Perhaps you missed 'Why pay at all ?' last time ?
Anyway, this is part 2 entitled:
'If paying for long term care can't be avoided, who should have to do it ?’
The crux of the matter is whether the NHS should pay, or your parents. Should they have to find the money from savings or by selling their house, or should the NHS be responsible ?
Of course, you don't want it to be your parents, because that sees your inheritance more or less confiscated and at £30,000 a year it doesn't take long before the money's completely gone. However, local authorities are very good at making sure that the buck stops with your parents for the payments; they go through the decision making process involved all the time, probably several times every day. They and their professional colleagues are experts at it, and crucially, they are the ones who take the decisions as to who should pay. Does this sound like a level playing field to you? I thought not.
Of course, you can put your point of view forward but you are in a distinct minority in this situation. The state decides who should pay but their decision making process is often flawed in their favour, which is what you would expect. They can easily misinterpret national guidelines to give you the answer you don't want to hear.
You can appeal against their decision, but on what grounds ? Don't get frustrated and angry about it though; before you start, it makes sense to take some (fixed fee) legal advice from experts who know at least as much about the process as the other side, and can help you to maximise the chances of an appeal being decided in your favour. Many thousands of pounds rest on the decisions taken and if it goes the wrong way for you the outcome is likely to be horrendous for your inheritance.
Philip Martin
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