Making Adult Social Care Financial Assessments Fairer

This consultation has now closed.

We ran a consultation to get feedback on proposed changes to how adult social care financial assessments are calculated from those affected.

We have sent letters out to anyone who may be affected by our proposed changes. Only people who have received letters from us can take part in the consultation or someone who is completing the consultation on their behalf.

These changes are aimed at updating legacy approaches to the financial assessment from before BCP Council was formed, in order to achieve fairer outcomes for service recipients. BCP Council is not looking to generate any income from these changes and the proposal is aimed at minimising increases in what some service recipients may pay.

To ensure a fair, consistent and comprehensive financial assessment framework, we identified the following areas that need to be aligned:

  1. how we treat the higher rates of the following disability benefits in the financial assessment: Attendance Allowance (AA), Disability Living Allowance (DLA) Care Component, and Personal Independence Payment (PIP) Enhanced Daily Living. 

  1. how the Savings Credit disregard is applied to non-residential service recipients and 

  1. how some 18-24 olds who claim the main phase of Employment Support Allowance (ESA) are disadvantaged by the amount of Minimum Income Guarantee (MIG) we apply when calculating how much they pay towards their care.

The changes we proposed aim to:

  • make sure everyone is treated the same way when we financially assess what they can pay towards their care and support

  • minimise any increases in what people pay towards their care and support

If the proposals are approved, some people could pay more towards the cost of their care, some could pay less, while others would see no change. This would depend on the type of benefits being claimed, when they are claimed, and the amount of savings/income people have. It would also depend on whether people live in Bournemouth, Christchurch, or Poole.

Following the end of the consultation, we will take into account the feedback gathered and a decision will be made by the Director for Adult Social Care in early 2023. We will then contact those affected and provide them with more information and guidance about any changes that are to be made. We will publish the consultation report and update on the outcome once the decision about the proposed changes is made.

Have Your Say

We asked respondents to read the information in the consultation document and fill in the paper questionnaire and return it in the freepost envelope provided.

Easy Read and large print versions of the documents were sent to those people who need them, however, respondents could also download these versions in the 'Consultation Documents' section on the right-hand side of this page. Alternatively, respondents could complete the survey online if they preferred.

If they needed assistance they could us for support. They could also refer to the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) section for answers to some key questions about the proposed changes.

The consultation closed at midnight on Monday 21 November 2022.

Decision

Following on from the findings of this consultation, it has been decided to proceed with the following changes from 3rd July 2023:

  • To phase out the £33.65 per week Attendance Allowance (AA)/Disability Living Allowance (DLA)/Personal Independence Payment (PIP) disregard over a 16-week period
  • The AA/DLA disregard will not be awarded to any new service recipients
  • To replace this with an increase to the MIG rate of £4.20 per week. This applies to all those who receive the highest rates of AA, DLA, and PIP
  • To continue to disregard the full Savings Credit award where it is received
  • To implement a Savings Credit disregard for those receiving non-residential care and with income over a certain threshold 
  • To apply an increase to the Minimum Income Guarantee (MIG) rate for those aged 18-24 and in receipt of the main phase of Employment Support Allowance (ESA) to align with the MIG rate applied to those of working age (aged 25 and over). 

These changes update legacy approaches to the financial assessment from before BCP Council was formed, to achieve fairer and consistent outcomes for service recipients. BCP Council is not looking to generate any income from these changes, and they aim to minimise increases in what some service recipients may pay.

Anyone who will have a change to their financial assessment due to these changes being introduced will receive a letter in the coming months explaining how they will be affected and how much they will pay from
3rd July 2023. If you need support with the changes, please read our factsheet for details of how to access the best support for you.


This consultation has now closed.

We ran a consultation to get feedback on proposed changes to how adult social care financial assessments are calculated from those affected.

We have sent letters out to anyone who may be affected by our proposed changes. Only people who have received letters from us can take part in the consultation or someone who is completing the consultation on their behalf.

These changes are aimed at updating legacy approaches to the financial assessment from before BCP Council was formed, in order to achieve fairer outcomes for service recipients. BCP Council is not looking to generate any income from these changes and the proposal is aimed at minimising increases in what some service recipients may pay.

To ensure a fair, consistent and comprehensive financial assessment framework, we identified the following areas that need to be aligned:

  1. how we treat the higher rates of the following disability benefits in the financial assessment: Attendance Allowance (AA), Disability Living Allowance (DLA) Care Component, and Personal Independence Payment (PIP) Enhanced Daily Living. 

  1. how the Savings Credit disregard is applied to non-residential service recipients and 

  1. how some 18-24 olds who claim the main phase of Employment Support Allowance (ESA) are disadvantaged by the amount of Minimum Income Guarantee (MIG) we apply when calculating how much they pay towards their care.

The changes we proposed aim to:

  • make sure everyone is treated the same way when we financially assess what they can pay towards their care and support

  • minimise any increases in what people pay towards their care and support

If the proposals are approved, some people could pay more towards the cost of their care, some could pay less, while others would see no change. This would depend on the type of benefits being claimed, when they are claimed, and the amount of savings/income people have. It would also depend on whether people live in Bournemouth, Christchurch, or Poole.

Following the end of the consultation, we will take into account the feedback gathered and a decision will be made by the Director for Adult Social Care in early 2023. We will then contact those affected and provide them with more information and guidance about any changes that are to be made. We will publish the consultation report and update on the outcome once the decision about the proposed changes is made.

Have Your Say

We asked respondents to read the information in the consultation document and fill in the paper questionnaire and return it in the freepost envelope provided.

Easy Read and large print versions of the documents were sent to those people who need them, however, respondents could also download these versions in the 'Consultation Documents' section on the right-hand side of this page. Alternatively, respondents could complete the survey online if they preferred.

If they needed assistance they could us for support. They could also refer to the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) section for answers to some key questions about the proposed changes.

The consultation closed at midnight on Monday 21 November 2022.

Decision

Following on from the findings of this consultation, it has been decided to proceed with the following changes from 3rd July 2023:

  • To phase out the £33.65 per week Attendance Allowance (AA)/Disability Living Allowance (DLA)/Personal Independence Payment (PIP) disregard over a 16-week period
  • The AA/DLA disregard will not be awarded to any new service recipients
  • To replace this with an increase to the MIG rate of £4.20 per week. This applies to all those who receive the highest rates of AA, DLA, and PIP
  • To continue to disregard the full Savings Credit award where it is received
  • To implement a Savings Credit disregard for those receiving non-residential care and with income over a certain threshold 
  • To apply an increase to the Minimum Income Guarantee (MIG) rate for those aged 18-24 and in receipt of the main phase of Employment Support Allowance (ESA) to align with the MIG rate applied to those of working age (aged 25 and over). 

These changes update legacy approaches to the financial assessment from before BCP Council was formed, to achieve fairer and consistent outcomes for service recipients. BCP Council is not looking to generate any income from these changes, and they aim to minimise increases in what some service recipients may pay.

Anyone who will have a change to their financial assessment due to these changes being introduced will receive a letter in the coming months explaining how they will be affected and how much they will pay from
3rd July 2023. If you need support with the changes, please read our factsheet for details of how to access the best support for you.


Page last updated: 09 May 2023, 03:16 PM