Vol. 451 No. 7
6 Mr. J. Walsh asked the Minister for Health if he will have arrangements made to examine the situation whereby a person in receipt of disabled persons maintenance allowance forfeits their entitlement to this allowance should they enter hospital and for the duration of their stay in hospital in spite of the fact that they continue to need such an allowance to meet their day to day financial requirements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5843/95]
(Limerick East): Disabled person's maintenance allowance is the primary income support scheme operated by my Department for people who, because of their disability, cannot maintain themselves in the community. The regulations governing eligibility for this allowance specify that a maintenance allowance shall not be payable to a person who resides in a health facility. However, where a disabled persons maintenance allowance recipient is admitted to a health facility, payment of the allowance is continued by a health board for the period during which the person is maintained in the institution subject to a maximum of eight weeks in any calendar year. A health facility is defined in the regulations as a hospital, convalescent home or home for people suffering from physical or mental disability or ancillary accommodation, nursing home for the care and maintenance of dependent elderly people and any other similar establishment providing residence, maintenance or care where the cost of a person's maintenance therein is being met in whole or in part by or on behalf of a health board.
The reason a person in long term institutional care does not continue to receive a disabled persons maintenance allowance allowance is that his-her essential maintenance requirements are being met. I understand that in the case of a person admitted to a health facility on a short term basis who forfeits entitlement to disabled persons maintenance allowance, consideration is given by health boards to assisting with any financial commitments such as rent allowance by way of supplementary welfare allowance. In addition, a pocket money allowance may be payable by a health board to a person who is admitted to a health facility if that person has no means to support their day-to-day financial requirements.
As the Deputy is no doubt aware, responsibility for the operation and administration of the disabled persons maintenance allowance scheme will be transferred to the Department of Social Welfare from July 1995. My officials are currently involved in discussions with officials from the Department of Social Welfare over the detailed arrangements for the smooth transfer of the scheme. I have no intention of changing the eligibility criteria for disabled persons maintenance allowance prior to the transfer but I will bring this matter to the attention of my colleague, the Minister for Social Welfare.
