3. Paying for community based services
The government says that we need to work out how much you can afford to pay towards the cost of your care and support. We will need to work out if you can afford to pay for any of the support you need.
The amount you pay will depend on your financial circumstances. We will ask you to complete a financial assessment. In the assessment we will ask questions about your income, any savings you have and certain household costs you have to pay, such as your mortgage or rent payments and costs for Council Tax.
We will use this information to calculate if you have to pay a contribution towards the cost of your social care services. We may also ignore any other disability-related expenses you have. The need for this additional expense must be identified in your support plan, the cost must be reasonable, and you must provide evidence of how much you spend.
Everyone has to pay the cost of any meals they have through meals-on-wheels or at a luncheon club or day centre.
Working out what you will have to pay
We will not take into account the value of the home you live in, but if you have another home or own any other property or land we will take these into account as capital assets.
You will have to pay the full cost of your services if you have savings, investments, property, land or other capital assets worth £23,250 or more. If you have less capital then this but more than £14,250 we will assume a certain level of income from this in accordance with national guidance. We will ignore any savings or assets you have which are worth less than £14,250.
What if I don't want a financial assessment?
If you choose not to have a financial assessment you will be asked to pay the maximum charge for the services you receive. Deprivation of assets You must not give away any of your income, savings, investments, property or any other assets in order to avoid paying social care charges.
If you do, we will assume you still have them when working out what you should pay.
Continuing Health Care
If you have complex, ongoing health care needs, the NHS may pay for some or all of your care.
Contact
If you would like to speak to someone about financial assessments you can contact the Client Finance Team, client.finance@oldham.gov.uk.