Just read on Martin's money tips that anyone living with a severe mental imparement which effects their social functioning and intelligence and Parkinsons was one of those mentioned, can be disregarded for council tax purposes! It covers a wide range of illnesses, so not just relevant for PSP/CBD? And any rebate can be claimed back as far as from 1993, even after the person with the imparement has passed away.
Does anyone else know about this?
I have just rang my council and asked for an application form for DISCOUNTED council tax for going forward and then I will ask it to be backdated to 2013, when my husband was first diagnosed. This apparently is not means tested.
It is yet another thing that we might be able to claim but is hidden from us!
I hope you all get on to your local councils.
Good old Martin Lewis
Denise X
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DenB
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Is the case if you have had house adapted but not sure if available just for disabling neurological conditions. Worth a try. we got exemption for 2 yr after adaptation now only 25% single person discount as M in a nursing home.
I have already had a discount for having a wheelchair in the house, could have had more if had adaptions for disability but this is a different discount. It is for mental health/ severe mental imparement conditions.
If Parkinsons was one of the medical conditions then PSP and CBD would qualify.
Stroke, Dementia and Altzheimers also qualified.
I will let everyone know what happens when I send back the application.
We have the man from the council visiting for that very reason. Adaptations allow for discount and mental impairment form has to be signed by GP which mine GP readily did. This allows for extra discount, this info was offered to me by the person I spoke to in the council tax department. Don't know what they class as severe but Ben can't function at many levels. Can't make decisions, discuss his finances with bank or financial advisor, lost his sense of direction, gets upset if conversation gets too challenging because he can't get his words out. In other words can't function cognitively at all without help. Hope that's all taken into account, fingers crossed.
Fingers crossed for you Kate but it sounds as though your husband, much the same as mine,is a good example of someone who should apply for the discount on the council tax.
Let me know how you get on.
I hope that it ends up being something that we can shout from the rooftops, to those who are in the same or similar situation to us, in the hope that it can be of benefit to them.
I have just re read the booklet that Parkinsons UK published on the Internet and it states that you may be able to claim for more than one discount ie disability discount and mental health discount, at the same time.
Thanks D. I've looked up what I am paying with the discount we get. I should be paying at the E band but it has been reduce to the D band as long a Colin is still living here. It is a reduction of £355.19 year. When we got this discount We wouldn't have got the mental incapacity reduction as Cs mental capacity was still very good then. It's probably still very good now except he can't tell me what he is thinking. He indicated he was able to understand the LPA form recently and hid his thumb when I suggested a certain witness, putting it up when I said a different name. That's the sad thing about PSP, he still knows exactly what's going on.
I think I'll phone the council tomorrow and ask about two discounts. I'll be very interested in knowing how things work out with you.
We had a discount because we converted the garage into a shower room and bedroom. (After A could no longer use the stairs). Someone came to assess the house, making sure that the main bathroom was still operational!
Yes we were getting a 25% discount due to 'severe mental impairment' up until D went into the nursing home. There was a form to fill in, which can be downloaded on line, which then had to be signed by the GP. He had no hesitation in doing that.
When I read a about this,from Martin Lewis' e-mail this morning,(I am signed up for Martin's money tips,emails ) my first thought was to let everyone else on this site know about it, as I hadn't heard about it before and knew others might not have come across it either.
Yes we have recently been granted this, it's effectively a 25 % rebate so the partner is classed as a single person for the rates due. The form can be downloaded from your local council web site, GP has to declare and sign. X
We got the 25% discount, had to fill in a form and send a copy of the Attendance Allowance that G has, and hey presto no problem, discount given and backdated to the date of the Attendance Allowance starting.
I believe that there might be a discount in water bills, but I haven't tackled that one yet.
We are living in rented accommodation at the moment, we've been offered alterations but can't have them due to renting.
it is called a SMI payment this with the adaptions to the house has cut our council tax by £50 per month. the form from the council just requires a dr's signature PSP will not be listed so don't be put off you will be eliglble! i was told by our localgovt hub when applying for adaption reduction, i have posted previously to let peeps know so hopefully again we can raise awareness!
The local PSP a support group told me about this discount for severe mental impairment and it has taken a while to be processed but I actually got amended council tax bill this week with the 25% off. The GP was sent a form to sign by the council after I filled mine for the discount so that probably why it took long to be processed as sat in GPS tray no doubt.
I didn't know there was another discount for disability. What are the rules for this?
The disabled discount applies if you have a wheelchair that is used and has to be stored indoors and I think you can get a bit more of a discount, if you have had to make adaptions in the home solely for the use of someone with a disability, ie had a wet room installed but still have another bathroom.
You can look these things up on your local council website because I might not have told you completely, accurately.
If you lose the use of a room or maybe to have a through floor lift installed then you can get a council tax rebate.
Also, I moved David in with me, and I used to get the single persons discount, but because I am his carer as well as partner, I can fill in a form twice a year Which is just one sheet, and keep the single occupancy discount in the form of a carer discount, which is a nice touch.
Also, I am in the process of having the second bedroom turned into a bathroom/wet room. If you leave the original bathroom in situ, and have the newly changed room as well you can claim some rebate, I found out as the council seemed desperate to turn the original really small bathroom into a storeroom (which suited me) and I asked why, and that was the explanation.
The council man came to check us out regarding reduced council tax. He wanted to see Ben's PIP payment documents to ensure he was getting both elements of PIP payment which means it is the enhanced rate, also to see wet room and wheelchair. Will be backdated to when he started to get PIP payment in January. The doctor had already signed the form for mental impairment. We are now entitled to reduced rate for single person as Ben is discounted because of his illness and also will get another discount for the mental impairment which for some reason will be backdated to when he started to use a wheelchair. Think I have this my facts correct but definitely will get both reductions.
Thanks for that information. We applied to the council and within a week they reduced our council tax by £16 per month. It just goes to show that all these things we didn't know about are a great help. Thankyou once again!
Thanks for the information about discounted council tax.
We got onto our council, filled a form in and within a week a chap came round from the council.( Just to make sure we were telling the truth). Now we have a reduction of £16 per mth.
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Brain study results received. CBD - instead of PSP
Personal budget for healthcare from the NHS
Tax relief for Carers, Nursing Homes and Medical Expenses UK
