Domiciliary care allowance (DCA) is paid in respect of children who have a disability requiring care and attention substantially in excess of that needed by a child of the same age without the disability. The need for the additional care and attention must be likely to last for at least 12 months. DCA, which is not means-tested, is payable in respect of qualified children to age 16 years, after which they may apply for disability allowance (DA) in their own right. Carer’s allowance (CA) may be payable in addition to DCA where all the conditions are satisfied.
The qualifying conditions for DA are different to DCA. To qualify for a DA payment a person must: be substantially restricted in undertaking suitable employment; be aged between 16 and 65; satisfy a means test; and be habitually resident in the State. Therefore a child is not automatically entitled to DA at age 16 simply because a DCA was in payment.
It is a condition for receipt of a carer’s allowance (CA) that the person being cared for must have a disability whose effect is that they require full-time care and attention.
For the purposes of CA, full-time care and attention is defined as requiring from another person continual supervision and frequent assistance throughout the day in connection with normal bodily functions or continuous supervision in order to avoid danger to him or herself and likely to require that level of care for at least twelve months.
Moreover, a person’s eligibility for DCA, DA and CA may change over time. My Department periodically reviews claims in payment to ensure that there is continued entitlement. CA cases where DCA is stopping due to the child reaching 16 years are not automatically reviewed at that time. Reviews of CA are selected based on various parameters including where medical advice indicates or where there is any other indication that any relevant circumstances may have changed. In addition, some reviews are randomly selected.
Following examination of all available evidence, where it is decided that a care recipient no longer requires full-time care and attention, the carer is given ample time to provide additional evidence before payment of CA is stopped. The person receiving an adverse decision is also offered the right of appeal to the independent social welfare appeals office. The options to have an adverse decision reviewed by a deciding officer or to appeal it are available across all the schemes operated by my department.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
