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- Councils are accusing people of deliberately gifting cash to dodge care fees
- Pensioners investigated even if they gave away money many years ago
- If a person has less than £23,250 in savings, property and other assets, they are entitled to financial support
Councils are wrongly clawing back cash from care home residents who give money to their children and grandchildren for weddings, buying homes and even fighting cancer. Money Mail can reveal that cash-strapped councils are pursuing elderly people by claiming the money should have been used to pay care bills instead. Some pensioners are being investigated even if they gave away their money years before they went into a home. A watchdog found councils are accusing people of deliberately gifting cash to dodge care home fees — even if there is no evidence this was their motivation. When someone goes into a residential home, the local authority carries out an assessment to decide how much they should pay towards their care.
The rules state that if the person has less than £23,250 in savings, property and other assets, they are entitled to financial support from the council. But if officials believe someone gave away their wealth to bring their assets below this amount to avoid paying all, or part, of their fees — and protect their children's inheritance — it is called 'deprivation of assets'. The council can then reclaim care fees it believes the person should have paid — even if they no longer have the money. The cash can be recovered from the recipient of the gift.....Read more here