Open consultation on operational guidance to implement a lifetime cap on care costs

The Department of Health and Social Care is updating the rules on how people pay for their care and support and in holding an open consultation on the new rules and how it explains them.

Before the government makes its final decisions, it is asking for feedback from people living in England aged 16 and over before 11.45 pm on 1 April 2022.

The new rules say that care receivers must pay what they can afford towards the cost of their care and support. To work this out, the social worker will look at how much money they have, how much money they have coming in and any things that they own (excluding things they need for their daily living), as well as how much their home is worth if they own it but do not live in it at the moment.

If the care receiver has more than £23,250 of assets, they have to pay for all the cost of care and support, but if they have less than this, they can get help to pay. From October 2023, the council may help pay for care if their things are worth less than £100,000, and they will be able to keep any things that are worth £20,000 or less. If the care receivers own possessions worth more than £100,000, they have to pay for all the cost of their care and support, which could include the price of their home if they own it but do not live in it at the moment. 

They won’t have to pay more than a cap of £86,000, but this amount may change in future years. However, the document says it “will be fair to people who have already paid money towards the cost of their care”. If they have already paid half of the £86,000, and the government increase the amount to £100,000, it will say that they have already paid half of £100,000.

To respond, click here, email [email protected] or write to “ASC charging reform consultation, Department of Health and Social Care, Third floor north, 39 Victoria Street, London, SW1H 0EU”.

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