Fairer charging for home care
This information will tell you about North Lincolnshire Council’s home care charging policy. This policy is called fairer charging for non-residential services. It was introduced in April 2004 and will be used to work out how much you will pay for your non-residential services, which have been provided or commissioned by our adult service.
North Lincolnshire Council will use this policy to charge for the following services:
Your home care charge will be based on the number of hours of care you receive, your savings and weekly income. This is quite complicated as you will see from the explanation below. Please ring us during office hours for assistance on 01724 298037; 01724 298068; 01724 298070.
These are three main components of the fairer charging for home care policy:
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All long-term charges must be based on the individual's income and savings unless the person chooses to pay the full cost.
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People who are assessed under a fairer charging scheme must be offered a benefit check.
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The council must take into consideration any additional costs you have to meet due to your disability.
People can also choose to pay the full cost of their care if they do not want to give us details of their income and savings.
Will you have to pay for home care?
You will get a free home care service if your income and income from savings is less than or equal to income support plus 25 per cent. Income support varies depending on your age, marital status and level of disability. (See below for the rates).
If you do not want to tell us about your income and savings.
Your care manager will tell you about the fairer charging for home care policy. If you do not want to tell us about your income and savings then you need to fill in the agreement to pay full cost of care form. If you do this we will charge you based on the number of hours of home care service your receive. We use an hourly rate of £11.00. For example, if you choose to pay the full cost and you receive three hours of home care per week the full cost of your service will be three lots of £11.00 - which comes to £33.00. Housing-related support (Supporting people services) will be charged based on the cost of your service.
If you decide to pay the full cost of service we will not have the necessary information to undertake a benefit check, or to consider any disability related expenditure that you may be incurring.
Standard charge (for up to the first eight weeks)
The standard charge does not apply to housing-related support services.
You will start to receive home care following a care needs assessment; your care manager will continue to assess your needs over the next six to eight weeks. During this time your home care may vary, in order to meet your changing care needs. To ensure that your home care charge does not change too often we operate a standard home care charge for up to the first eight weeks of home care. Your care needs may fluctuate during the first eight weeks.
The standard charge is £28.00 per week. This charge is not based on your weekly income or savings. It can only be charged for up to eight weeks when home care is initially provided. You will not have to pay the standard charge if you qualify for a free service (explained above)
This charge will not apply if you have been receiving home care and then have a break in service, for example going into hospital. The standard charge will only be applied at the start of home care services.
After the first six to eight weeks you will pay a charge based on your income and savings.
If you want to pay a charge based on your income and savings, this is called an assessed charge.
Your care manager will discuss this with you when your service starts. If you want to pay according to your income and savings then you must complete the assessing your charge form.
You must send this form back to us within two weeks of your service starting or we will automatically charge you the full cost.
For more information on the charging scheme or help to complete this form you can contact our Income Advice and Collection Team: 01724 298037; 01724 298068; 01724 298070.
Disability Related Expenditure Disregard (DRE)
When we work out your assessed charge we take into consideration any additional charges that you pay for services due to your disability.
We call this Disability Related Expenditure Disregard (DRE).
You can claim a DRE:
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If you receive an attendance allowance or disability living allowance and;
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You must be paying for any additional services or specialist equipment that are not provided by either adult services or the health service and;
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You must need the service or equipment that you purchase
You can ask us to consider your DRE by completing the assessing your charge form. The DRE section is divided into four parts:
Looking after your home: you can claim this type of DRE if you need help to maintain your home and have to pay extra costs for this service.
Looking after yourself: you can claim this type of DRE if you need help to look after yourself and have to pay extra costs for personal needs such as laundry due to incontinence.
Transport and travel needs: you can claim this type of DRE if you have to pay extra for your transport needs and do not receive a mobility allowance
Social needs: you can claim this DRE if you need another person’s help to access services such as shops, cinema and social activities.
To claim a DRE you need to tell us about the service or equipment you purchase and you must provide receipts or evidence of proof of purchase.
Under the looking after your home DRE we can allow a DRE for extra cost of fuel due to your disability.
To work out the fuel DRE we need at least three fuel bills. We will compare your bills with what the government suggests it costs to heat a similar home for a person without disabilities. If your costs are higher than the government level we will be able to allow a DRE for fuel.
How we will work out your charge
Income
We will look at your weekly income, of this we will ignore in full or part the following source of income:
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Mobility component (DLA)
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Earnings
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£10.00 of your war pension
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Any benefits paid to your children
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Any benefits paid solely to your partner
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Housing and council tax benefit
We will take all other income into consideration; this will include your attendance allowance at the lower rate or disability living allowance care component at the middle rate.
Savings
We will ignore the first £12,500 of your savings. We will also ignore any savings held as a long-term investment or in a high interest account.
We will ignore any savings held by your partner. Where you have a joint savings with a partner we will only take your half into consideration.
Where you have savings over £12,500 that are not ignored, we will assume a weekly income of £4.00 for every £1000 over £12,500.
Partner's income
We will ignore all income belonging solely to your partner.
Some benefits such as pension credit or income support are paid to one person for both partners. If you are receiving these benefits we will take half of the benefit into consideration.
When we work out the fairer charge for one member of a couple we will ensure that the other partner is left with at least half the income support plus 25 per cent
Protected income
We add up your weekly income and any income from savings. From this, we have to ignore the part of your weekly income equal to income support plus 25 per cent. This figure varies depending on your age, marital status and level of disability (see the table lower down this page).
We will deduct any DREs, and then ignore a further 25 per cent of any remaining income. This will result in your weekly charge.
Full cost of service
We work out the full cost of your service by multiplying the number of hours of care you need based on your care plan by £11.00
If your charge is higher than the cost of your service you will only pay the cost of your service package, up to a maximum of £219.00 per week.
Your charge notification will tell you the full cost of your service.
The full cost of your service is based on your care plan and will not change if you have a short-term change of less than two weeks to your service package.
Breaks in service
We will not charge you if you go into hospital or respite care.
We will not charge you if you go on holiday as long as you let us know two weeks before you go on holiday.
How to pay for your home care
We collect home care charges by standing order from your bank. You can choose to either pay weekly or monthly.
If you do not have a bank account or are unable to pay by standing order, you must contact the income advice and collection team.
Income support plus 25 per cent
|
Age and disability |
Income support plus 25 % |
|
16 to 18 no disability benefit(s) |
Low
£42.31 |
High
£55.62 |
|
16-18 with disability benefit(s) |
Low
£72.25 |
High
£85.56 |
|
16-18 with higher DLA care |
Low
£86.67 |
High
£100.18 |
|
18-24 no disability benefits |
£55.62 |
|
18-24 with disability benefits |
£85.56 |
|
18-24 with higher DLA care |
£100.18 |
|
25-59 no disability benefit |
£70.25 |
|
25-59 with disability benefits |
£100.18 |
|
29-59 with higher DLA care |
£114.81 |
|
60 and over
|
£136.81 |
(figures correct as at June 2005)
What do I need to know if I go into a care home for respite care?
When someone goes into residential care it may affect his or her benefits. You must inform the benefits agencies of any changes to your circumstances. If you have an appointee or representative they should do this for you.
We have listed the numbers you may need to do this below:
Useful telephone numbers
Adult social care
North Lincolnshire Council 01724 297979
Fax 01724 298056
Minicom 01724 291168
Brumby Resource Centre, East Common Lane, Scunthorpe DN16 1QQ
Attendance allowance 08457 123456
Carer’s allowance 01772 899655
Council tax benefit 01724 296131
Disability living allowance 08457 123456
Housing benefit 01724 296131
Incapacity benefit 01724 274444
Income support 01724 274444
Pension credit 0845 6060265
Severe Disablement Allowance 01724 274444
Income advice and collection team
If you would like help in completing the assessing your charge form or would like any further information on fairer charging for home care, please telephone any of the following numbers and members of the team will try to help you:
01724 298037; 01724 298068; 01724 298070