Means testing for Disabled Facilities Grants (Intermediate)

Overview

Anyone needing adaptations to be made to a dwelling to facilitate occupancy by a disabled person can apply to their local authority for financial assistance in carrying out the work.

Any grant made will depend on the cost of the work to be done, and of the financial circumstances of the disabled person.

Course purpose

To enable those who already have some experience of the disabled facilities grant means-testing process to update and expand their knowledge.

The course follows the overall structure of the scheme: - applications, personal allowances and premiums, the assessment of income and capital - but is designed to give space to allow for consideration of the issues that cause most difficulty in practice.

• Relevant persons and applicants
• Tenants and owners
• Grants for children and young people
• Grant recovery
• Age rules - what is "the qualifying age for state pension credit"?
• The carer's and severe disability premiums
• Assessing the incomes of company directors and the self-employed
• Treatment of Employment and Support Allowance
• Income and capital from trusts arising from personal injury compensation
• Policies of life assurance
• The Personal Independence Payment
• The issues around Council Tax Reduction schemes and "passporting"
• Universal Credit and how it maps to the DFG scheme

Course objectives

• Decide who is, or is not, eligible to apply for a grant in difficult cases
• Decide when the means-test is being applied to a tenant or an owner
• Identify who comprises the relevant person's "family"
• Be comfortable that they can spot the unusual as well as the usual in awarding personal allowances and premiums
• Understand what comprises income & capital, what is taken into account, and where specific amounts are ignored
• Understand the mathematics of the calculation of contribution to cost of works
• Calculate self-employed income, tax and national insurance
• Be aware of changes in broader benefit rules and structures, and how those are reflected in the DFG means-test

Course structure

• On screen presentations
• Demonstration examples
• Participant case studies
• Open discussion

Who this course is for

Anyone with experience of the disabled facilities grants system, and/or who have attended the Introductory course, who wishes to refresh, update and expand their knowledge.

Who this course is NOT for

Those entirely new to means-testing for housing grants, who should attend the Introductory course first. Those who wish for a seminar style course about policy and the operation of the Act (who should consider the Law and Policy course).

We strongly recommend a period of consolidation between taking the Introductory and Intermediate courses.

Tutor – Clive Martin

Fantastic trainer. Informative and very knowledgeable – A1 Housing
Very knowledgeable and interested in the subject area – Selby DC
Entertaining & Informative – South Tyneside Council
Brilliant tutor, clear, concise and fun too. – Eastbourne BC
Clive was very informative and engaging – Colchester BC
Excellent style of teaching – Warwick DC

Intermediate Means Testing for Disabled Facilities Grants course
The course covered all I needed to know and more - A1 Housing
Good mix of theory/powerpoint and exercises, plus opportunity to ask questions. Delivered at the right pace, with good examples and with humour – Barnsley MBC
The course served as a great refresher in my training, as well as finding out about PIP etc – Colchester BC
Very useful day – Ferret courses are always of a very high standard and I always glean new ideas and information– Cherwell DC
Very good course – very informative and Clive delivered all the information well and with enthusiasm. The whole group seemed to enjoy the course – Eastleigh BC
Really enjoyable training session. Fantastic interjections of humour and wit by trainer broke the session up really well – South Northamptonshire Council
Great course. All the elements I needed to know about were covered – Eastbourne BC