Struggling to sort out parents' DWP finances
I have been fighting a claim on behalf of my father, regarding allowances and benefits overpaid and underpaid to my late mother.
I would like to make your readers aware of the basic details as this could be happening to people all over the country and the Department of Work and Pensions won't be held responsible.
The law states that a person has to make a claim for Pension Credit themselves in order to get help... but my mother had senile dementia.
My father, the main bread winner, was told by the DWP that he was not entitled to any benefits as he had too much money saved.
When my mother was transferred to a nursing home in June 2004, he thought he was paying for everything as he could not claim benefits. However, my mother's finances were calculated separately by the local authority. My father was not made aware of this.
He informed the DWP, as requested, that she had moved to a care home and he was fully funding her.
Unknown to my father, the local authority was also funding my mother's care and the claim that was continuing for Attendance Allowance was never questioned by them (AA can be claimed if you are fully funded in a home). Two departments within the DWP never communicated with each other.
My 87 year old father is also in the same nursing home now, and has to find 7,931 to pay back overclaimed Attendance Allowance fees due to the DWP not doing their job.
Adding insult to injury, my mother should have been entitled to Pension Credit worth almost double what she was being paid in Attendance
Allowance. This oversight for credit during five years in a home, will not be considered beyond a 12-month
rebate.
She couldn't possibly claim it because she had dementia and knew no better.
Social Services did nothing and the DWP did nothing to make sure she knew, even though they were aware of her income.
My father thought he was responsible for all of her care - the DWP misinformed him - and so he didn't know he could claim either.
This whole episode is a nightmare of red tape and misrepresentation which I am still fighting.
Mrs Beverly Thompson, via email
Book prize from the Isle of Man
We had a stand during Mini United at Silverstone and a man with a Lancashire accent bought a book from us for his girlfriend.
It was The Paddy Hopkirk Story and we told him Paddy would be on our book stall later signing copies. So he asked us to get his copy of the book dedicated to "Kelly from the Isle of Man," his girlfriend, who he was rushing off to see racing round the track in a Mini.
Later that afternoon, Paddy signed the book as requested but the man never came back. So we now have a dedicated copy of The Paddy Hopkirk Story – A Dash Of The Irish, which may be priceless to the owner . . . but is worthless to us.
The man was in his 30s and said Kelly had always wanted a Paddy Hopkirk signed book. It is here waiting for her if he could get in touch.
John Kitching, Veloce Publishing, Dorchester (email jk@veloce.co.uk)
Coverage of BGT went too far
What a strange world we live in when the results of televised talent shows are deemed worthy of a slot on prime time national news bulletins. Obama's trip to the Middle East, the MPs' expenses scandal, fair enough. But the outcome of Britain's Got
Talent?
It never happened when Hughie Green and Opportunity Knocks were in their pomp.
World Weary, via email
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Weather for Wigan
Friday 10 February 2012
Today
Light snow
Temperature: -6 C to 2 C
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Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
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