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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To loathe the council for making this decision about awarding a grant to my disabled dad?

73 replies

Truckingalong · 05/09/2014 18:44

My dad has motor neurone disease. He has lived downstairs for several years, with a bed in the living room and a commode in the same place. He has carers 4 times a day. His quality of life is awful. He can't move or speak but is exactly the same guy mentally as he always was. He is hoisted out of bed and seen to by the carers. He goes to the loo in the living room and hasn't had a bath or shower in all these years. My mum is there too. She is very frail, blind and has terminal cancer. I moved in a while back so I could help in whatever way I could - shopping, cleaning, hospital appointments etc. We applied for a grant to convert the garage into a bedroom and wet room. It took 18 months but we finally got there. Mum and dads contribution was assessed as £700. Finance officer came out today to carry out a final review of everything before the work started (builders chosen, designs already drawn etc). During this review, it came up that I lived there. She said this changed everything and that we would now have to pay £6000 rather than £700. We are devastated. We don't have that kind of money. I feel like I've been kicked in the stomach. I said if it came to it, I'd move out. She said they'd now look on that as fraudulently trying to claim the grant. AIBU in feeling that there is no justice and my dad deserves this grant and that the council policy is a bag of steaming horse shit?

OP posts:
Lifesalemon · 06/09/2014 12:44

Good luck trucking
let us know how you get on.

RiffyWammal · 06/09/2014 13:36

I am so sorry OP, what a stressful situation you are in.

I have recently had a ground floor extension through a disabled facilities grant and my local council were equally clueless. We were initially assessed when my DH was working and were told we had to pay something like 7k. Then when the builders were about to start my DH lost his job and became my carer and I asked to be reassessed due to the change in our finances. I was grudgingly told that I could be reassessed if I really wanted but this would mean the whole process, getting planning permission etc, would have to go back to the start and the works would be delayed by months. This made no sense to me so I put an official complaint in writing, and surprise surprise an officer was sent out to reassess me as soon as possible. We then were deemed not to have to pay any contribution. We have three working sons who live at home. None of their income was taken into consideration.

I hope this reassures you somewhat OP until you can get some proper advice Thanks

Truckingalong · 06/09/2014 13:47

Thanks for sharing that Riffy - it does indeed give me a bit of hope!

OP posts:
MiscellaneousAssortment · 07/09/2014 00:08

LA are left to interpret law in Amy way they like, and they are not checked on it. So procedures and rules can end up in opposition to the law, and although the council will swear blind they can enforce their own rules, whatever they are.

Get some info and hopefully this is one of those times. I'm disabled and have on at least three occasions had to challenge the LA procedures as they went directly against gov legislation. I 'won' each time after alot of angst, but I know they haven't revised their rules for other people.

It really is the case that squeaky wheels do get heard and addressed.

SingingSilver · 07/09/2014 01:57

Find out from MIND/CAB whether things would change if you officially became a carer and claimed carer's allowance. It might.

Truckingalong · 08/09/2014 19:59

Step one taken today. Spoke to LA and asked to be supplied with their policy and evidence of their guidelines for calculating contributions, where there is an additional family member in occupancy. The woman I spoke to said she'd be happy to take me back through the calculations. I said I didn't want or need to go through the sums again at this stage - I wanted to see their policies and procedures. She said she'd give some thought as to how they could supply me with this and get back to me tomorrow. So will see what tomorrow brings.

OP posts:
HappyAgainOneDay · 08/09/2014 20:05

Secret, is it? Or will they write a special one for the OP?

MyFairyKing · 08/09/2014 20:10

Who did you speak to, out of interest? Ask to see their DFG policy and their financial assessments policy.

ilovechristmas1 · 08/09/2014 20:21

good luck with it all,hope you get a good result Flowers

chocolatespiders · 08/09/2014 20:23

You should not come into the financial assessment it should be just your dads income. Google dfg grant

MyFairyKing · 08/09/2014 20:27

chocolate That's not quite right. They may take into account half of any savings he has in joint names with his wife.

denialandpanic · 08/09/2014 20:39

They have to give you the policy.Don't let her refuse it. Any messing about tell them it's an foi request.

Besom · 08/09/2014 20:41

You poor thing, such a shitty thing to have happened. Go to your MP if you don't get anywhere with the council.

Ididntseeitsoitdidnthappen · 08/09/2014 20:45

If you're making a FOI it needs to be in writing

Truckingalong · 08/09/2014 20:50

Yes, they've taken my mums income into account too, which is set out in the generic gov policy. They disregard any savings under £6k (not that they have any).

What's FOI?

OP posts:
Truckingalong · 08/09/2014 20:52

Happy, if there's even the slightest sniff that they make anything up as a retro fit, then they'd be exceedingly short sighted!

OP posts:
Truckingalong · 08/09/2014 20:54

My fairy king - the person who came out to us was a financial officer. She was on leave today, so I spoke to her boss (title unknown but equally as nice and professional).

OP posts:
Truckingalong · 08/09/2014 20:55

Got it - Freedom Of Information.

OP posts:
HappyAgainOneDay · 09/09/2014 08:05

What about a half hour consultation with a solicitor? They're supposed to be free.

MyFairyKing · 09/09/2014 08:48

I don't think you should see a solicitor yet. I'd work with the LA's complaints procedure first. Can you find out who is the director of adult social care (or similar - depending on their role in your area)? You will get far more joy out of them IME.

dreamingofstars · 29/01/2019 11:31

Hi OP, I’m an Occupational Therapist who assesses for recommendations for major adaptations. I’m not involved in the financial assessment as we then refer to a home improvement team in our LA who are made up of surveyors and then case workers who carry out the financial assessments for eligibility for the means tested DFG.

Your father and mother’s income and savings would be taken in to account yes; this goes for all local authorities, however your income and savings should not.

Aswell as getting your hands on a copy of the policy for DFG eligibility within your LA, I would say it’s worth having a copy of how they worked how the contribution they have assessed as your father and mother needing to contribute. You could request another case worker?

Trumpton · 29/01/2019 11:34

ZOMBIE THREAD .

Trumpton · 29/01/2019 11:36

This is from 2014

To loathe the council for making this decision about awarding a grant to my disabled dad?
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