Appointeeship

Appointees are appointed by the Department of Work & Pensions (DWP).

If a person lacks the mental capacity to manage their own finances, an Appointee can be instructed to administer that person’s state benefits. This is the extent of an Appointees control. The responsibilities of an Appointee include:

• claiming benefits for the client, including completing and signing any claim forms
• collecting/receiving benefit payments for the client
• reporting any changes in the client’s circumstances
• paying any relevant expenses that the client is due to pay eg. residential care home charges
• reporting any changes in their own circumstances that the DWP may require

It is important to note that if a client is in receipt of any other income apart from state benefits, or has funds held within a bank account, then an application to the Court of Protection (CoP) to become deputy for that person will be likely.

Professional Deputies has Corporate Appointee status with the DWP.