Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 31 May 2022
455. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Social Protection if her Department has made any changes to the eligibility for the domiciliary care allowance payment to reflect the changes made to the assessment of needs process by the HSE in 2021; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27377/22]
View answerDomiciliary Care Allowance (DCA) is payable in respect of children, aged under 16, who have a severe disability resulting in the need for substantial extra care and attention compared to other children of the same age without that disability. The child must be likely to require full-time care and attention for at least 12 months. Eligibility is determined on the additional care required by the child and not on the particular disability.
Before a decision is made on a claim for DCA, the deciding officer forwards the application in its entirety, including all the medical evidence supplied, to one of the Department's medical assessors for their professional opinion on the care needs resulting from the disability. The deciding officer, having received the opinion of the medical assessor, then examines the application in full before making a decision.
All medical evidence provided by qualified professionals in regard to the diagnosis of the child's medical condition, the prognosis of the condition and the impact on the child's care needs is carefully considered by both the medical assessor and deciding officer before reaching a decision on
eligibility.
An applicant may supply evidence, medical or otherwise, and this can include reports from specialists or other professionals who know the child and their individual needs but there is no specific requirement to provide this information.
As part of the Budget 2022 measures, the period of time in which DCA is paid in circumstances where a child up to the age of 16, is hospitalised on a full-time basis for an extended period has increased from 13 weeks to 26 weeks since January 2022.
I trust this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
