Don't miss out on your winter fuel payment

harryhound

I bet she is paying half as much again as the person funded by the local authority in the next door room, if it is a mixed home?

Errata

Monkeyspanner, please check it out. Two of my elderly relatives are self funders in different care homes and they each get the winter fuel allowance, it's adjusted as they 'share' their residence. Both over 80 and both get £150.

monkeyspanner

harryhound wrote: »

I bet she is paying half as much again as the person funded by the local authority in the next door room, if it is a mixed home?

Well not quite she is assessed as needing level 3 care and is paying 32% more than the council funding at that level. It would have been 41% more at her original assessment of level 2 which we appealed. We have asked the Social Services repeatedly for the assessment criteria and all we have got so far is a complaints proceedure leaflet from her Social Worker (we need these criteria to satisfy ourselves that the 12 week disregard assessment has been done properly). At every step we have had to find out information from charities and other organisations because the Social services seem incapable or unwilling to provide information.

To cap this off when my MIL's savings reduce to £21500 we will be faced with finding a third party top up of £101/weekly to make up the difference between the council support level and her self funding fees even though if she had been council supported originally she would not have been paying this higher level of fees. If we can't find the top-up then the council have the right to move my MIL to a care home which is prepared to provide care at their support levels. God knows what that would be like. We won't let that happen but the whole system stinks.

monkeyspanner

Errata wrote: »

Monkeyspanner, please check it out. Two of my elderly relatives are self funders in different care homes and they each get the winter fuel allowance, it's adjusted as they 'share' their residence. Both over 80 and both get £150.

Thanks so much for the heads up. My MIL is 84 and used to get £300. We are making an official application for winter fuel payment on the basis if you don't ask you don't get. At the moment the priority is to find out where this years payment has gone, we have been assured the payment has been made but my MIL has not had it!

margaretclare

I think these payments are only just coming out. DH and I each had a letter last week saying we'd get £100, and mine arrived yesterday. He's had to re-do the security for his online banking so can't check his out yet.

To me, it seemed a bit stupid writing to us both individually, saying something like 'as there is another eligible person in your household who gets this, you will get £100'. As if we didn't know 'there is another person' - we happen to be married to each other! And how are we supposed to pay for winter fuel separately and individually? Fuel bills come per household, not per individual. Not that it will be used for that. We recently changed our fridge-freezer, DH hasn't yet cleared his credit card balance, but when he can get back to his banking online, the WLF payment will come in useful.

Margaret

tanith

What happens if one of you is retired and the other still working?... I will be 60 next year but retired early through ill-health, hubby is still working.... so I am guessing I will get £100 next year...

margaretclare

tanith wrote: »

What happens if one of you is retired and the other still working?... I will be 60 next year but retired early through ill-health, hubby is still working.... so I am guessing I will get £100 next year...

It doesn't matter if one or both are still working so long as you're 60 by the qualifying date in September, you'll get £100 each. We both worked until we were 67 and still got it.

If one person is over 60 and not the other, then the 60-year old will get £200. When both are over 60 they get £100 each paid into the same bank accounts where your pension arrives.

HTH

Margaret

tanith

Thankyou Margaret £200 next Winter sounds good news to me .....:T

flossy_splodge

Hey margaretclare, I turned 60 first week in Nov. I am divorced and living alone. Do I need to claim NOW for next year and how much might I get? have tried reading the web site pages but didn't get a GCSE in gobbledeegook or government speak!
Thanks for help.x

jennifernil

There is no need to apply so far ahead, and if you are a woman over 60 and getting a pension you should get it automatically next year. That said, it doesn't harm to check! You will get £200, it is £200 per household.