Means test for house alterations

[Guest]

I feel awful posting about financial matters but wonder if anyone can advise me on this. I have reduced my working hours to help meet my husband's care needs and wonder if my salary is taken into account for the means test they use for home adaptations. This could influence how many hours I work. can any one help?
Magic

[roy]

Hi magic
I am going through the same process,first I had OT call round to advise alterations then recieved the forms to complete I phoned the mnd helpline and they advised me on savings,I also contacted my local careers association they are kindly sending an experienced person round to assist in form filling.good luck magic.

Roy.

[pete]

Hi Magic,

Why on earth should you feel awful, Its a fact we all need advice on things ,,as for the means tests ,I hope you fair better than we did , I can almost put money on it ,its as if you have any funds or income your in some way penalised when it comes to claiming anything , I stand to be corrected but i think pretty much other than DLA is affected by how much you have coming in or saved. We had the benefits advisor call and tell us to spend all we have and then come back at a later date and make a claim then, Roys advice is a sound as your going to get. CAB helped us loads , Best of luck hope you get a positive result

Pete

[JONESY]

We have had alterations to house and discovered anything which is done for disabled person and equipment such as toilet,shower and grab rails are vat exempt. And DLA is not taxable. I have just been awarded higher rate for mobility and care which is a significant amount. You can also apply for reduction in council tax and if a driver can apply for exemption from road tax. .

[magic]

Thanks everyone. Someone told me that the partner's earnings aren't taken onto account for the means testing for house adaptations. I gather from your comments that this is not correct. Will seek advice before filling in forms. we do have higher level DLA for both elements, a blue badge and will soon apply for a mobility car. I just think that I will work even less hours if it means I pay less towards the adaptations.

Magic

[jadedjohn]

Magic

From my own experience if you have more than £16k coming in your not eligible for anything except DLA, I've had to buy everything only thing I got was a vat exemption on a few bits for the wetroom. In total I got £200 back on a £70k extension.

John

[magic]

Thanks Jede John. I rang MNDConnect and they confirmed what you wrote. Feeling pretty sore at poor financial prospect ahead.
Magic

[OTmouse]

Hi there,

I am an OT in Social Services, and just wanted to clarify that if you're applying for a Disabled Facilities Grant for home adaptations, this is not subject to the same means testing process as benefits or care provisions. It is a test of financial resources on the person requiring the works, and their partner, but not children or parents, and is weighted more towards income than savings. There is no cut off point as such, but it operates on a sliding scale, so you may have a contribution but then the local council will make up the rest of the cost of the works.

I work with three local district/borough councils and they are all entirely happy for potential applicants to give them a call to discuss their situations and they will advice re potential outcomes. I suspect this is a fairly general attitude.

Also, if you apply for a DFG for, eg, a stairlift, and your contribution is such that you pay for it yourself, if you then carry out the works, the council may then consider you exempt from contributing to the costs of future works, so you could then request DFG funding for adaptations needed as your needs change further down the line.

Hope this helps.

[pete]

Hello OTmouse,

Good to have some input from one who is the know, I counted two mays, in the post, We had a lot more from the Advisor who came to see us , I had to give up work due to MND and as such being under retirement age , We have a little income from the wifes pension, and A very small works pension and i do mean small , however this was considered to be sufficent for us to have to do all the adaptions we needed to do and only if and when we had spent every bit of savings we had saved up , We MAY or MAY not get help in the future , as i have a very reduced future now and still have to think how my wife is going to manage once i am pushing up daisey's , after we have spent our cash now , MAY isnt quite good enough, And not much help from the pension guys either ,I asked about possible access to my pension (state) the look on his face was enough and when he managed to get his breath back ,I regretted asking him ,. it does seem you very much on your own ,unless you get lucky in the area you live in .

pete

[Irene]

We gad our wetroom and a couple of doors widened last year on a DFG and because John has an army pension after being in the army for 22 years we were means tested and had to pay £1,780 towards the work.We had to get a loan to cover this as we had no savings.I dont know how its worked outat all.All I know is a neighbour of ours had similar work done and paid nothing..................................x

[Derek_]

Hi Pete,

I can sympathise with you, We were in the same situation, we had to reduce all our hard earned savings. Now my wife won't have a lot to live on when i'm gone. She will not be able to afford any repairs that might need doing in her lifetime. We spent over £20,000 on our wetroom, and concrete paths, and wider doorways. They don't seem to care that your partner or wife may live another twenty years when you are gone.
What we have left now and the Bungalow, we will do what Jeannie has told us, put it in a trust for our children.

Derek

[luce]

Hiya, it could be worth asking the social services or the council for a direct answer what is counted and what is not for DFG applications.

My only thought about people sorting out adaptations is that my mum had a DFG and then found as her condition deteriorated the adaptations were not appropriate if you are in a wheelchair all the time, eg door ways too small, shower cubicle too small etc. if you are aranging adaptations then think longer term and what may be needed as MND progresses.
kind regards
Lucy

[Gwen]

My husband Bob had the diagnosis in April 2012 and we have just been turned down for a DFG. Apparently, it's my modest occupational pension that's the reason, which I have paid for in contributions throughout my working life. We don't have any savings. I was forced to take early, unscheduled retirement to look after Bob. I don't know what we are going to do without alterations to our home to provide safe access to the car and changes to the bathroom, life is going to be even more difficult. We don't even get DLA because although Bob has probably had MND for several years, he is now 67 years old. Social services have just built us a wooden ramp that leads directly onto our busy road. I will have to put the hazard lights on and get Bob and the wheelchair into the car, with cars coming up behind us and approaching us at 60 miles per hour plus. Without a wet room, Bob may have to go into a care home which neither of us want. Local and national MND are helping us towards the costs but I won't be able to raise any more money in time. I posted two letters on Friday to social services and housing. Our local councillor is ill so can't help us. I have written to the Highways Department 3 times and they don't want to help us. MND Connect are going to write to Highways for us next week but I don't think they will listen. I am exhausted with it all. Bob has major breathing difficulties as well as other problems so I am in despair. Sorry for the rant!

[Gwen]

Hi, just wanted to say that I think different Local Authorities may have their own version of the "Preliminary Test of Resources Form". I am not sure. I filled in a 5 page form (10) sides! As my mum would have said "they want to know the ins and out of a duck's a***!" We were turned down completely because of my occupational pension. Good luck! I really hope you get the funding. We shouldn't have to go through a means test at this very stressful time.

[magic]

I think Pete is right, 'may is not good enough'. I have found it very difficult to get any figures. Sent off early and brief outline of income and savings six weeks ago but no response yet. I have been advised bya social worker who has worked with MND for a long time that I can insist on Peter being assessed as an individual. I have not yet been able to put this to the test. I am also concerned about advice received. Was told by OT that stair lift no good for MND due to later muscle loss. I visited mobility exhibition to be told, admittedly by sales person, that this is not the case. Hand rail ordered in January still not installed. This has turned into a bit of a rant!