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Fairer Charging - Non-Residential Services
Fairer charging is a central government policy designed to ensure that people over the age of 18 who use our non-residential services are charged in a fair and consistent way.
What services are included?
Fairer charging includes most services provided to an adult who is living in their own home. For example a homecare service provided the council or an agency.
How do you work out what you will charge me?
A Welfare Benefit Officer will visit you to complete the financial assessement form. They will also help you claim any other welfare benefits you may be entitled to.
You will need to provide us with a full details of your financial position. From there we will look at your capital - e.g. savings and shares, as well as your weekly income from benefits and other sources. Allowances are made for some benefits and some of your property-related household expenses. Once we have this we will use it to calculate your maximum weekly charge.
In addition, if you are receiving a service and disability related benefit, we will take into account expenses relating to your disability and reduce the maximum charge by £40 each week. If you believe that expenses relating to your disability are more than £40, then we will look at this with you in more detail.
What happens about my savings and investments?
If your savings and investments are less than £13,500, they will not affect our calculations of your charge.
If savings and investments are more than £22,250, then you will automatically be charged the full cost of the service. The amount you will have to pay will depend on how many hours of homecare you receive, but will not exceed £360.80 per week or £320.80 if you qualify for the £40 reduction due to expenses relating to your disability.
What else does the Welfare Benefit Officer do during their visit?
If you agree, we will make sure everyone in the household is claiming all the benefits they are entitled to.
How do I pay if I receive a charge?
Once the Benefits Liaison Officer has worked out your contribution to the cost of your services, we will give you a letter detailing the amount we will expect you to pay, plus the name and phone number of your Welfare Benefit Officer in case you have any questions about the charge.
About every 4 weeks, we will send you an invoice for the care provided, either for the full cost of the service or the maximum amount you have been assessed to pay each week, whichever is the lower. You can pay in a number of different ways as set out on the back of the invoice.
What if I disagree with the charge?
First of all, contact the Welfare Benefit Officer who visited you and explain why you think the charge is wrong. Contact details will be included in the letter you will receive following the visit from the Welfare Benefit Officer.
If you are not satisfied, you can contact the Revenue and Benefits Customer Services Manager who will review the charge - contact details at the bottom of this page.
If you are still not happy, you can ask for your concerns to be reviewed using Wokingham Borough Council’s complaints procedure. You can ask for a leaflet which will explain the procedure for making a complaint.
Once calculated, will my charge always be the same?
No, each year we will ask you to confirm your financial circumstances and we will recalculate your charge.
What do I do if my financial circumstances change?
If you move home or your financial circumstances change - for example, if you start getting welfare benefits or your investments and savings increase or decrease significantly - you must let us know straight away, as this could change your charge. Contact the Welfare Benefit Team by phone or in writing to arrange a reassessment.
Our chanrges for 2008-2009
- Meals at Home £2.80 per day
- Laundry £3.50 per load
- One meal at a day centre £2.80 per day
- 2 or more meals at a day centre £5.60 per day
- Transport, no charge
- Homecare £15.00 per hour
Your maximum weekly charge
Your maximum weekly charge = your weekly applicable income - your weekly allowance
What is my weekly applicable income?
Your weekly applicable income is your 'actual income' and your 'tariff income'
To calculate your 'actual income' we add up the amount you get each week from:
- Pensions - but not war pensions
- State benefits - not including:
- the Disability Living Allowance mobility component
- Savings Credit part of Pension Credit
- the ‘night time’ element of Disability Living Allowance care component or Attendance Allowance unless your care package includes night time care
- Income from some investments
Please note: we don’t count earnings from paid work
'Tariff income' has nothing to do with the interest you get from your savings and investments. It is just a way to take account of your savings and investments when we work out how much you can afford to pay towards your home care.
To calculate your 'tariff income':
- If you have savings and / or investments of £13,500 or less you have no 'tariff income'
- If you have savings and / or investments between £13,500 and £22,250 your tariff income is £1 per week for every £250, or part of £250, you have saved or invested.
What is my weekly allowance?
We make sure that you have enough to live on each week to cover:
- Your essential living expenses such as food, clothing and heating. The amount is based on Income Support levels set each year by the Government - for 2008/09, this is £98.95 for people under 60 and £124.05 for people over 60 plus an extra 25%.
- Your relevant housing costs – your rent, mortgage, eligible service charges and council tax, less any benefits.
- Your Disability Related Expenditure - if you receive one of the benefits listed below:
- Attendance Allowance
- Disability Living Allowance care component
- Constant Attendance Allowance
- Exceptionally Severe Disablement Allowance
The standard amount we allow each week is currently £40. If you think you spend more than this on expenses related to your disability, then please let us know.
Contact details
Community Care Services
Wokingham Borough Council
Wellington House
Wellington Road
RG40 2QB
Tel: 0118 974 6800
Welfare Benefit Team
Wokingham Borough Council
Revenue and Benefits
PO Box 152
Shute End
Wokingham
Berkshire
RG40 1WJ
Tel: 0118 974 6585
