trust,

(d)the Fund,

(e)the Eileen Trust,

(f)the Skipton Fund, or

(g)a trust established out of funds provided by the Secretary of State in respect of persons who suffered, or who are suffering, from variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease for the benefit of persons eligible for payments in accordance with its provisions,

shall be disregarded from any deduction made under this regulation.

You'll see that I have bolded (a). Assets of the deceased are not assets of the deceased until the date of death. Any monies he held in his account prior to the date of death are irrelevant. For example, he may have had £200 in his account two weeks prior to his death, and may have spent £150 on paying a bill, leaving only £50 in the account. If £50 was all that was in the account at the date he died, then £50 is all they can take off the award. Unless for example, let's say he received £100 into the account after he died to which he would have been entitled. Then they could take £150 off the award.

So it is not relevant for the purposes of a funeral payment application what was in the account before the date he died. Only what was there at the date of death and after the date of death is relevant.

The post office aren't the right people to contact - you need to contact post office card accounts directly on 08457 223 344

andyandflo

AsknAnswer2 wrote: »

They have no reason to ask for statements prior to death, as money held in any of his accounts prior to the date he died are frankly none of their business (at least not for the purpose of this application). They only need a statement showing the balance held at the date of death, and any transactions after that up until the account was closed. I'd be querying why they need to see this.

Regulation 10 of the Social Fund Maternity and Funeral Expenses regulations states that any money available or due to pay for the funeral under that regulation (copy and paste below) may be deducted from any award considered for funeral expenses.



You'll see that I have bolded (a). Assets of the deceased are not assets of the deceased until the date of death. Any monies he held in his account prior to the date of death are irrelevant. For example, he may have had £200 in his account two weeks prior to his death, and may have spent £150 on paying a bill, leaving only £50 in the account. If £50 was all that was in the account at the date he died, then £50 is all they can take off the award. Unless for example, let's say he received £100 into the account after he died to which he would have been entitled. Then they could take £150 off the award.

So it is not relevant for the purposes of a funeral payment application what was in the account before the date he died. Only what was there at the date of death and after the date of death is relevant.

The post office aren't the right people to contact - you need to contact post office card accounts directly on 08457 223 344

I wonder if they are 'fishing' for info about possible transfers of cash or deprivation of capital amounts prior to death.

If the deceased moved by loan or gift a large sum of money to someone and then died, would not that transfer or loan be considered?

stressed81

AsknAnswer2 wrote: »

They have no reason to ask for statements prior to death, as money held in any of his accounts prior to the date he died are frankly none of their business (at least not for the purpose of this application). They only need a statement showing the balance held at the date of death, and any transactions after that up until the account was closed. I'd be querying why they need to see this.

Regulation 10 of the Social Fund Maternity and Funeral Expenses regulations states that any money available or due to pay for the funeral under that regulation (copy and paste below) may be deducted from any award considered for funeral expenses.



You'll see that I have bolded (a). Assets of the deceased are not assets of the deceased until the date of death. Any monies he held in his account prior to the date of death are irrelevant. For example, he may have had £200 in his account two weeks prior to his death, and may have spent £150 on paying a bill, leaving only £50 in the account. If £50 was all that was in the account at the date he died, then £50 is all they can take off the award. Unless for example, let's say he received £100 into the account after he died to which he would have been entitled. Then they could take £150 off the award.

So it is not relevant for the purposes of a funeral payment application what was in the account before the date he died. Only what was there at the date of death and after the date of death is relevant.

The post office aren't the right people to contact - you need to contact post office card accounts directly on 08457 223 344

Thank you that was the same number I rang but fortunately I was put through to a rather more helpful lady this time who instructed me to write to po box 567 Preston pr 12 wx in writing to request the details I require.

I have no idea why the dwp are requesting those details, maybe they thought they my Dad knew he was going to die of a massive aortic aneurysm so decided to blow all his savings:(

stressed81

andyandflo wrote: »

I wonder if they are 'fishing' for info about possible transfers of cash or deprivation of capital amounts prior to death.

If the deceased moved by loan or gift a large sum of money to someone and then died, would not that transfer or loan be considered?

This is what makes me so angry, the poor sod worked 51 years of his life paying into the pot. Dies 4 years after retirement and they are questioning a few £:mad: The day he died I saw him in the morning smiling and joking 3 hours later I found him dead. I really doubt the dwp seriously believed he transferred Millions of pounds out of his post office account in that time.


Sorry for the rant but My dads death is still quite painful to me and these bureaucrats have just brought it all back to me.