Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 13 October 2022
313. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of applicants for domiciliary care allowance who have been refused in the past twelve months to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51068/22]
View answerDomiciliary Care Allowance (DCA) is a monthly payment in respect of a child aged under 16, who has a severe disability and requires continual or continuous care and attention substantially in excess of that normally required by a child of the same age and the child must be likely to require this level of care for at least 12 consecutive months. Eligibility for DCA is determined primarily by reference to the degree of additional care and attention required by the child rather than the child's disability.
The total number of DCA applications received in the past 12 months was 10,229. The number of applications that were disallowed in the same period was 3,819.
It should be noted that in many instances where the initial application is disallowed, the claim can subsequently be awarded in instances where further information or medical evidence is provided by the applicant.
It should also be noted that there has been a 15% increase in the number of applications over the last year and that DCA section has reduced processing times to 6 weeks in that period.
I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
