Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 5 November 2013
1154. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health if people over 70 years are being requested as part of the medical card review process to place a valuation on their family home; the reason this is relevant; if this change will apply to every review and not just the over-70s; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46460/13]
View answerFor the purposes of assessing income for an over-70s medical card, income from property (whether a family home, a holiday home or any other property) will only be included if the property is generating a rental income. The income to be assessed will be the actual rental income less any cost necessarily incurred associated with the rental of the property and such costs may include insurance premium, mortgage repayments, maintenance, etc.
Under the standard means assessment medical card, income from property is taken as the gross income received less any cost necessarily incurred associated with the property and such cost may include insurance premiums, mortgage repayments, maintenance etc.
Where land/buildings (other than the family home that is being lived in) are not being used but are capable of being leased or sold, then the following options can be applied to determine income for medical card/GP visit card eligibility assessment purposes, with the more beneficial option applying to the applicant:
- Notional assessment of the rental/lease “going rate” for the area.
- Assessment of capital value worked out on the basis of the formula set out in the Medical Card/GP Visit Card National Assessment Guidelines.
In cases where the latter option is applied, the applicant will be requested to provide a valuation for the property concerned. The valuation provided will then be subject to the formula to determine the amount to be taken into account as weekly income from this source for medical card/GP visit card eligibility assessment purposes.
