The Care Act and the Cap on Care Costs

The cap will become law from 1st April 2016.

Much of the detail about the cap is still being worked out by the government, so some information in this briefing might change.

1

LIMIT

Many people currently pay for their own adult social care and support.

In the future there will be a limit to how much people pay for their care. This limit is called the ‘cap on care costs’, or the ‘cap’.

2

The cap will be £72,000 if you are assessed as having an eligible need for adult social care support when you are of pensionable age.

The cap on care costs will be £0 if you are assessed as having an ongoing eligible need for adult social care support before your 18th birthday.

3

The cap will only begin after you have been assessed as having an eligible need for adult social care support from 1st April 2016.

It will not count money you have spent before 1st April 2016.

The government has not yet said what the cap on care costs will be for someone who is assessed as having eligible needs when they are aged between 18 and pensionable age.

4

Your progress towards the cap will be monitored through a care account.

Once you reach the cap, the local authority will pay any ongoing reasonable care costs to meet your eligible needs.

To work how quickly you will reach the cap, the local authority will assess you and tell you how much it would pay to meet your eligible needs.

These are your reasonable care costs, and form your independent personal budget.

5

You may spend more on meeting your needs than what your independent personal budget says, either before or after you reach the cap. This is called a top-up.

A top-up does not count towards your cap.

You might top-up because you want to pay for a service that is not essential to meeting your eligible needs.

6

The cap does not include your living costs of staying in a residential home.

These are the costs for your food, rent, electricity and gas, which you would have to pay if you lived at home.

The government says these could be up to £12,000 a year.

7

You would still have to pay your living costs even after you reach the cap.

If you cannot afford to pay for your living costs, you will get help to pay.

The Care Act regulations and guidance: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/updating-our-care-and-support-system-draft-regulations-and-guidance

Department of Health factsheets: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/care-act-2014-part-1-factsheets

The impact of the Care Act on Surrey (including video): www.surreycc.gov.uk/careact

If you would like to know more regarding Surrey’s response to the Care Act, please email: careact@surreycc.gov.uk

Or write to: The Care Act Project Team, Room G34, Surrey County Council, County Hall, Penhryn Road, Kingston-upon-Thames, KT1 2DN

Further information