Nursing Home Support Scheme

The Nursing Home Support Scheme is a new scheme of financial support for people who need long-term nursing home care. Under this scheme, you are required to make a contribution towards your nursing home care. Your income and assets are subject to a financial assessment and you are required to contribute 80% of your assessable income and 5% of the value of any of your assets per annum. The first €36,000 of your assets, or €72,000 for a couple, will not be included in the financial assessment.

Your principal residence will only be included in the financial assessment for the first 3 years of your time in care. This is known as the 15% or "three year" cap. It means that you will pay a 5% contribution based on your principal residence for a maximum of three years regardless of the time you spend in nursing home care. After 3 years, even if you are still getting long-term nursing home care, you will not pay any further contribution based on the principal residence.

As part of this scheme, it is possible to apply for a Nursing Home Loan. This means that where your assets include land and property in the State, the 5% contribution per annum required under the scheme based on such assets may be deferred and collected from your estate.

In order to apply for the Nursing Home Loan you must provide written consent to having a Charging Order registered against your asset.

Where a person has reduced capacity and is not in a position to consent to the Nursing Home Loan and the Charging Order, an application can be made to the Circuit Court to have a care representative appointed.

We can make this application on your behalf. This involves drafting the necessary paperwork, advice in relation to the entitlement to be appointed as care representative, issuing the paperwork from the circuit court office and attending court in order to have the care representative appointed.

Our fee for same is approximately €800 plus VAT.