Under section 69 of the Health Act, 1970, health boards, in assessing eligibility for disabled person's maintenance allowance, are obliged to have regard to the means of both the applicant and his or her spouse.
I am aware of differences between the assessment of means for disabled persons maintenance allowance and for social assistance schemes operated by the Department of Social Welfare and of the Ombudsman's views in this regard. Some of these are more favourable to disabled person's maintenance allowance applicants, most notably in the means assessment of disabled people living at home with their parents where the value of board and lodgings is not taken into account. In contrast, the value of board and lodgings is taken into account in assessing eligibility for unemployment assistance.
I am, however, concerned that assessment of spouse's earnings is less favourable under the disabled person's maintenance allowance scheme. My Department is currently examining the cost implications of bringing the method of assessing a spouse's earnings under the disabled person's maintenance allowance scheme into line with arrangements that apply to social assistance schemes operated by the Department of Social Welfare.
