Persons in receipt of Invalidity Pension or Illness Benefit (the latter for a minimum of 26 weeks) who wish to return to work are eligible for Partial Capacity Benefit (PCB) for a period if their capacity for work is reduced as a result of their medical condition.
The personal rate of payment of PCB is based on a medical assessment of a person’s restriction regarding their capacity for work and whether the person was in receipt of Illness Benefit or Invalidity Pension (i.e. their existing rate of payment). After the medical assessment, if a person's restriction on their capacity for work is assessed as moderate, severe or profound their payment continues at 50, 75 or 100 per cent of their existing rate, respectively. If assessed as ‘mild’ they will not qualify for PCB.
The duration a person can be in receipt of PCB is linked to the payment they moved from, subject to a maximum of 156 weeks.
In the case of Illness Benefit, the maximum duration of the payment is 624 payment days (104 weeks) and this applies for PCB (less the 26 weeks required to be eligible for the scheme). In the case of Invalidity Pension the maximum duration of 156 weeks applies.
The Department contacts customers 13 weeks in advance of the end date of the payment duration period and the correspondence issued outlines options for the customer to consider prior to the payment ceasing.
Where a person completes their allowed period on PCB, a new application can be made. The application must meet all the eligibility criteria including, in the case of persons in receipt of Illness Benefit, the requirement to have completed 26 weeks in receipt of the payment. I have no plans at this stage to change this requirement, which I consider a proportionate requalification period for a payment of up to three years in duration.
Apart from the above, my Department also provides support under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme, for people who finds themselves in financial difficulties. The Department may also make an exceptional needs payment (ENP) to help meet essential, once-off expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet from their weekly income.
