Temporary housing and benefits

radford

69 year old male, living in very poor conditions in a run down caravan hidden in a wood that he owned.   Became ill with cancer and when released from hospital under palliative care, the council found him some temporary accommodation which he lived in for a month before he died. Support workers helped him apply for benefits but nothing sorted before he died because of the ownership of this bit of land.  If the land is worth more than 16K do we assume that no benefits will be available to cover the rent and care costs over the month.   It’s a relatively small amount but would like to know what council are likely to say/do about it.

Brie

Likely that his estate will need to pay for any care costs if his assets exceeded £23k - and if he owns property it's likely it's worth more than that.  His executor could argue that there should be no reclaim of medical costs so it might be good to have the bill split into what is simply for care and what is for medical needs.  So food & lodging may be care but needing 24 nursing care or intermittent nursing would be a medical need.  Obviously he may have received a bit of state pension or have other funds available as well?  Some living in poor conditions are not financially poor but just unable/unwilling to spend money.  

All that said - if the estate has no cash assets the council will have to wait for their share and no one else should be under pressure to settle up faster.  If it take 2 years or whatever to sell the woods then they'll have to wait 2 years.

elsien

If it was palliative care, then check whether it fell under nursing funding because that would be free. However, housing costs wouldn’t be covered so he would need to pay that from his estate. 

Flugelhorn

likely that the care was funded under SR1 (used to be DS1500) which is not means tested 

8dayweek

An SR1 Form is a terminal illness form for benefits - whilst any benefit application supported by one is fast-tracked under special rules, it doesn’t trump basic conditions of entitlement for means-tested benefits.