What will you have to pay for your care?

What else do I need to know?

We will open a dedicated bank account for your Direct Payment to be paid into. You will have the option to manage the bank account yourself and pay for the care you receive from this account. Or, you can have the account managed by the Direct Payment Support Services who will make payments from the account on your behalf.

Direct Payments are not a social security benefit. They do not affect any means-tested benefits you are entitled to and are not taxable.

If you are assessed as self-funding (you have capital or assets above £23,250), you will not be eligible for a Direct Payment.

What can the Direct Payment Support Services provide?

• Information and advice sessions for service users, operational staff and personal assistants.

Call: 01603 223392 (option one) or email:

DPCST@norfolk.gov.uk

• Employment support including recruitment of personal assistants. Call: 01603 223392 (option two) or email:

DPSSemploymentservices@norfolk.gov.uk

• Payroll including processing personal assistants' pay. Call: 01603 223392 (option three) or email:

DPSSpayroll@norfolk.gov.uk

The Direct Payment Support Services can help Norfolk residents (or those who represent service users) who are thinking about or who have chosen a Direct Payment to meet their eligible care needs.

What happens if my circumstances change? We will reassess your care and support needs annually. This will provide you with a regular check on how well your arrangements are meeting your needs. If your needs change you can ask us to reassess them.

If you are eligible for care and support, you may have to pay something towards this cost. To find out how much you might need to pay, we will carry out a financial assessment and you will need to disclose details about your savings, assets and income to enable us to calculate the amount you have to pay.

Do you have more than £23,250 in capital and savings?

1. If you move into long-term residential care, supported living, Independent Living or Housing with Care, the value of your home will be included in the assessment of your capital unless one of the following still lives there:

• Your partner (that is, your husband, wife, or civil partner or someone you live with as if they were your husband, wife or civil partner).

• A relative who is over 60 or disabled.

• A child under 16 who you or a former partner are responsible for.

2. The value of any land or property that you own but do not live in may also be included as capital. 3. If you are receiving care in your own home or attending day services, then your home will not be included as capital in the financial assessment.

However, the value of any land or property that you own but do not live in may be included.

If you don’t have more than £23,250 in capital and savings

We will pay towards the cost of meeting your eligible care and support needs.

You will be asked to complete a financial assessment so we can understand your level of savings, assets and income. This will help us to work out how much you will have to pay towards the cost of meeting your care and support needs. We will then pay the balance.

If you have capital of between £14,250 and £23,250 you will pay £1 a week for every £250, or part of, that you have above £14,250.

This will be in addition to any income you are receiving, for example, state benefits, occupational pensions, etc. 

 Your choice of care home will be limited to those that accept our funding level. If you want to choose a more expensive home, you will have to arrange for a third party – such as a family member or charity – to ‘top-up’ the difference. Please refer to the section ‘Third party payments for care home fees’ on page 82.

If you do have more than £23,250 in capital and savings

You will need to fund the full cost of your care.

If you are going into a care home and have savings or investments of less than £23,250 (not including the value of your home), Adult Social Services could help with your care costs for up to the first 12 weeks. After this time, you may be eligible to enter into a Deferred Payment Agreement until your property is sold, explained on page 82.

For further information, please visit: www.norfolk.gov.uk/moneymatters

Whatever your circumstances

Remember:

• It is just your own financial circumstances that are assessed, not your partner’s.

• Your assessment will be made up of two elements: a care and support assessment and a financial one.

• A care home with nursing will generally be more expensive than a care home providing only personal care.

Consider claiming:

• New style Employment and Support Allowance (ESA). ESA is a benefit for people who are unable to work due to illness or disability. New style ESA is based on your national insurance contributions.

Claim by downloading a form from: www.gov.uk (search ‘employment and support allowance’) or by telephoning the Universal Credit

Helpline: 0800 3285644 (option two).

• Universal Credit (UC). UC is a single monthly payment for people in or out of work. You will not be awarded UC if you have capital over £16,000. Claims can only be made online at: • Pension Guarantee Credit. Pension Guarantee

Credit is an income-related benefit with no upper capital limit, although £1 will be reduced from any entitlement for every £500, or part of, you have above £10,000. You can claim by calling: 0800 991234.

• Savings Credit. Savings Credit is payable if you were 65 before 6th April 2016. It is paid if you have a certain amount of capital and/or income. It is assessed when you claim Pension

Guarantee Credit.

Definitely claim:

• Attendance Allowance (AA), worth either £61.85 or £92.40 a week depending on your care and support needs. AA is claimed when you reach

State Pension age. AA should stop after 28 days in residential/nursing care or hospital. You can continue to get AA as long as your capital is more than £23,250 and you are paying the full cost of your residential/nursing care.

• Personal Independence Payment (PIP) (Daily

Living)*, worth either £61.85 a week or £92.40.

This is paid if you are aged over 16 and under

State Pension Age. PIP (Daily Living) stops after 28 days in residential/nursing care or hospital.

It will continue to be paid in residential/nursing care if your capital is more than £23,250 and you are paying the full cost of your residential/ nursing care.

• Personal Independence Payment (PIP) (Mobility)*, worth either £24.45 or £64.50, if you are under State Pension age and regardless of your level of capital. Please note this allowance is completely disregarded in your financial assessment. Mobility will stop after 28 days in hospital.

*Personal Independence Payment (Daily Living and Mobility) replaces Disability Living Allowance (Care and Mobility) and is paid to new claimants only.

For people receiving Disability Living Allowance (DLA) aged between 16 and 64 on 8th April 2013,