The need for residential care for the elderly is growing. This care has to be paid for, and so many elderly New Zealanders (or more usually, their children) are applying to the Ministry of Social Development for residential care subsidies.
The process sees you wading through paperwork and digging around for copies of ancient records, before you finally send off your application and hope for the best.
Then you may receive a letter from the Ministry, which says something about “a Court decision” and how it “clarified what may be considered asset deprivation”. The letter never quite gets around to telling you which Court made the decision, or when it was made, or the actual substance of the clarification. This initial rejection may not feel very encouraging and your first instinct will probably be to give up.
Don’t give up.
There is no denying that it is not getting any easier to qualify for a residential care subsidy. However, it is often worth questioning the initial response. And while no victory is ever guaranteed, we have been able to help a number of clients ask the right questions and see their application through to success.
If you would like to discuss a residential care subsidy application give us a call (03) 477 8080