Does anyone know how the DWP and LAs manage the transition when a self-funding care home resident in receipt of AA becomes eligible and makes a claim for LA funding?

There is inevitably a gap between the application for funding and the award decision, and then backdating to the date of application.

But is AA paid in the meantime recoverable? My client is the attorney of a care home resident who was in that position, and she has been asked to repay AA which continued to be paid between the LA funding application and the date several months later of the backdated award.

My client promptly notified the department of the award of LA funding, but not of her application for it

As far as I can see the notifiable c of c is the award of LA funding not the application, and so I don't see that there was any failure to disclose.

But because this scenario would apply in every such instance, is there something in place to enable the DWP to get their money back without having to rely on overpayment recovery? eg do LAs contact the DWP before awarding backdated funding and offset overlapping AA payments?