Written Answers. - Disability Allowance Scheme.
Richard Bruton
Question:
230
Mr. R. Bruton
asked the
Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs
if his attention has been drawn to the fact that many parents of children with permanent disabilities are extremely frustrated with the questions asked on the disability allowance form; and if he will arrange either for a special form for people with disabilities or a system of transfer from domiciliary care allowance with a minimum of bureaucracy.
[20566/01]
The disability allowance scheme administered by my Department replaced the disabled person's maintenance allowance scheme which had been administered by the health boards. Some 36,500 people transferred from disabled person's maintenance allowance to DA when the scheme was introduced in 1996. At the end of June there were 56,300 people receiving disability allowance.
Disability allowance, in common with all social welfare payments claims, must be made in the prescribed manner so that an applicant's entitlement can be determined. In the case of disability allowance the primary conditions for receipt of payment require that the applicant satisfies the relevant medical eligibility criteria and satisfies the means test which applies. Consequently both medical and means information are required from an applicant in the claim form.
From a customer service perspective, I am very conscious of the need to make claim forms as user-friendly as possible. The disability allowance claim form has been redesigned on several occasions with this in mind. In this regard, my Department operates a disability consultative forum comprised of the main representative organisations and service providers for people with disabilities. They provide feedback and advice to my Department on a wide range of issues, including ones which relate to customer service. They have not identified any specific problems with the questions on the claim form for disability allowance.
Ongoing efforts are made to ensure that claim forms meet the needs of customers. The disability allowance claim form, among others, was referred last year to a national customer panel of people with disabilities operated by my Department. The majority of the panel members expressed the view that the form was satisfactory and that it was easy to understand. A recent MRBI survey, carried out on behalf of my Department, revealed that 74% of customers found completing application forms to be quite easy and straightforward. The survey included recipients of disability allowance.
Additionally, my Department will in the near future be undertaking a customer survey of 1,000 disability allowance customers. Two of the survey questions will relate to the completion of the claim form. If problems are identified they will be addressed having regard to the feedback received from this survey.
Special administrative procedures have been put in place by my Department in respect of children for whom domiciliary care allowance is payable and subsequently apply for disability allowance. The health boards provide my Department with lists of domiciliary care allowance recipients three months in advance of their 16th birthday. Claim forms are automatically issued to the person concerned, their parents or guardians for completion.
The medical records of domiciliary care allowance recipients are confidential to the relevant health board and are not available to my Department. In addition, the medical criteria for award of disability allowance are different from those governing eligibility for domiciliary care allowance. Consequently, medical certification is required in respect of claims for disability allowance. Virtually all such claims are considered without recourse to medical examination.
No specific problems regarding these procedures have been brought to the attention of my Department and I am satisfied that they are designed to ensure an efficient and effective service.
