Fuel Allowance

1

149oaks

Registered User
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263
We applied for the Fuel Allowance and were refused. Following is the detail:
Wife on Invalidity Pension and I'm on currently on Carers Benefit - no savings.
The assesment was an Income Limit of €293.50 calculated as €193.50 (basic IP) + €100 = €293.50.
Means of €443.20 calculated as €293.50 (above) + €149.70 (Carers Benefit - €100), I know this is slightly wrong as Childrens payment of €44.70 should have been deducted.
But this doesn't change the fact that the Income Limit is based solely on the Applicant and the Means is based on all Income (apart from the fact that it's a Department Payment) even though there are 3 children and I'm a qualified adult.
With the Dep't website down I can't look it up there, so any advice welcome.
 
From Citizens Information http://www.citizensinformation.ie/e...a_social_welfare_benefits/fuel_allowance.html

Means test for Fuel Allowance

Fuel Allowance is a means-tested payment. If you are getting a non-contributory payment you are accepted as satisfying the means-test unless you are also getting a half-rate contributory payment (such as Illness Benefit, Jobseeker's Benefit or Injury Benefit) in addition to the non‑contributory payment (such as One-Parent Family Payment).
The Fuel Allowance means test is linked to the maximum rate of the State Pension (Contributory). You can have a combined weekly income of €100 above the maximum State Pension (Contributory) for your situation and still be eligible for a Fuel Allowance. This means that you can have capital of up to €58,000 (equivalent to €100 a week under the <capital means assessment rules> and be eligible for a Fuel Allowance.
For example:
The assessable income limit for a single person under 80 is €330.30 (€100 plus €230.30);
The assessable income limit for a couple (where the qualified adult is under 66) is €483.80 (€100 plus €230.30 plus €153.50)
The assessable income limit for a couple (where the qualified adult is 66 or over) is €536.60 (€100 plus €230.30 plus €206.30)
If you are over 80, add an extra €10 to the appropriate DSP payment rate.
Click to expand...
 
Thanks for the reply and I should have added that their website states the Limit is €483. I spoke to the Dep't re this and they said they go by whats on welfare.ie only and according to this the limit is €293. So I called Citizens Advice who said that they would need to check whats on welfare.ie as thats what the Dep't will go by but the website has been own since the floods!!!
It's very confusing but somebody is wrong and I can't find out who?
 
Just to update as I appealed the decision and yesterday got notification that we will now receive the Allowance.
 
Fair play. How prompt did you find their replies?

I'm going through a similar process with them right now as well.
 
I had made a phone call and got through to who rejected it in the 1st place - this was a bit hard but I stuck with it. Anyway she knew it was coming and I sent the letter clearly outlining the Dep't rules and why it should have been allowed on Nov 9. Got letter on Tuesday and money in A/C today. So 2 weeks in total which is amazing but the key was speaking to who rejected it in the first place.
 
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