A couple of observations:
If the husband is 64, he will be claiming Pension Credit instead of Income Support. Also, Social Services cannot award either of these benefits – only the DWP can (Pensions Service for Pension Credit).
If the clmt gets the [u:7d7e8d10fa][b:7d7e8d10fa]guaranteed[/b:7d7e8d10fa][/u:7d7e8d10fa] element of Pension Credit, the LA must ignore the clmt’s income and capital – although this should still be fully disclosed to the LA.
If the clmt does not get the guaranteed element of PC, but still gets the [u:7d7e8d10fa][b:7d7e8d10fa]savings credit[/b:7d7e8d10fa][/u:7d7e8d10fa] element, the LA is normally bound by the income & capital figures used by the Pensions Service (i.e. the “Assessed Income Figure”).
If a claim has been made for savings credit element, but it was unsuccessful, the LA has a choice – it can follow the figures used by the Pension Service, or make its own decision.
For Pension Credit only, there is no capital limit. But, if the clmt is not entitled to the guaranteed element, the normal £16,000 limit applies for HB/CTB.
If there is no involvement of Pension Credit, the LA should simply make its own decision on capital (and income) as normal.
If the husband and wife are maintaining genuinely separate households, he will be able to apply for HB/CTB as any other single clmt. To decide whether the former home counts as capital, you’ll need to look at [b:7d7e8d10fa]Schedule 6 of the HBRs (SPC)[/b:7d7e8d10fa].
new.hbinfo.org.com/menu2/pchbregs06/schedule6_06pc.shtml
Hope the above helps.
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