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Fair Deal Advice Blog

Honesty is The Only Policy When Submitting A Fair Deal Application

In my work running Fairdealadvice.ie, I am regularly engaged by clients to help resolve issues with Fair Deal/Nursing Home Support Scheme applications that have been submitted incorrectly. These errors have resulted in excessive contributions been taken by the HSE from applicants or under payments by the recipient sometimes for protracted periods before the errors have been discovered.

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While we can recover over payments for our clients, we often are engaged by clients to help resolve situations where underpayments have been made. Underpayments can occur due to to incorrect asset and income figures supplied deliberately or otherwise or delays in notification of the death of a spouse which changes the status of the person receiving Fair Deal financial assistance from a couple to a single person and results in the recipient’s pension and asset contributions doubling and allowances halving. Delays in notification can result in a substantial debt accumulating and where under declaration of income and assets is discovered the recipient of Fair Deal support can be removed from the Scheme and all underpayments and Fair Deal funding paid to date by the HSE will be reclaimed by the HSE.

Errors also occur typically due to lack of information been available at the time of application and often by people applying for the Fair Deal for a relative who do not have the necessary skills to complete the forms correctly and or who are stressed from the pressure and emotional distress of having to admit a loved one to long term care.

Most worrying however is bad advice from persons who are not qualified to advise or who don’t know the specific circumstances financial and otherwise of the applicant. From my experience these can be friends, relatives, medical professionals and even some financial advisers. Often this advice is not to declare all of a person’s assets and income to reduce the applicant’s contribution to their long- term care costs under the Fair Deal. A recent example of this was a friend of a client applying for the Fair Deal telling her that she did not declare all her assets when applying for the Fair Deal for her husband and her application was not audited.

The HSE will find out that a recipient of Fair Deal support has undeclared and undervalued assets and income only after the person has died. Before an estate can now be distributed and where the deceased was in receipt of Fair Deal support a copy of the Inland Revenue Affidavit in respect of the Deceased’s Estate is filed with the HSE for the purpose of obtaining a Certificate of Clearance prior to the distribution of the Estate. This allows the HSE to crosscheck the assets and income declared by the deceased person or their representative in their Fair Deal Application. Any discrepancies will result in the HSE recovering any loss it may have incurred by undeclared income and assets and may result in any subsidy given being recovered in full from the Estate. This will result in delays in the distribution and in a reduction in the value of the estate to be distributed.

I trust you find this article informative and helpful and it highlights to you the importance of ensuring that the information submitted on your application for Fair Deal is correct. If you are looking to apply for the Fair Deal and need help and advice regarding any aspect of the Fair Deal please contact me Tom Murray on 086 6015042 or at advice@fairdealadvice.ie. For further information visit our website www.fairdealadvice.ie.

At Fair Deal Advice we offer impartial advice to our Clients on the Fair Deal and are not linked to any financial institutions or will attempt to sell any financial or investment products to you.

Excellent
Based on 25 reviews
Bastable-Warren Irish-Dancers
Bastable-Warren Irish-Dancers
2021-04-27
I have had the privilege of using the service on 2 separate occasions and I can honestly say that it was the most professional service I received in the area of providing advice around that fair deal System run by the HSE. The cost of the service was more than out weighed by the savings accrued as a result of Toms expertise and advice throughout (several thousand euro in savings) We were so lucky to have an expert such as Tom who provided information, expertise and most of all personal advice during the entire process and cannot thank him enough for his support and assistance.
Brian Mac manus
Brian Mac manus
2021-04-27
Tom Murray Fair Deal was a huge help to us. He guided us the whole way through. His advice is impeccable. He responds to phone calls and e mails immediately and produces documents almost in real time. I could not emphasise too strongly the help Tom provided. Worth every penny. Thanks Tom.
Bernie Walsh
Bernie Walsh
2021-04-26
I contacted Tom for advice regarding the Fair Deal Scheme as my mother required full time care in a nursing home. Tom's expertise and advice was invaluable. He made the whole daunting process very easy. He had a list of required documents (some that I didn’t know I would need). He took the pain and worry out of the whole process and put my mind at rest. I cannot recommend Tom and this service highly enough. I consider this to be money well spent. Thanks Tom.
Tracey Moloney
Tracey Moloney
2021-04-23
Once you make the first call to Tom regarding the Fair Deal Scheme , he makes it all very easy to understand and navigates you easily through the process. The thought of Fair Deal can be daunting for any family but with Tom's assistance and knowledge of the scheme it was an easy process.
Kieran Boyle
Kieran Boyle
2021-02-11
Excellent advice, very professional
Liz Lyons
Liz Lyons
2020-11-10
We contacted Tom with regard to my parents needing Nursing Home care and the Fair Deal process. Tom's advice was absolutely invaluable to us and without his help we wouldn't have been able to get through this daunting and difficult process. We can't thank him enough for his advice and support and would have no hesitation in recommending him.
Rory Obrien
Rory Obrien
2020-11-03
I contacted Tom seeking advice on structuring a financial solution for both of my parent's long term care. Tom took the time to analyse in detail their particular needs and circumstances. This resulted in a long term sustainable financial solution under the Fair Deal Scheme. I would recommend Tom without hesitation, given the value his professional advise brought in guiding us to a long term sustainable financial solution.
Paul Phelan
Paul Phelan
2020-10-28
Gave excellent advice and fully answered my follow-up questions.
Ailish Martin
Ailish Martin
2020-08-11
We recently contacted Tom for help with the Fair Deal application process for our father. Although it is a process that can be quite daunting & ambiguous at times, Tom expertly guided us through. There wasn't a single question we had that he could not answer and apart from the financials at all, his extensive and insightful knowledge of the nursing home landscape was absolutely invaluable to us at such a difficult time. His response rate was extremely prompt at all times and he really went above and beyond for us. We could not possibly recommend Tom and his services enough.
John Boyle
John Boyle
2020-07-21
I contacted Tom for advice regarding the Fair Deal Scheme as my mother required full time care in a nursing home. Tom's advice was invaluable, his knowledge was exceptional and he was very understanding at this difficult time. I would not hesitate in recommending his services to anyone finding this process daunting. Thank you Tom for putting my mind at ease.