17.1 This section looks at how the council charges where people are receiving care and support in their own home, and in any other accommodation setting such as in extra care housing, supported living accommodation or shared lives arrangements.
Disposable income
17.2 Statutory guidance states local authorities may choose to disregard additional sources of income, set maximum charges, or charge a person a percentage of their disposable income, but this should not lead to two people with similar needs, and receiving similar types of care and support, being charged differently.
17.3 The council includes the full amount of someone’s disposable income when assessing how much they can pay towards their care.
The Minimum Income Guarantee (MIG)
17.4 The charging arrangements outlined in this policy for meeting care and support in a person’s own home, and in any other accommodation setting such as in extra care housing, supported living accommodation or shared lives arrangements, will ensure that a person has enough money to meet basic day-to-day living expenses.
17.5 The charging rules must ensure they have enough money to meet these costs. After charging, a person must be left with the Minimum Income Guarantee (MIG), as set out in the Care and Support (Charging and Assessment of Resources) Regulation 2014.
17.6 To further support people with care and support needs, following consultation in 2024, the council have increased the Minimum Income Guarantee set by central government by £5 per week for people living or funded by Gloucestershire County Council.
17.7 The central government, and council Minimum Income Guarantee can be found in appendix 3.
Disability Related Expenditure
17.8 Disability Related Expenditure (DRE) is the additional costs that someone with a disability or long-term health condition may incur as a result of their disability or condition. Although we usually check whether additional costs are covered in their care plan, DREs are not restricted to costs related to eligible needs. DRE includes any additional costs incurred as a result of a disability or ongoing condition.
17.9 Disability related expenditures are considered when:
- the extra cost is needed to meet your specific need due to a medical condition or disability, as identified in your care and support assessment of needs; and
- the cost is reasonable and can be verified; and
- it is not reasonable for a lower cost or free alternative item or service to be used. If a lower cost alternative item or service could have been used, the expense considered will be the lower cost
17.10 The council will consider each individual expense during the financial assessment and may request that evidence is provided before including the cost.
17.11 See Appendix 4 for more information on DREs
Property
17.12 A person’s main home will not be included as capital for the non-residential assessment, except where the person has not occupied that property for 52 weeks.
17.13 Any other property, or beneficial interest in property will be counted as capital in the non-residential assessment.
Disability benefits
17.14 Following consultation in 2024, the council has decided to use it’s discretion when considering how much of someone’s daily living component of disability benefits (PIP, DLA, AA) is included as income in the financial assessment.
17.15 The council will not include the difference between lower/standard rate disability benefits and the higher rate.
17.16 This means if a person receives higher rate disability benefits, the standard rate will only be included in the financial assessment.
When care is not received
17.17 When the council arranges services for a person, they are expected to contribute the full amount of their contribution each week.
17.18 The person will be charged for the actual amount of care received, not on planned care.
17.19 This means, if the person does not have a care call, they will not be charged for it except where the weekly cost of actual care received is still more than the client contribution.
Example: George pays £100 per week towards care which actually costs £630 per week (£90 a day). If George is away for 2 days, his care for the remaining 5 days will still cost £450 so George will still have to pay £100 for his care that week. But if George is away for 6 days, his care for the week will only cost £90 (1 day) so George will only pay £90 for that week.
17.20 In supported accommodation and shared care arrangements, the person must still pay shared care costs while away. This is because the placement and the care services that support it have continue while the person is away.
17.21 A person should inform the Adult Social Care helpdesk of planned hospital admissions, or holidays 2 weeks prior to event to allow communication to the care provider, and to ensure their invoices remain correct.
