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More Good News For Existing And New Entrants To The Fair Deal

The recent amendments to legislation for the Nursing Home Support Scheme/ Fair Deal finally came into effect on the 20th of October 2021 after been signed into law in late July. The HSE have now issued their interpretation and guidelines regarding the application of these rules.

While the benefits to Farming and Business families have been much publicised in newspapers and articles with regards to the exemption of farming and business assets after three years for qualifying persons, the good news with regards to what can be done with regards to the family home will benefit many more existing and new potential applicants of the Fair Deal/Nursing Home Support Scheme.

More Good News For Existing And New Entrants To The Fair Deal
When the amended legislation was first signed into law it stated that after three years in a Nursing Home a property can now be sold and no contribution from the proceeds would be sought thereafter.  (Previously selling the property this exemption was lost if the property was sold and the applicant had to pay a cash asset contribution on the proceeds.) This was a major disincentive for residents to sell their homes during their lifetime and has resulted in many unoccupied homes throughout the country owned by nursing home residents.

In the newly issued guidelines, the HSE will now allow a resident to sell their home once their application is approved and they are in care. The net proceeds will be charged as a cash asset until the client is resident in the nursing home for three years after which the net proceeds will be no longer chargeable.

This amendment will free many families up from having to worry about empty houses and how to deal with them and should ultimately speed up the administration of estates once the resident has passed. It should also go a long way to freeing up much needed housing currently lying empty.

While this is good news for many, I strongly recommend that advice is sought before deciding to sell the home as in some cases the properties may not be able to be sold due to lack of capacity of the owners, there may be implications on the persons continued participation/ eligibility for the fair deal, and it will not benefit all residents in particular those based in Dublin with higher value homes.

If you need advice on these changes, please contact us at Fair Deal Advice by phone 086 601,5042 or email advice@fairdealadvice.ie  or visit our website www.fairdealadvice.ie

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Corinne Culloty
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The Fair Deal process can be cumbersome, complicated and hugely stressful. Tom’s guidance, support and reassurance have been invaluable to our family. He is calm and composed in his approach, rational and practical in his assistance and always responsive, whether by email or phone, while furnishing us along the way with much valued spreadsheets and back-up material. I just wish we had engaged with Tom sooner…
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Conor O'Kane
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Absolutely outstanding service. Highly recommended. Tom has a huge amount of experience with the Fair Deal process. Really helped us navigate the process during a difficult time. Thank-you.
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Ursula Scarrfecody
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I cannot recommend Tom's expertise highly enough . His calm and reassuring manner and his knowledge in the field of fairdeal is a breadth of fresh air .When I was at my wits end with a very stressful experience regarding a fair deal application he rang me back promptly . His advise and help were invaluable .I just wish I'd known about this service before I applied . I advise everyone going through this process to seek professional help and you won't go wrong with a phonecall to Tom. Thank you for your help .
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Mary Collins-Smith
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We contacted Tom for advice on my mothers care when my sister and I traveled to Ireland to visit our mother who was waiting to be discharged to a Nursing Home from CUH. His advice was thorough and he was able to assess my mothers financial needs very quickly. His expertise, follow up, and professionalism were highly evident. Tom sees things through and he takes his professional role seriously. We will continue to refer to Tom on my mothers loan application process for her care. I am relieved to have found someone like Tom to help us navigate the nursing home process. A million thanks, Tom for all your help! I am happy to know you.
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Mary O'Driscoll
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Tom is exceptional. His calm, reassuring expertise and ability cuts through the mind numbing complexity of the Fair Deal and supports when you are making difficult & heart-breaking decisions. Our Dad had died unexpectedly just days after our mother had transferred in an emergency situation into full-time care. Thus, the original Fair Deal application was null & void. We were dealing with grief, anxiety over our mother’s care and dread over how her care would be funded. After one discussion with Tom, a weight lifted off our shoulders and we had a clear approach to manage our revised Fair Deal application. If I had known of Tom’s existence, I would have persuaded my Dad to have spoken to him years ago. He would have put my Dad and all of us on the best financial pathway to not only provide the best care for my mother but would have removed the dread and fear that my Dad felt, believing he was going to lose everything trying to fund my mother’s care. My advice would be to contact Tom years in advance of needing care funding; ask him to do a Fair Deal financial assessment and create a financial plan. You will sleep better at night!
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Jim Dore
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I was directed to Tom by my attorney in July, regarding my mothers accelerated need for full time care. Living overseas and not knowing what I didn't know, Tom was a phenomenal resource to help me understand the ins & outs of the long term care options. It is by far the best investment one can make before proceeding down this path, absolutely invaluable advice & insight. Not cheap but you certainly get what you pay for - from the moment I reviewed everything with Tom, I had a huge sense of relief about the process.
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Bastable-Warren Irish-Dancers
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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.
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Brian Mac manus
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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.
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Bernie Walsh
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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.