We work out what you can afford to pay towards your care, based on the information you give us in the financial assessment.
If you are unhappy with our assessment of what you can pay, you may appeal.
If you are unhappy with the way we handled your assessment, you can complain to us.
Things to consider before you make an appeal:
If you are unhappy with a decision we’ve made you can formally appeal.
You can appeal the decision by completing our online form.
Once in the form, select "First - if this is the first time you are appealing."
A senior member of our team, who was not involved in the assessment, will confirm receipt and investigate your appeal. You can expect us to respond within 21 working days from that date.
As part of our investigation, we may need to contact you, or another person such as your social worker or GP, for more information.
Once our investigation is complete, we will write to you. We will let you know about our investigation, conclusion and the outcome of your appeal.
You can ask for a review of the appeal decision.
You can appeal the decision by completing our online form.
Once in the form, select "Second - if you have already made an appeal but are unhappy with the outcome".
A senior member of our team, who was not involved in the original review, will confirm receipt and investigate your appeal. You can expect us to respond within 21 working days from that date.
As part of our investigation, we may need to contact you, or another person such as your social worker or GP, for more information.
Once our investigation is complete, we will write to you. We will let you know about our investigation, conclusion and the outcome of your second appeal review.
You can contact the Local Government Ombudsman to ask for an independent review of the decision.
Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, PO Box 4771, Coventry, CV4 0EH
Advice line: 0300 0610614 or 0845 6021983.
Ask for an independent review of a decision about what you pay for your care online.
Social care (care not provided by the NHS) is not free. You can apply to your local authority for assistance with funding towards the cost of your care if you cannot meet the full cost yourself. The local authority will work out what you are able to pay with a financial assessment.
Financial assessments are completed in line with the Care Act Guidance 2014.
You can find out more about what you must do if you:
Check the rules about making gifts.
Dorset Council adopts the minimum income guarantee set by the government to cover your living costs. From April 2022, the minimum income guarantee will go up in line with inflation each year. Find out more about the minimum income guarantee (Gov.uk).
Disability-related expenditure is an amount you are allowed to keep to cover expenses you have because of your disability.
These expenses should be detailed in your Care and Support plan. They will be considered if you have evidence, like receipts. Find out more about disability-related expenditure.
Yes. If you do not tell us about a change in your circumstances, we will backdate any resulting changes to the date of the change.
This includes changes to your benefits, even if the only change was the name of the benefit and the amount remains unchanged. This is because different benefits may be treated differently in your financial assessment.
Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and Personal Independence Payment (PIP) are different benefits and are treated differently in your assessment.
DLA pays an amount towards night care services and an amount for day care services. The amount you get for night care was not counted in your assessment.
But PIP does not include an amount paid for day and an amount paid for night care. So we count the total paid in your assessment.
If you are unhappy with your care and support, you should contact your Local Office.
If you have a query about an invoice or a payment plan, please contact the Credit Control team on 0300 3301373.
We are unable to give you financial or legal advice.
You may however get help from:
