Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 13 July 2017
783. Deputy James Browne asked the Minister for Health the timeframe for children who are recipients of domiciliary care allowance to be approved for full medical cards without assessments as promised in July 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34339/17]
View answerDomiciliary Care Allowance (DCA) medical cards have been certified for use since 1 June 2017. From this date, children for whom a DCA is paid automatically qualify for a medical card without assessment.
For a child in receipt of DCA but who currently does not have a DCA medical card, the parent or guardian must register for the scheme either online or through a paper-based form. For a child who held a medical card (under discretion or otherwise) prior to 1 June 2017 and who is in receipt of DCA, the HSE will have automatically issued them a DCA medical card. For a child who held a GP Visit Card (under discretion or otherwise) prior to 1 June 2017, their card will have been automatically upgraded by the HSE to a full DCA medical card.
