Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 17 April 2024
79. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Social Protection when an application for invalidity allowance by a person (details supplied) will be determined by her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16862/24]
View answerDisability Allowance (DA) is a weekly allowance paid to people with a specified disability who are aged 16 or over and under the age of 66. This disability must be expected to last for at least one year and the allowance is subject to a medical assessment, means test and Habitual Residency conditions.
While the Deputy’s query refers to an application for Invalidity Pension, I can confirm that my Department has not received an application to date for this scheme in respect of the person concerned.
I confirm that my Department received an application for DA from the person concerned on 09 November 2023. As their initial application did not contain all the information required to determine their eligibility for DA, an information request letter was sent to the person concerned on 17 November 2023 to supply this supporting documentation. I can confirm that an initial response was received on 22 November 2023. Based on the information received, it was still not possible for the deciding officer (DO) to complete a means assessment of this application without additional information.
I can confirm on 05 March 2024, additional financial statements were submitted by the person concerned. However, a further information request had to be issued to the person concerned on 11 March 2024, requesting them to supply details of specific transactions on their financial statements. The information request allowed the person, 14 days to provide the required information in order to determine the eligibility for DA.
As the person concerned failed to supply the requested information, their means could not be determined and the claim was disallowed on this basis. The person was notified of the decision in writing on 08 April 2024 and advised of their entitlement to request a review and/or to appeal the decision to the Social Welfare Appeals Office (SWAO). They were also reminded about the outstanding documents required to determine their means.
I can confirm that neither a request for a review nor an appeal have been received to date. A review of this decision would be possible if accompanied by the outstanding documentation, requested in January and March.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
