dad told his pension is to be reduced

the14thwarrior

my dad has been on a non-contributory pension for years . they recently sent him a form to fill out, and after that, his pension and mam's pension has been reduced by 100 euro a week. i've reviewed the letter they sent. i have no issues with the capital means etc. he gave them all the details of his pension. they obviously reviewed his file and decided after 10 years he has too much savings, and an american pension to boot - all fully declared 10 years and now

since he first got assessed mam was at home but now she is in a nursing home.

my question is should he appeal on the basis that mam is in a nursing home now and therefore not a couple? or are they still a couple in the state's eyes?

when he got the deduction he then applied for a contributory pension, but he will only get an extra 20 euro so he is still down 80 euro.

Squatter

This isn't answering your question, but if your mam is permanently in a nursing home then your father should apply for the living alone allowance, (assuming that he's now living on his own).

Form here: http://www.welfare.ie/en/pdf/laa1.pdf

Also, if she has been in the NH for some time, then he should ask that the payment be backdated to the day that she went in - get a note from the NH to confirm the admission date. The DSP has the discretion to pay arrears for up to 6 months.

the14thwarrior

i see that. thanks for that.
i don't know if he will qualify.
he is living with me (i'm in his house) so technically not alone.
he pays an awful, lot each month for her fee, well to him it's a lot. all of her two pensions and a bit of his. i did all the sums myself, so i know they are correct.

it's breaking my heart to see him now lose another 100 each a week. he saved his money a lot not a huge amount, but thats where they are hitting him hardest.

crispycrisps

If he is going to appeal it he needs to do so within 21 or 28 days. Maybe go into your nearest citizen information office with him and the letter he got reducing his pension. They will be able to guide you through the process of appeal etc. and give you information regarding your mothers situation in the nursing home and see if he can off set the nursing home charges as part of his means.

No harm in appealing it. All they can say is no. Get all the ducks in a row for the appeal

the14thwarrior

will do. we've missed the deadline for appeal but i won't let that stop me. He was busy applying for the other one
i will call them tomorrow, or next day, dad will call and hand the phone to me
im nervous in case it reduces his pension further! i'm not sure of the rules,

but thanks

Squatter

the14thwarrior wrote: »

i see that. thanks for that.
i don't know if he will qualify.
he is living with me (i'm in his house) so technically not alone.
he pays an awful, lot each month for her fee, well to him it's a lot. all of her two pensions and a bit of his. i did all the sums myself, so i know they are correct.

it's breaking my heart to see him now lose another 100 each a week. he saved his money a lot not a huge amount, but thats where they are hitting him hardest.

Have the two of you considered the Fair Deal scheme?

Also, if you (or other family members) are working and paying tax, then you could help to pay her NH fees and claim a tax credit.

ct5amr2ig1nfhp

This and what about the Dependent Relative Tax Credit. You may be eligible.

Squatter wrote: »

Have the two of you considered the Fair Deal scheme?

Also, if you (or other family members) are working and paying tax, then you could help to pay her NH fees and claim a tax credit.

Turnipman

the14thwarrior wrote: »

we've missed the deadline for appeal but i won't let that stop me.

You may not let it stop you, but the simple fact is that you've missed the deadline for appealing so it's extremely likely that the appeal won't be accepted.

"You can make an appeal within 21 days of receiving the decision. The Chief Appeals Officer has discretion to extend this period in certain limited circumstances." http://www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/How-do-I-appeal.aspx


Instead, consider phoning or writing to them and ask for a REVIEW of their decision in the light of your father's high ongoing expenditure on the nursing home costs.

A note to everyone reading this thread - if you are ever turned down for some DSP scheme and wish to appeal, then be sure to get your appeal in on time!

You don't need to provide any supporting documentation with your appeal letter (or APPEAL FORM) - but be sure to mention that you will be forwarding supporting documentation at a later date.

the14thwarrior

thanks to all for the advice. I rang them this morning, and they said that while an appeal is not possible, a review will be possible, and if successful, they will back date any monies due him. I couldn't get a straight answer whether expenditure counts, I fear it does not, he kept telling me it's means tested but stressed it was worth a shot to have it reviewed.

that is good info to know about appeals..... write the letter and then send the documents. alas in this case, dad did it and got refused and went off on the other track, feeling confident he would get the full whack of his contributary. which didn't happen of course and thus he finally let me look into it

i didn't know about the dependent tax credit, i'll look into that.
in the meantime, i will be contacting the fair deal scheme, I did mam's original application, and lived to tell the tale . So I might be able to get a reduction on her fees if both their incomes have dropped.