HB and a pensioner HELP

brovahelpa

Hi
Can anyone advise please. I'm helping an elderly relative who has recently claimed Housing & Council Tax Benefit. She's 66yrs old and now fully retired. Never claimed any sort of benefit before. Took all the needed paperwork etc to council and has now recieved notification that she's entitled to help with rent etc. The explanation paper appears correct but with a Benefit start date of September, resulting in money being credited to her rent account. She is now worried that they have made a mistake and a time may come they'll say they have overpaid and want it back. I've told her to ring BO but she gets in a muddle.
Does anyone know why the council should back date her benefit without being asked to.
Thanks

[Deleted User]

its hard to say without knowing all the facts,perhaps tomorrow she could tele the council and give them permission to talk to you,i often do this for my MIL without problems

Mojisola

brovahelpa wrote: »

Can anyone advise please. I'm helping an elderly relative who has recently claimed Housing & Council Tax Benefit. She's 66yrs old and now fully retired. Never claimed any sort of benefit before. Took all the needed paperwork etc to council and has now recieved notification that she's entitled to help with rent etc. The explanation paper appears correct but with a Benefit start date of September, resulting in money being credited to her rent account. She is now worried that they have made a mistake and a time may come they'll say they have overpaid and want it back. I've told her to ring BO but she gets in a muddle.
Does anyone know why the council should back date her benefit without being asked to.

AgeUK have advisors who can help with benefits. There may be other benefits she's entitled to in addition to HB and CT.

I'm a bit shocked at someone who is only 66 being described as elderly!

Oldernotwiser

Mojisola wrote: »

AgeUK have advisors who can help with benefits. There may be other benefits she's entitled to in addition to HB and CT.

I'm a bit shocked at someone who is only 66 being described as elderly!

So am I.

I'm particularly shocked that Woodbine should think that she needs someone to speak on her behalf!

uganda

brovahelpa wrote: »

Hi
Can anyone advise please. I'm helping an elderly relative who has recently claimed Housing & Council Tax Benefit. She's 66yrs old and now fully retired. Never claimed any sort of benefit before. Took all the needed paperwork etc to council and has now recieved notification that she's entitled to help with rent etc. The explanation paper appears correct but with a Benefit start date of September, resulting in money being credited to her rent account. She is now worried that they have made a mistake and a time may come they'll say they have overpaid and want it back. I've told her to ring BO but she gets in a muddle.
Does anyone know why the council should back date her benefit without being asked to.
Thanks

Hi

First of all, ignore people, who know nothing about your relative, who are 'shocked' you describe her as elderly (she is defined as elderly in benefits legislation, by the way) or needing assistance, the forum rules specifically state they should not make such judgments.

The answer to your question is that housing and council tax benefit is automatically backdated 3 months for claimants over 60 - this is why the start date has been fetched back to September. If your relative made her claim on 1 December 2011, she would be deemed to have made the claim on 1 September 2011 and benefit would start from the following Monday (i.e. 5 September 2011). Obviously she must satisfy the means test for that period, and I presume she does.

Now that you know that, check the dates tally. If you are unsure of the actual entitlement or anything else, feel free to send me a private message.

evenasus

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

So am I.

I'm particularly shocked that Woodbine should think that she needs someone to speak on her behalf!

Mojisola wrote: »

AgeUK have advisors who can help with benefits. There may be other benefits she's entitled to in addition to HB and CT.

I'm a bit shocked at someone who is only 66 being described as elderly!

Me too - I'm 66 and I would be deeply offended if I was called elderly.

There is nothing I don't know about dealing with finances, better on the use of computers than most people I know.
I can still dig a mean hole for fencing posts and climb up ladders to the gutter level height.

brovahelpa

Well I'm shocked too, at the comments of some of you. I refered to my Aunt as elderly coz that is what Work and Pensions and councils class her as. She's very young for her age and is not in the least offended by my terming her as elderly. All I asked for was some info because we are not benefit savy never having claimed before. I am however, very offended by the comments of especially evenasus.

Uganda, Thank you very much for your post. I shall tell her what you say. It does actually tally with dates etc so again my thanks.

Oldernotwiser

brovahelpa wrote: »

Well I'm shocked too, at the comments of some of you. I refered to my Aunt as elderly coz that is what Work and Pensions and councils class her as. She's very young for her age and is not in the least offended by my terming her as elderly. All I asked for was some info because we are not benefit savy never having claimed before. I am however, very offended by the comments of especially evenasus.

Uganda, Thank you very much for your post. I shall tell her what you say. It does actually tally with dates etc so again my thanks.

What on earth was offensive about anyone's comments, especially evenasus'?

(By the way, she may not be letting on but I bet she is offended!)

[Deleted User]

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

So am I.

I'm particularly shocked that Woodbine should think that she needs someone to speak on her behalf!

the OP said and i quote "she gets in a muddle" if this is the case for anyone of any age it can help to have a third party speak on their behalf,i wasnt being ageist..........honest

[Deleted User]

evenasus wrote: »

Me too - I'm 66 and I would be deeply offended if I was called elderly.

There is nothing I don't know about dealing with finances, better on the use of computers than most people I know.
I can still dig a mean hole for fencing posts and climb up ladders to the gutter level height.

my former window cleaner has been climbing ladders for years,last week he fell off and almost killed himself

evenasus

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

What on earth was offensive about anyone's comments, especially evenasus'?

(By the way, she may not be letting on but I bet she is offended!)

Thank you Oldernotwiser for defending me.

How my post could come across as offensive to anyone is beyond me.
And yes, if someone referred to me as elderly, I would be offended.

Mind you, when I look in a mirror sometimes.....