State payments when a spouse dies

gemini_girl

hello,
I'm looking for info for my aunt.
This is the situation. My aunt has some additional needs. She has never been diagnosed with a disorder etc but she was made to write with her right hand as a child (natually left handed) & since then she has had issues & in some areas very low intelligence. Thats how i can best describe her. She is in her 60s now. She suffered a stroke & breast cancer in the last 10 years & her husband was her carer. Sadly her husband passed away this week & because of her nature she is not capable nor understands how to change her benefits to widows pension. She currently has disability allowance & her late husband had a carers allowance too. So firstly how does she claim widows pension? The other matter is a bit more complex. She lives in a house left to her by her mother however no family members were allowed into the house for years (sadly her husband was an alcoholic with his own issues & we guessed the house wasnt clean etc & they were didnt want us to know). As it turns out, the house is literally falling down. There is severe subsidence because the cracks in the ceilings are so bad you can fit an arm through right into the attic, the downstairs ceilings are buckled as well & there are cracks all the way down the walls. There are also alot of exposed wires etc. I'm no engineer but I dont think she should be living there. She has no house insurance or life assurance & neither did her husband. We really dont know where to go from here or where to go to get some help for her or what help she is entitled to. Can the house be sold as a plot? Can she sell the house to the council in return for social housing of some kind? Thanks in advance

teelady

There are a lot of different issues there.

First, i'll state that being forced to write with the other hand does not cause any kind of physical or mental illness or low i.q.

Secondly, bring your aunt to the doctor, bring pictures of the house and ask for an assessment of her ability to fend for herself, her medical issues etc. The doctor will do his bit and contact social services for you as she may need a social worker.

Thirdly, talk to the housing officer in your local council and see what the options are. She has a slight advantage in that she could sell her house to part fund something.

Fourthly, go to the solicitor with her to get probate started and make sure it goes through. One less headache.

Fifthly, contact the social welfare disability section and they will tell you what you and she have to do to get widows pension payments. Check with the dr and social worker first which payment she is better off on. The DA has extra benefits and these might go on widows pension. Also, it may be harder to get her the help/housing she requires if she is a "widow" and not on disability.

Lastly, be under no illusion. Govt funding is tight everywhere and most depts are told to do nothing if there is family there to take her in/care for her or if they believe she can stay in her home with just a carer coming in for a few hours a day. So, if you want the best for her, you'll have to fight.
Make sure to get documentation at every stage.

Best of luck and nice to see someone looking out for another person.

danjo-xx

Details about Widows pension contributory
http://www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/Widowers-Pension-Contributory.aspx#ld1a9a

The form to fill in can be downloaded from this link.
http://www.welfare.ie/en/Forms/Documents/wcp1.pdf


If your not eligible for Widows SP Contributors, you may be entitled to Widows non contributory Pension which is means tested.

http://www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/Widowers-Pension-Non-Contributory.aspx



For either you apply here:
Department of Social Protection

Social Welfare Services
College Road
Sligo
Ireland

Opening Hours:This office does not offer a service to personal callers. All queries must be made using the online enquiry form, by telephone or in writing.
Tel:(071) 915 7100
Locall:1890 500 000
Homepage: http://www.welfare.ie/



You can email the Widow's, Widower's or Surviving Civil Partner’s (Non-Contributory) Pension section using the secure enquiry form.

If you wish to talk to someone face-to-face about your pension entitlements, you can visit your local Citizens Information centre, social welfare local office or Intreo centre.

GOODME

Also there is a grant of €850 for any person who loses a family member, also ask social welfare or search citizen information website. for info to apply. last day is 31 DEC 2013.

it has been going on for years or so, but no longer from 1/1/14

it will help out with funeral costs etc

ALSO if you contact citizen information center they will be able to tell you all her entitlements, they are so helful
will do all calculations if you need them to.