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Elderly parents
Original poster

De-tangling father in laws finances & entitlments

57 replies

Comefromaway · 27/04/2021 17:56

Fil is in a right state and his Dd (my sil) has asked me to help as I’m apparentky good with this kind of stuff.

Long story short, he’d been caring for mil with dementia. This took a huge toll on his mental & physical health. He was rushed into hospital last summer and things come to a head. He’d been sticking his ear in the sand, refusing help etc but he reached crisis point a few weeks ago and mil went into respite care (long overdue). He then understandably said he didn’t want her back (she was violent, refused all personal care help, smelt of urine etc etc).

Anyway long story short she’s been assessed as having no capacity and requiring 24/7 care in a home. Someone came to do do a financial assessment.

They own their own house jointly (no mortgage) only worth about £45k needs a lot of work. They have some savings in the bank & individual ISA. Under the savings limit with regards to the care home fees but just over the limit for pension credit.

He’s received a letter that apparently says his pension is going to be reduced to £130 per week. I’m assuming it’s because he’s now going to be classed as a single person. He says he can’t live on that and will have to go back to work part time. (His knees are so bad he can’t walk without pain & he suffers angina, pancreatitis. He’s on anti depressants.

I’m getying him too bring al his financial paperwork for me to look through. Mil gets a small private pension but I don’t think he does though I can’t be sure. Also I’m assuming now the ISA in her name can’t go towards his income. Do we have to declare all the other savings or split them in half. I assume mild pension will go to the home (my nans did)

Are they any other things I should be investigating. I thought of attendance allowance but he doesn’t need help with personal care even though his knees & pancreas are shot. But he does neglect himself when he gets depressed. We do have him round as often as possible and cook him a meal etc.

He got single person council tax and mil wasn’t counted due to the dements. I’m assuming he will no longer get her attendance allowance now she’s in the home.

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thesandwich · 27/04/2021 17:59

Would he be entitled to pension credit? Could age uk or cab offer any guidance?

Original poster
Comefromaway · 27/04/2021 18:02

I’d have thought he would be. Sil says he has £14k in savings, that will reduce the amount he’d be entitled to but not by much I don’t think. He had earmarked a lot of the money for long overdue home improvements. He had s new boiler last year as his packed in but he wasn’t charged for it (my dad runs a plumbing company) but the house is riddled with damp and the stair carpet is dangerous.

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RandomMess · 27/04/2021 18:20

You need to explain he can live off his savings that's what they are there for and as they drop Pension Credit will increase.

Overtime he will get on top of things and find ways to economise. Does he have a car? If so does he really need it?

RandomMess · 27/04/2021 18:21

Do all the usual budgeting things, check he's on the best phone, gas, electric, internet deal for him. Is he on a water meter rather than rates?

hatgirl · 27/04/2021 18:29

He should be entitled to a 50% disregard on MILs pension if they are married.

I.e he should still be able to still receive 50% of MILs pension towards his living costs.

If that isn't enough he can also ask for MILs personal expenses allowance (PEA) to be varied. This sits at £24.90 as standard and is intended to be used towards clothes/toiletries etc for MIL but if it can be evidenced that she has additional expenses or that FIL doesn't have sufficient resources to maintain the former marital home/ live on then this can be increased to cover some of this.

cortex10 · 27/04/2021 18:33

He may be entitled to council tax support on top of his single person discount www.ageuk.org.uk/information-advice/money-legal/benefits-entitlements/council-tax-support/

Original poster
Comefromaway · 27/04/2021 18:37

Short term we have an issue that all bills etc are in mil’s name and it’s taking some companies longer than others to process the LPOA to change names (plus I’ve asked fil several times for copies so I can help sort it as Dh is one of the named POA)

No water meter. We’ve got lots of insurances to cancel (mil took out insurance on every appliance/electronic she ever bought).

He has a small car lowest insurance class. Without it he’d be housebound. He drives to our house to let our dog out when we are at work (to give him a change of scenery and chance to fuss the dog). And he picks up his disabled sister and takes her to appointments. They get on very well and if he couldn’t see her his mood would dip.

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Original poster
Comefromaway · 27/04/2021 18:39

Thanks for that info hatgirl. I didn’t know that.

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RandomMess · 27/04/2021 18:41

Water meter should be cheaper than water rates with looking at.

Work out if using cabs/Uber is cheaper than him running a car. Pay him for dog care or carry on provide him with meals in return.

hatgirl · 27/04/2021 18:44

I wouldn't cancel any insurances until after the financial assessment Smile.

Original poster
Comefromaway · 27/04/2021 18:45

My husband can’t drive for medical reasons and taxis round here are very expensive. Much more expensive than running a car.

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Original poster
Comefromaway · 27/04/2021 18:47

They’ve done the financial assessment for the care home fees. I don’t know the outcome yet.

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alexdgr8 · 27/04/2021 18:48

suggest you contact your/ his local carers' centre, sometimes called princess royal centre.
they have specialist advisors, can help you through all this.
they are for carers, ie family/friends, rather than care-workers.
he might well be able to get attendance allowance, it isn't only for people who need personal care. this is the kind of thing they can advise you on. also you could try age uk.
good luck.

RandomMess · 27/04/2021 18:48

Hopefully once you've ploughed your way through FIL will be less overwhelmed and realise he can live off what he receives.

Snozzlemaid · 27/04/2021 18:49

I would take a look at the Age UK website. There's lots of help on there about benefits etc

minniemomo · 27/04/2021 18:53

You need to ensure she's assessed for nhs continuing care, they don't take into account income and saving with that. It's also worth talking to an age U.K. advisor to ensure he's claiming everything he can. Unfortunately he will have to use savings until he gets below the limit for pension credit

Original poster
Comefromaway · 27/04/2021 18:53

Part of me does think that they expected their son (Dh) to live off a tiny grant based on their income at uni with no parental contribution (back in the day before student loans). He managed by moving in with me rent free.

But that was a long time ago and I shouldn’t bear grudges. Fil just did what mil said all the time.

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Bargebill19 · 27/04/2021 18:53

I would apply for attendance allowance for him. Complete the form as if it was his worst day health wise. It sounds as if he could need help with preparing food and general cleaning etc.
Write down everything - such as needs glasses, hearing aids, uses a walking stick. May seem daft, but it’s a points based award, not taxed and WAS independent of other financial assessments. I have been out of the loop for a few years - hopefully someone will clarify if this is still the case.
If you don’t apply, you don’t get. The worst thing to happen is they say ‘no’.

hopefulmamaofone · 27/04/2021 19:04

With regards to pension credit, if mil is in the care home on a permanent basis, they can each now claim pension credit as a single person as they are living separately. This should increase the amount fil gets unless there were carer's premium's etc. If they were previously claiming PC then it needs to be reassessed by the pensions service and whoever was the secondary claimant needs to make a claim in their own right.
As for the savings, any savings in both mil and fil's names will be split i half in the eyes of DWP so of £14k, only £7k would be considered for fil which is under the 10k threshold. If it's £14k in fil name then he could still qualify, especially if no private pensions/annuities etc. For every £500 over the £10k threshold, £1 a week is taken off the entitlement so if he has £14k he would he entitled to £8 less per week iyswim

Cottonheadedninymuggins · 27/04/2021 19:30

If your MIL qualifies for NHS Continuing Health Care her fees for being in the home are covered by the NHS and her pension will not be taken to pay for it - meaning her pension will be fully available for everything she needs which may free up some extra cash that doesn't need to come from family to pay for things for her like treats, new clothes, hairdressers, books etc etc.

Cottonheadedninymuggins · 27/04/2021 19:30

www.nhs.uk/conditions/social-care-and-support-guide/money-work-and-benefits/nhs-continuing-healthcare/ - sorry forgot the link

hatgirl · 27/04/2021 19:43

I suspect if there has been a financial assessment by the local authority then it has already been determined that she isn't eligible for CHC.

Under the Care Act 2014 local authorities should screen for CHC as part of their assessment process before undertaking a financial assessment for social care (although people can ask for a pre-assessment financial assessment if they want).

It's in the local authority's interests to have people awarded CHC as it means they aren't responsible for arranging or funding the placement so it's not something they usually neglect to fulfil their duty on.

doodleZ1 · 27/04/2021 20:29

Try entitledto.co.uk website. You put in what you know and they give you an immediate answer to your benefit entitlements for your relative.

BunnyRuddington · 27/04/2021 20:57

If the house needs a lot of work, can he use some of his savings to bring him under the threshold for Pension Credit?

Original poster
Comefromaway · 27/04/2021 22:51

@Bargebill19

I would apply for attendance allowance for him. Complete the form as if it was his worst day health wise. It sounds as if he could need help with preparing food and general cleaning etc. Write down everything - such as needs glasses, hearing aids, uses a walking stick. May seem daft, but it’s a points based award, not taxed and WAS independent of other financial assessments. I have been out of the loop for a few years - hopefully someone will clarify if this is still the case. If you don’t apply, you don’t get. The worst thing to happen is they say ‘no’.
My parents applied for it about 18 months ago for an old family friend they help and I helped them answer the questions so am familiar with the form and how to word things.
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