Paying for your adult social care Adult social care services in the community support you to live independently at home. If you receive support from this service you may have to make a contribution towards the cost of your care. How much will I be charged? Telecare monitoring services are charged at a flat rate. The amount you pay is set each year and is not financially assessed. The charges are shown below. Telecare service How much does it cost? How will I pay for it? Pendant alarm, monitoring and response £2 per week Newham Network Telecare Services will invoice you quarterly Pendant alarm, call monitoring and response service, equipment and all installed sensors £3 per week contribution Newham Council will invoice you quarterly For full details contact the Adult Social Care team on 020 8430 2000 selecting option 8 on the menu. For other adult social care services the charge is based on your ability to pay following a financial assessment. As part of the assessment we will look at your income, capital and savings to work out how much, if anything, you may have to contribute towards the cost of your care. These services include: • Day opportunities - support for you to access community facilities such as the library, the gym or to go shopping • Home care and personal support - including help with washing and dressing • Services provided through a Direct Payment No charge will be made for these services until we have completed your financial assessment and told you how much your charge is. No charges will be made for the following adult social care services: • Carers service • Enablement and intermediate care • Aids and adaptation equipment - equipment to make looking after yourself simpler and support to help you remain living independently at home • Advocacy Charges will be implemented for services provided in a day centre, including transport where provided in 2013. Frequently asked questions As part of the financial assessment, will you take my income into account? We take into account most benefits and income including: • Attendance allowance • Income Support/Job Seekers Allowance • Incapacity Benefit • Employment Support Allowance • Exceptionally severe disablement allowance • State retirement pension • The care component of disability living allowance • All private or work pensions • The guarantee credit part of pension credit We ignore some benefits and income when we work out how much you may need to contribute such as: • The mobility component of disability living allowance • Income support disability and enhanced disability premiums • The savings part of pension credit • Wages or earnings you receive if you have a job We also disregard a set weekly amount to cover expenses you may have because of your disability or health condition. We call this a disability related cost. If your disability related cost is higher than the standard amount allowed, we can look at your individual circumstances. If part of your care is funded by the Independent Living Fund (ILF), we also consider any income that your receive from the ILF and any contribution that they ask you to make as an expense. Other than disability related costs what other expenses do you take into account? We also take into account your housing related costs. This includes: • Rent (less Housing Benefit received) • Council Tax (less Council Tax benefit received) • Mortgage payments (including endowment/life assurance premiums) • Ground rent and service charges • Buildings insurance Will you take my savings into account? If your savings are more than £23,250 you will have to pay the full cost of your support up to a maximum of £200 per week. How do you work out how much I will have to pay? If you have £23,250 or over in savings, you will have to pay the full cost of your care up to a maximum of £200 per week. If you have less than £23,250, we add up your income and any amount of income from your savings. We then take away your disability related costs and your housing related costs. Finally we take away your basic living allowance and any allowable expenditure. Basic living allowance is calculated using the standard amounts of pension credit or income support that you would be entitled to plus 25 per cent. For example £225 per week = your income - £15 per week for your standard disability related cost - £5 per week for your allowable housing related cost - £200 for your basic living allowance = £5 per week is your available income The remaining figure is your available income which can be used to contribute towards the cost of your care. If this figure is £0.00 or less you will not be asked to contribute. The amount you pay each week will be the lowest of the following: • 100% of your net assessable income (This may be nothing) • The full cost of the service • £200 per week Is there a limit to what you can ask me to pay? The most we can ask you to pay is the full cost of your care up to a maximum of £200 per week. The appeals process All customers have the right of appeal against the decision if you do not agree with the level of contribution that has been assessed or if the contribution will result in real financial hardship. If you are concerned about your contribution, contact the Financial Assessments Charging Team on 020 3373 1184 as soon as possible to resolve the issue promptly. This team is dedicated to supporting customers through out the charging process. If you are dissatisfied with the outcome of the discussion with the Financial Assessments Charging Team, you can make a request to the council to investigate your circumstances and resolve the matter. How can I find out more? To find out more about your choices and paying for your care you can: • Log on to www.newham.gov.uk/adultsocialcare • Contact the Adult Social Care team on 020 8430 2000 selecting option 8 on the menu • Email us at [email protected] Different formats If you would like to receive this information in another format e.g. in larger font, in a different language or on audio call 020 3373 1184. www.newham.gov.uk © 2013 Newham Council Communications 01782ASC