Charges for ServicesPaying for Residential Care Services
Please see our Paying for Residential Care Services page.
Charges for Community Support Services
Community Support Services enable people to live independently in their own homes wherever possible. Merthyr Tydfil CBC is working within a framework of financial restraint and therefore charges a contribution towards the services it provides. This enables them to continue to provide high quality and responsive services.
All contributions are now calculated via a financial assessment which determines how much an individual can afford to contribute towards the cost of their service.
This leaflet gives information about the maximum contribution for services in 2008/2009 that are applied to people who receive service in their own home. There is a separate leaflet about the charges for residential/nursing care. For a copy please see the address at the end of this leaflet.
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You will be required to contribute towards the costs of the following services:
- Supported accommodation
- Day care services – attendance and transport.
- Support in the home services – Personal care services, Sitting services (Day/night), General domestic services.
- Meals on wheels/meals at day centres - these charges will not be subject to financial assessment, but will be made as a standard charge.
- Services provided to Carers
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Yes, there will be no contribution for the following:
- Services provided under Section 117 of the Mental Health Act (after care services).
- Services provided to people suffering from Creuzfeldt Jacob Disease (CJD).
- Aids to daily living – this service will be exempt from charges.
- Supported Employment Projects.
- Volunteer services (befrienders/drivers).
- General advice/counseling services to carers.
- Intermediate care services to NEW customers provided for the first six weeks following discharge from hospital and where the care package has been arranged prior to discharge.
- Services provided to someone who is terminally ill and deemed to be "in their last days of life" when referred will not be charged for the first six weeks of service. If however, they continue to receive services after that time they will be financially assessed and charges applied if applicable.
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Charges will normally apply to anyone aged 18 or above and who is in receipt of services (excluding exemptions as identified above).
Charges relate to the client, not their partner*, families or carers.
*However where the client is married a financial assessment will be calculated based on the household income with the exception of any Attendance Allowance or DLA Care paid in respect of the person not receiving care, this income will be ignored.
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If you are a carer you will be charged for services you receive in your own right to assist you in your caring role.
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For us to be able to determine how much you can afford to contribute towards the service you receive you will be asked to provide details of your benefits, and any other income that you receive. This should be obtained prior to your service commencing by your care manager and any information verified. This will include:
- All Social Security pensions, benefits and allowances. All occupational pensions, including any pensions that are inherited by the partner on a pensioner’s death.
- Income from annuities/trust funds/capital.
- Any income on capital.
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Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council will use the "Charging for Residential Accommodation Guidelines" capital limits as guidance in its treatment of savings/capital.
If you have over £22000 in capital you will be expected to pay the maximum contribution for the service you receive. (This is not the actual cost of the service but the maximum amount of client contribution set for the level of service received.)
If you have over £19000 but under £22000 an additional amount of income will be included in the financial assessment based on the capital held. This is currently £1 for every £250 over £19000 but under £22000 Tariff Table 2008 - 2009.pdf
If your savings are held jointly only the portion belonging to you will be taken into account. If you are married and the savings are held jointly between you and your spouse then the whole amount will be taken into account.
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Failure to divulge your financial information may result in the customer having to pay the maximum contribution until the financial assessment can be completed.
In undertaking the financial assessment finance staff will disregard, an amount equivalent to **Income Support plus 45%. These amounts currently equate to:
- Pensioner aged 60+ (single) £179.87
- Pensioner aged 60+ (couple) £274.56
- Disabled adults aged 25-59 (single) £143.48
- Disabled adults (couples 25-59) £217.43
- Disabled adults aged 18-24 (single) £125.28
**The 45% buffer provides an additional safeguard to prevent client’s independence of living from being undermined by charging policies. The disregard of income support plus 45% buffer is intended to cover items such as:
- Food
- Clothes
- Insurance, including building & contents, mortgage protection and life assurance
- Water rates
- Utility bills such as gas, electricity and telephone
- Transport to/from and within day services (including bus fares)
- TV licence
- Subscriptions to satellite/digital TV companies
- Repair and replacement of household items
- Other expenditure such as credit/debt cards or personal loans (including County Court Judgements) and arrears
- Disability related costs
*(This list is not meant to be exhaustive).
In addition the following will also be disregarded in the charge calculation.
- Housing costs e.g. mortgage/rent (net of any housing benefit received).
- Council tax (net of any council tax benefit received).
- Any statutory orders such as child maintenance orders.
- Earnings, earnings replacement benefits and working tax credit.
All information provided will remain within the department and be treated in line with the agreed procedures for confidentiality.
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Yes, but how much will depend on the services you receive.
Attendance Allowance (AA) is paid at a higher rate if a person has day and night needs or a lower rate if a person has day or night needs.
The DLA care component is paid at the highest rate if a person needs help both day and night. At the middle rate if a person needs help during the day or night. At the lowest rate if a person needs some help during some of the day (but less than the middle rate), or if age 16 and over and needs help to prepare a cooked main meal.
If you receive attendance allowance / DLA care in respect of night care this will not be taken into account if you only receive a service during the day.
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No, Mobility Allowance/Disability Living Allowance (Mobility Component) and War Pension (Mobility Supplement) will not be taken into account when calculating your contribution. It will be disregarded in full.
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Any property you own will not be included in your financial assessment. If however you have more than one property, any income generated by the additional property will be included in your financial assessment.
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The charges do not reflect the actual cost of the services provided, but are a notional amount or contribution to the true cost of services provided. The amount you will have to pay will be determined by the outcome of your financial assessment and the service you receive.
From April 2008 the maximum contributions are:
- Personal Care
1hr or part thereof
£9.50
- General Domestic
1hr or part thereof
£9.50
- Sitting Service (Day or Night)
Session*
9.50
- Day Centre Attendance
Day or part thereof
£9.50
- Day Centre Transport
One way or Return per day
£1.50
*A session is based on assessed need and has no time restriction.
The MAXIMUM CONTRIBUTION payable for ANY of the services listed OR combination of services will be £52.50 per week.
Meals on Wheels service/ Meals at Day Centres
Payment for meals is not subject to a financial assessment and is not included in any of the above charges. Meals are charged at £2.25 per meal.
The above charges may increase annually.
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The preferred method of payment will be by using a swipe card system, payable at local Post Offices and Payzone outlets.
However, you also have the choice of paying by standing order via bank/building society account OR, by invoice sent to you or your financial representative every fourth week (for payment within 14 days).
Meals on Wheels are currently payable by cash on a weekly or daily basis, or by invoice on a monthly basis.
Meals at the day centre’s are payable at the day centre by cash.
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You will be reassessed annually in April in line with benefit increases. However if your financial circumstances should change before this time you will need to contact us for a reassessment. Charges will be backdated in line with the date of any increases in your income.
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If you receive a Direct Payment from the Council, you will be assessed for charges in the same way as if they were receiving services from us. Your assessed contribution will be deducted from your Direct Payment before it is given to you.
If you receive payments from the Independent Living Fund, your assessed contribution should be taken into account when calculating any contribution you make towards the cost of the care paid for by the Fund.
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Yes, the guidelines require all Local Authorities to ensure customers are able to receive benefits advice "in their own homes by appropriately skilled staff". However, you will also be offered a choice to obtain your benefits advice from an independent source where possible. Our local authority Officers will offer this advice to you. In addition there are a number of solicitors and voluntary organisations in the area who offer a free welfare benefits service.
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You have a legal right to request a review if you feel you cannot afford to pay your assessed charge. The Authority has a legal duty to reduce or waive a charge if it is satisfied that a person cannot afford to pay.
You should request a review in writing, explaining why you cannot afford to pay your charge. If you are unable to do this, for example if you have visual/physical impairment, assistance will be provided. You will need to demonstrate that your money is needed for other disability related expenses to enable your charge to be reassessed.
Process
Stage 1 The assessment is reconsidered by the officer who undertook the original assessment. This will identify any information that has been omitted or errors made.
Stage 2 The re-assessment will be considered by the Senior Officer – Financial Services and the appropriate Service Manager.
Stage 3 Report submitted to the relevant Head of Service.
Stage 4 The issue is examined by the Director (Integrated Adult Services) in conjunction with the Chair and Vice Chair of the Scrutiny Committee and a decision made.
At each stage the authorities Welfare Rights Advisor will be able to assist customers in this process if appropriate.
The issue can be resolved at any of the stages identified above, with a report on the outcome submitted to the relevant head of service.
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If you are having difficulty in paying for your services or think we may be overcharging, then please contact us immediately so that your circumstances can be reviewed and any errors rectified.
However, if you refuse to pay, debt recovery procedures will be applied where appropriate which may result in additional charges added to any outstanding debts.
If your financial circumstances are being dealt with by someone else, or someone else is receiving your benefits, then they will be responsible for paying your care charges. If they do not pay your charges then debt recovery action will be taken against them.
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If a Service User is dissatisfied with the process, or would like to comment or compliment on the service they have recived, they can use the Council’s Complaints Procedure.
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Welfare Benefits Advisor – 01685 724501
Fairer Charging Team - (split by client surname)
A – C 01685 725068
D – G 01685 726262
H – J 01685 724606
K – O 01685 725071
P – S 01685 724647
T – Z 01685 724627
This information may be made available in any other form or format upon request.
Please contact the Duty Officer on: 01685 724500
Email: IASbusinessservices@merthyr.gov.uk
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