Hi All,
I'll try to cut a long story as short as possible and would be very appreciative of constructive advice and pointers.
My mother, really and truly through no fault of her own lost her pension entitlements. She was last means tested in 2009 and had being receiving her pension since.
In the meantime my father who has a considerable amount of money saved got my mother to sign bank account applications to apply for joint accounts. This was on the back of advice from bank personnel who informed him that as my mother is disabled that if her name was on the accounts that he would not have to pay D.I.R.T tax. My mother did not think too much of this and just signed the applications. She also thought it would be a wise move in the event that he pre-deceased her.
Trouble is that social welfare recently cross referenced her PPS number on these bank accounts in which there is a considerable sum saved (between €250k and €300k) and asked her to submit the bank account statements for a review. With some considerable effort she acquired them from the banks and supplied them to social welfare and fully co-operated.
Within the last few days she received word that she lost of her pension payments (disability allowance) and associated benefits such as fuel allowance etc. Effectively she has no income anymore. Furthermore this is just an interim decision. Social welfare it seems from the letter may seek repayment of pension monies paid to her since 2009 from what I gather in reading the letter.
This brings me onto my father. Being honest I have not spoken to the man in a number of years. He has being a very very tight and uncooperative man down through the years and has gotten worse and worse as the years progressed. My mother is disabled from an illness that progressively worsened as the years passed. Before that she was a housewife who reared me and my siblings. My father has always very much held the purse strings and chucked money into the bank while the house around him and himself for that matter has gone to rack and ruin. The type of guy who wouldn't in a month of Sunday even buy himself a new pair of shoes or underpants....a sorry situation really. Gets very arrogant and argumentative whenever we pleaded with him to spend some money on the house. Anyway wont dwell any further as its probably not too constructive to the thread.
Ironically and don't have a clue how but his pension is not means tested. Apart from working in England in his younger years I don't believe he ever worked officially in this country apart from some casual work from time to time with local farmers where he was not "on the books". He has being carer for my mother for the past 15-20 years so can only guess that may be the reason why. He also got word that he lost €20 per week off his pension but I believe that may be as a result of being a carer for my mother.
Which all leads me to the question. Short of divorcing my father and not pursuing him for half the money (which she does not want to do) is there anyway possible that my mother may be able to appeal this decision favourably?
Maybe I'm taking a very simplistic view of this but if the money was withdrawn from the banks and she were to say it was make a declaration it were spent and reapply after a number of months or a year would she be granted the pension again? After all very few pubs give receipts etc....so whos to say how the money was spent, whos to know how much was spent on the house etc etc. My father has agreed to this and said he would spend some of it on the house but unlikely to happen. More than likely it would end up being mattress money. All very very risky business as the house isin't even insured and cant see him insuring it either. My own means are quite limited to allow for this expense also. Either way I'm not too bothered about that money. It was saved at a great expense down through the years and cant see any good ever coming from it at this stage.
What I am bothered about more than anything is my mothers pension and seeking advice on how she possibly may be able to qualify for it again.
Sorry my post it long and drawn out and more than likely not that well drafted but would really appreciate any useful advice or pointers, thanks.
ps. If any clarification is sought on anything I overlooked to mention I will happily provide to the best of my ability
I'll try to cut a long story as short as possible and would be very appreciative of constructive advice and pointers.
My mother, really and truly through no fault of her own lost her pension entitlements. She was last means tested in 2009 and had being receiving her pension since.
In the meantime my father who has a considerable amount of money saved got my mother to sign bank account applications to apply for joint accounts. This was on the back of advice from bank personnel who informed him that as my mother is disabled that if her name was on the accounts that he would not have to pay D.I.R.T tax. My mother did not think too much of this and just signed the applications. She also thought it would be a wise move in the event that he pre-deceased her.
Trouble is that social welfare recently cross referenced her PPS number on these bank accounts in which there is a considerable sum saved (between €250k and €300k) and asked her to submit the bank account statements for a review. With some considerable effort she acquired them from the banks and supplied them to social welfare and fully co-operated.
Within the last few days she received word that she lost of her pension payments (disability allowance) and associated benefits such as fuel allowance etc. Effectively she has no income anymore. Furthermore this is just an interim decision. Social welfare it seems from the letter may seek repayment of pension monies paid to her since 2009 from what I gather in reading the letter.
This brings me onto my father. Being honest I have not spoken to the man in a number of years. He has being a very very tight and uncooperative man down through the years and has gotten worse and worse as the years progressed. My mother is disabled from an illness that progressively worsened as the years passed. Before that she was a housewife who reared me and my siblings. My father has always very much held the purse strings and chucked money into the bank while the house around him and himself for that matter has gone to rack and ruin. The type of guy who wouldn't in a month of Sunday even buy himself a new pair of shoes or underpants....a sorry situation really. Gets very arrogant and argumentative whenever we pleaded with him to spend some money on the house. Anyway wont dwell any further as its probably not too constructive to the thread.
Ironically and don't have a clue how but his pension is not means tested. Apart from working in England in his younger years I don't believe he ever worked officially in this country apart from some casual work from time to time with local farmers where he was not "on the books". He has being carer for my mother for the past 15-20 years so can only guess that may be the reason why. He also got word that he lost €20 per week off his pension but I believe that may be as a result of being a carer for my mother.
Which all leads me to the question. Short of divorcing my father and not pursuing him for half the money (which she does not want to do) is there anyway possible that my mother may be able to appeal this decision favourably?
Maybe I'm taking a very simplistic view of this but if the money was withdrawn from the banks and she were to say it was make a declaration it were spent and reapply after a number of months or a year would she be granted the pension again? After all very few pubs give receipts etc....so whos to say how the money was spent, whos to know how much was spent on the house etc etc. My father has agreed to this and said he would spend some of it on the house but unlikely to happen. More than likely it would end up being mattress money. All very very risky business as the house isin't even insured and cant see him insuring it either. My own means are quite limited to allow for this expense also. Either way I'm not too bothered about that money. It was saved at a great expense down through the years and cant see any good ever coming from it at this stage.
What I am bothered about more than anything is my mothers pension and seeking advice on how she possibly may be able to qualify for it again.
Sorry my post it long and drawn out and more than likely not that well drafted but would really appreciate any useful advice or pointers, thanks.
ps. If any clarification is sought on anything I overlooked to mention I will happily provide to the best of my ability