Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 16 April 2014
27. Deputy John Halligan asked the Minister for Social Protection the way the medical assessment criteria differ for certain applications within her Department, particularly in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Waterford; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17574/14]
View answerThe Department has a range of social welfare payments which provide financial support to people with disabilities and their carers. The medical conditions for the receipt of carer’s allowance (CA) and invalidity pension (IP) are not the same and qualification for the latter scheme does not guarantee qualification for the former scheme. For CA, the person receiving care is regarded as requiring full-time care and attention where:
- He or she is so incapacitated as to require continuous supervision in order to avoid danger to him or herself or continual supervision and frequent assistance throughout the day in connection with normal bodily functions; and
- He or she is so incapacitated as to be likely to require full-time care and attention for a period of at least twelve months;
- He or she is under 16 and getting a Domiciliary Care Allowance.
The qualifying conditions for IP are different. To qualify for IP, you must:
- have been incapable of work for at least 12 months and be likely to be incapable of work for at least another 12 months; or
- be permanently incapable of work.
Other conditions apart from medical must also be satisfied in order to qualify for the above schemes.
The CA case in question was disallowed on the grounds that the care recipient is not so disabled as to require full-time care and attention as prescribed in regulations. The person in question has appealed this decision and has submitted additional medical evidence in support of the application. This additional evidence is being reviewed. Once this review is completed the person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome.
