Advice on DWP cutting mothers pension credit to almost nothing

Robbiec74

My mother is a pensioner and in receipt of state pension and pension credit. She has many medical issues and was told she was also entitled to attendance allowance because of her care needs. When her partner passed away I moved in some time later as she was unable to cope living on her own. She made DWP aware of this at the time and they told her that her pension credit was unaffected and that as she was in receipt of attendance allowance her pension credit was going up.
cut to a couple of years later and a relative passing away meant she was one of 62 beneficiaries and was being sent just over £9000 meaning her savings went over the £10000 threshold.
the advisor she spoke with yesterday said they made an error and as well as deducting money for her windfall they would also be deducting over £80 a week from her pension credit as I am a non dependent unpaid carer for her living with her (I also work full time).
is what DWP are now telling her correct?!

elsien

Have a look at the non-dependent deduction section in here.
https://www.ageuk.org.uk/siteassets/documents/factsheets/fs48_pension_credit_fcs.pdf

My (admittedly limited) understanding is that the attendance allowance would mean no deductions were made.

toomuchinfo

It could possibly be to do with Severe Disability Premium. Look at the criteria for this, you moving in might have changed her qualifying for it if she was receiving it.
Details are in the link that @elsien posted above.

pmlindyloo

The calculation for Pension Credit can be quite complicated.

My guess is also that this is about the severe disability premium.  (look at her Pension Credit award letter and see if this was included)

Probably the easiest way for you to check is to use a benefits calculator and then compare the results with what her new award is.

You must put in accurate information so you will need to look at her bank statements plus any savings accounts.

Use www.entitledto.co.uk.

Come back if you have any further questions after you have used the calculator.

jem16

The severe disability premium within Pension Credit increases PC by £82.90pw. Usually this would be paid if you qualify and live alone. It sounds likely that your mother may have lost this premium as she no longer lives alone 

Robbiec74

Thanks for the feedback folks yes they did say as she was not living alone she would lose the severe disability premium. What is very annoying is she doesn’t go out or do much so much of the money she is having deducted from her pension credit is based on the extra money she was getting in pension credit and attendance allowance we calculated that at least 1/3 of the money she had accumulated was due to this extra payment for attendance allowance. 

The DWP said they count all her money regardless of whether it was them who paid it. Which sounds completely bonkers to me!!

Keep_pedalling

Robbiec74 said:

Thanks for the feedback folks yes they did say as she was not living alone she would lose the severe disability premium. What is very annoying is she doesn’t go out or do much so much of the money she is having deducted from her pension credit is based on the extra money she was getting in pension credit and attendance allowance we calculated that at least 1/3 of the money she had accumulated was due to this extra payment for attendance allowance. 

The DWP said they count all her money regardless of whether it was them who paid it. Which sounds completely bonkers to me!!

Attendance allowance is designed to help pay for help, if you don’t spent it on anything then it will build up as savings, which is why it was rather pointless in me claiming it for my very frugal mother when she was entitled to it. Is there anything she could spend it on to make her life more comfortable? 

elsien

I suppose in DWP world, who don’t take your unpaid caring into account, there is now a second person there who should be contributing towards bills etc. 
Not spending the AA does tend to imply that she doesn’t need it. 

Spoonie_Turtle

elsien said:

I suppose in DWP world, who don’t take your unpaid caring into account, there is now a second person there who should be contributing towards bills etc. 
Not spending the AA does tend to imply that she doesn’t need it. 

She could pay OP an amount for caring for her so they're not completely unpaid (assuming they earn too much for Carers Allowance or UC).

Rubyroobs

So she would have gained the severe disability premium when her husband died but then did she inform them when you moved in because she would have lost it again at that point ( unless you are also in receipt of a disability benefit? ). So she will have been overpaid pension credit since you moved in and this is now stopping. If it is their error then hopefully they won't want the two years worth backpaid. 

Caz3121

You mention SDP stopping going forwards but have they said anything about the overpayment since you moved in? I am assuming when the overpayment is paid back she may be under the savings threshold