Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 19 June 2018
62. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if the operation of the partial capacity benefit scheme will be reviewed to allow a person engage in part-time or casual work as a pathway back to employment but to receive a full social welfare payment for weeks they do not secure paid employment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26535/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraPartial capacity benefit (PCB) was introduced in February 2012 and is designed for people who are in receipt of long term social insurance invalidity / illness / disability income support payments who have some capacity for work. Applicants must be in receipt of either invalidity pension (IP) or illness benefit (IB) Illness benefit recipients must be in payment for at least six months at the date of application for PCB (the six months does not apply to IP). If awarded, PCB will allow them to continue to receive a percentage of their IB or IP payment while working. Participation on the PCB scheme is voluntary. A person who participates on the PCB scheme may return to his / her IB or IP payment if, for example, his / her employment ceases or if the person finds that he / she cannot continue to work.
A Medical Assessor will assess the restriction on the applicant’s capacity for work. This may require him / her to attend a medical assessment. Applicants will qualify for PCB if the restriction on their capacity for work is assessed as moderate, severe, or profound. If it is assessed as mild they will not qualify and their continued eligibility to Invalidity Pension will be reviewed.
The rate of payment will depend on the personal rate of the qualifying scheme (Illness Benefit or Invalidity Pension) from which the customer originates and the medical assessment of the customer’s capacity for work.
|
Table 1: Rates of Partial Capacity Benefit |
|||
|
Medical Assessment |
% of Illness Benefit or Invalidity Pension personal rate |
Person previously getting Illness Benefit at the maximum personal rate €198.00 |
Person aged under 66 and previously getting Invalidity Pension at the maximum personal rate €203.50 |
|
Moderate |
50% |
€99.00 |
€101.75 |
|
Severe |
75% |
€148.50 |
€152.63 |
|
Profound |
100% |
€198.00 |
€203.50 |
As I noted earlier PCB recipients may return to their original payment if the job does not work out. I should also point out that PCB recipients who have a temporary absence from work or episodic condition and need to take time off are, on notifying the Department, uplifted to the full-rate of payment appropriate to the originating scheme.
An internal DEASP review of Partial Capacity Benefit made a number of recommendations in relation to the scheme including recommendations in respect of developing PCB as an in-work support and was published as part of the broader Make Work Pay process (http://www.welfare.ie/en/downloads/A%20Review%20of%20Partial%20Capacity%20Benefit.pdf). The review identifies some of the policy, operational, external engagement and IT issues that would need to be addressed to do this.
The recommendations in the report will be given additional consideration and analysed further following the completion of the report currently being prepared following the national consultation process on Make Work Pay recommendations relating to early engagement with people with disabilities.
