Disability related expenditure guidelines and council charges

smjxm09

My father has had a financial assessment carried out as he is going into respite care soon to allow me to take a break. He lives with me and I am his full timer carer as I left work to look after him.

To justify the councils maximum capped charge, as he only has minimal savings, they have calculated his board and lodgings costs for living with me as £14.65 per week. Yes that is per week and not per day. This figure doesn't even cover my extra weekly heating bill as my father is 96 and always cold.

The council says they are using the Disability Related Expenditure guide DRE as their guide to this weekly cost but by using such a low weekly figure allows them to apply a maximum capped charge when calculating his expenditure from his income. Does anyone know if this figure is correct as an internet search provides no information or would like to comment on this post.

On a personal level I have to charge my father almost all of his income for board and lodgings which includes his attendance allowance but this is less than half of what I was earning so I have to dip into savings each week to make ends meet including paying my council tax bill which is £36 per week. My own income is £62 per week carers allowance which is somewhat less than the £33000 per year I was earning.

kingfisherblue

If your only income is CA, you might be able to claim Income Support, but this will depend on your savings. You might also be able to claim council tax support. If you have a carer's centre, they should be able to do a benefits check for you, or try turn2us or entitledto, both internet benefits calculators.

Alice_Walker

kingfisherblue wrote: »

If your only income is CA, you might be able to claim Income Support, but this will depend on your savings. You might also be able to claim council tax support. If you have a carer's centre, they should be able to do a benefits check for you, or try turn2us or entitledto, both internet benefits calculators.

I was going to suggest SMI also, but it appears the OP has savings far over the capital limit.

I'm not sure what to suggest here because if SS think the OP is taking an excessive amount from her father they may consider it a safeguarding issue and that would open a whole can of worms. A conversation with a carer's charity seems the best way forward.

If you need help with budgeting OP perhaps you could post on the Debtfree Wannabe board, it's open to anyone not just those in debt.

kingfisherblue

As the OP didn't say how much they have in savings, it isn't clear what they can claim, if anything. It's a difficult one without further details. If appropriate, SMI would be worth applying for though.

smjxm09

OK to put a bit more meat on the bones. I am a male aged 59 and gave up work at 57 to become my fathers full time carer. I am not looking for any additional handouts.

My fathers total income including pensions and allowances is £262 per week. I charge him £250 per week that covers all his requirements and needs including days out and treats with the surplus going into the household budget.

My father is happy with this arrangement as at 96 years old he has no need for money by living with me as I provide everything.

This might seem excessive but it is half of what I was earning and it is the only way I could give up work to look after him. The other option was to put him into council accommodation and carry on working. While he has minimal savings I can keep the house running by dipping into my savings each month which I have accepted is the best way forward.

The question remains what does the Disability Related Expenditure guide DRE actually say. With the council setting the figure so low I doubt anyone would be exempt from paying the councils maximum capped charge for respite care. I am not sure whether to challenge this figure or just pay it and move on.

Confuseddot

From disability right uk

Local councils should make an assessment of your disability-related expenditure and allow you to keep enough benefit to meet any needs not being met by the council. The local authority needs to take into account any Disability Related Expenses (DRE) you have when carrying out the financial assessment. The DRE is any additional expenses incurred because of your disability. This can include laundry costs due to incontinence, high heating bills (if, for example, you have poor blood circulation), accessible taxi fares costs, equipment, essential dietary requirements costs, special clothing (because of wear and tear), internet costs, therapies. You should try and make a full list of all your disability related expenses if you are having a local authority assessment. Any requested contribution to costs needs to be reasonably practicable for you to be able to pay.

Appealing against the local authority’s decision
You have the right to appeal against the local authority’s decision if you are not happy with the amount of contribution you have been asked to pay. Local authorities cannot cease funding your care package while you are disputing the charges you are expected to pay.

smjxm09

Thank you for that info.

Their calculation is as follows.

£ 262 income

Deductions:
£14.65 Board and lodgings
£5.53 Incontinence Pants
£3.61 Laundry
£24.90 Personal Allowance
£27.40 Attendance Allowance Disregard

£75.89 Total

£262-£75.89 = Your contribution is £186.93

The key figure is the £14.65 Board and lodging deductions. It seems to be artificially low but the council have said they have followed the DRE guidelines at setting this figure without providing me with a copy of these guidelines.

If they had set the figure at say £100 or above I would have said that was acceptable but then the council would have had to bill my father with a lower sum.

pmlindyloo

I suggest that you telephone AgeUK and ask for their advice.

From my reading (and depending on how long the respite care is for) it seems that they can charge your dad using national guidelines for assessing those living in a care home or they can charge using a different approach.

Funding arrangements

Care homes

The local authority can charge the person with dementia for short-term stays in care homes (under eight weeks) in one of two ways. They can assess the amount they should pay based on their income and capital and according to national rules. Alternatively, they can charge what they think is a 'reasonable' amount, although this should take account of individual circumstances and leave the person with enough money to run their household. There are national rules about how much the person should be left to live on. A financial assessment may be carried out to establish how much the person should pay.

It also seems that there is only a national rule about how much they should be left to live on - it's something like £24.90 a week. My mum was in a care home and they took ALL her money and left her with this personal allowance to spend.

It seems that they have assessed your dad by charging a reasonable amount and taking into account enough money to run his household. These amounts appear to be set by local councils although there are some guidelines about the kind of costs that can be taken into account.

Basically what they are saying is the £14.65 is what your dad needs to pay to keep his home going.

Because he is living with you he is not actually liable for rent/council tax/utility bills - you are - so it seems that they have assessed this based on paying a minimum amount for utility bills (as he wouldn't be using any) and as if he owns his own house and has only a small liability for council tax.

Speak to AgeUK and see if you could argue this as he is, in fact, a non dependant in your house and as such has to make a contribution.

Suspect they won't budge but worth a try.

Your dad will have £75+ a week left so he will still be able to give you some of that which should go towards the bills.

sheramber

While your father will be in respite care what expenses for him will you have?

You will not need extra heat for him or to pay for days out or feed him.

miniondancer

Hi OP how long is the intended respite stay for your father?

miniondancer

0P has your father gone in yet to the respite place?

I turned 41 last week and due to long term health problems was "shunted" to a step down bed from hospital to nursing homes where my longest stay was 4+ months

Financially the last 2 stays have ruined me financially as for respite charges alone i now owe over 2.5k as health and social care were unable to arrange a care package to get me home safely

While i was in the n home i ended up sending out for take away a few times because i was the end of a corridor and they forgot about me at mealtimes as i would sleep through unless wakened and brought round so all i could be offered was tea and toast until breakfast the next morning (it made me wonder how often this happened to full time residents)

i ended up replacing loads of socks, underwear, a couple of pairs of pjs simply because they "lost" them in the laundry and i would see then on someone else

im a plus size woman but there was another plus size lady there as well, who was there for 1 to my 21 week - they often tried to persuade me to put them on anyway in the mornings and we will sort it out later - "it will all come out in the wash" lol - talking about bridget jones pants but never should underwear be shared, make a major fuss re this if needed

Summary - small expenses in respite/ nursing homes which will include replacing items often and having a supply of snacks in case of staff forgetting them at meal times, (sad i know)

i also did a house move while i was there the last time, all my stuff was packed up and moved by friends who moved me from one place to another,

i now live in a "pensioners dwelling", a 2 bed bungalow but apparently the running costs of that if i need to go back to respite is under £10 per week that includes keeping some heat to keep it right and to keep my freezer going, lights so it wont be burgled, contents insurance and keeping my phone line so i can use my lifeline, broadband and of course phone calls.

i face a least one other move due to a mess up but i have decided no way am i going back to respite while it happens, i will live in the "diaster zone" even if i cant move around safely while i pack stuff etc

just to give you an idea from my own personal experience