Hi, my name is manajules! Mum has been told she needs to pay towards care, why?

manajules

my mum gets pension credit and is entitled to 18 hours per month free care she now gets the lower rate of attendance allowance and has now been told she has to pay towards the free care why is this as attendance allowance is NOT means tested. Just had a bill for 2,5 thousand pounds for the last 2 years

Kimi87

You can ask for a copy of the financial assessment to make sure all the figures are correct, but Attendance Allowance is awarded to help pay for care or extra expenses, so it's not unreasonable for your Mum to make a financial contribution towards her care now.

Attendance Allowance is not treated as income for means tested benefits.

This is separate to care costs, your local authority will have a policy.

Has your Mum applied for Pension Credit now she gets AA? It isn't guaranteed, but AA increases the income cut off point.

A few links for further advice:

https://www.gov.uk/pension-credit-calculator

https://advicelocal.uk/welfare-benefits

https://www.scope.org.uk/advice-and-support/financial-assessment-for-social-care

Mary_Scope

Hi @manajules and welcome to the community!

I see Kimi has already answered your question and given some good advice so I won't add anything else today but it's lovely to have you here and I hope you enjoy your time on the community😀