Disability Allowance� And� Invalidity Pension

24th March 2022

Jackie Haughey

Information Officer

North Dublin

Citizens Information Service

Social Welfare�Disability Allowance Payment

Disability Allowance(DA) is a weekly payment paid to people with a disability, you can get DA from the age of 16 years of age. You can get Disability Allowance even if you are in school.

If you qualify for DA you may also be eligible for extra secondary benefits.

BUDGET 2022

The earning limits on Disability Allowance will increase by €25 from €350 to €375 and the weekly disregard will increase from €2.50 to €7.60 in June 2022

How to qualify for Disability Allowance

You Must:

• Have a injury, disease or physical or mental disability that has continued for at least one year or is expected to continue for at least one year.
• Be substantially restricted because of your disability from doing work that would be suitable for a person of your age, experience and qualifications.

Qualifying for Disability Allowance- Continued

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• Be age 16 or over
• Pass a means test- a means test looks at any income that you have. If married or co-habiting your partners means will also be assessed.
• Live in Ireland and meet the Habitual residence condition

Medical Assessment for�Disability Allowance

Your doctor must complete a report on your medical condition as part of the application form. This report is reviewed by one of the Departments medical assessors.

This medical report will allow the Department to determine if you:

• Have a injury, disease or physical or mental disability that has continued for at least one year or is expected to continue for at least one year.

And

• You are substantially restricted because of your disability from doing work that would be suitable for a person of your age, experience and qualifications.

Disability Allowance and Residential Care

You can get Disability Allowance, if you are in hospital or residential care.

If you are already getting Disability Allowance and go into hospital or residential care, you will continue to get your payment, as long as you continue to meet the qualifying conditions.

If you were not getting Disability Allowance before you started living in residential care, you can apply for Disability Allowance.

Income assessment for �Disability Allowance

Disability Allowance is a means tested payment.

In a means test the Department of Social Protection examines all your sources of income. To get Disability Allowance, your income must be below a certain amount.

The main items included in the means test are :

• Cash Income that you or your spouse , civil partner or cohabitant may have.
• Capital, for example, the value of savings and investments, shares of any property you have (but not your own home). The first €50.000 of your capital is not taken into account
• Maintenance paid to you.
• Living with your parents. Your parents income is not taken into account when you are assessed for Disability Allowance.

Income from the sale of your Home

The means test does not take into account up to €190,500 of the money you get if you sell your home and:

• Move to different accommodation (you can either buy or rent)
• Move in with someone who is caring for you and getting a carer’s payment
• Move to sheltered or special housing in the voluntary, co-operative, statutory or private sectors
• Move into a registered private nursing home

Income from Employment� on Disability Allowance

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Some of your income from work is not taken into account. This includes self-employment work.

You can work and earn up to €140.00 a week (after paying PRSI, pension contributions and union dues) without your Disability Allowance payment being affected.

If you earn more than €140.00 a week , 50% of your earnings between €140.00 and €350.00 will be taken into account for the means test. Any earnings over €350.00 are assessed in full.

If you start work, you need to notify the Department and provide proof of earnings. A wage slip, your contract of employment or a letter from your employer can be used as proof of your earnings.

Before starting employment, when you have been offered the job, you must seek permission from the Department to start work. The job must be deemed rehabilitative work

Disability Allowance/Partner Working

If your spouse, civil partner or cohabitant works, it can affect your Disability Allowance. Some of their income from work as an employee is not taken into account, but all income from self-employment is assessed in the means test.

Your spouse, civil partner or cohabitant’s net weekly earnings from work as an employee are assessed as follows:

1. €20 per day (up to a maximum of €60) from work is deducted from your spouse, civil partner or cohabitant’s average net weekly earnings and
2. Then 60% of the balance is assessed as weekly means.

The weekly means is then deducted from your rate of Disability Allowance (your rate of Disability Allowance is your personal rate plus the maximum increase for a Qualified Adult and any Increases for Qualified Children).

Net earnings are your gross (or total) earnings less PRSI, superannuation (pension contributions) and Union dues.

Rate of Disability Allowance

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Personal Rate (Claimant) €208.00

Adult Dependant €138.00

Child Dependent (under 12) €40.00 (full rate)

€20.00 (half rate)

Child Dependent (age 12 years and over) €48.00 (full rate)

€24.00 (half rate)

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Disability Allowance

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If you are married, in a civil partnership or cohabiting and you both qualify for Disability Allowance you will each get a weekly personal rate of €208.00 of your own payment

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Payment for dependants:

If you are married, in a civil partnership or cohabiting, you may get an increase for a qualified adult with your Disability Allowance payment. You may also get an increase for a qualified child in your payment for dependent children.

Secondary Benefits when in receipt of Disability Allowance

All Applicants on Disability Allowance Gets a Free Travel Bus Pass

• Fuel Allowance:

Subject to a means test, regarding who lives with you. If you live alone or with a person who is also on a qualifying Social Welfare payment. You can have from income (private Pension) a maximum of €120.00 extra weekly. Or €62,999.00 in savings which is equivalent to €120.00 weekly (paid for 28 weeks from Sept-April at the rate of €33.00 weekly)

• Household Benefit:

Means tested regarding who lives with you, are they in employment and certain Social Welfare payments are disregarded.

• Living Alone Allowance:

You must be solely living on your own to receive this Payment of €22.00 weekly all year round

Medical Card Subject to a Means test.

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How to Apply for �Disability Allowance

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• Intreo centre or a Social Welfare Branch Office
• Citizens Information Centre

If you think you have wrongly refused Disability Allowance you can Appeal this decision within 21 days of refusal

Applications to:

Department of Social protection

Social Welfare Services Office

Government Buildings

Ballinalee Road

Longford

Ireland

Ph- (043)3340000 or 0818927770

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Invalidity Pension

Invalidity Pension is a weekly payment to people who cannot work because of a long-term illness or disability and who are covered by social insurance (PRSI). Invalidity Pension Is not means tested unlike Disability Allowance which is.

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At, 66 you transfer automatically to the State Pension (Contributory) at the full rate.

Invalidity Pension is a Taxable income.

Like Disability Allowance, Invalidity Pension recipients receive a

free Travel Pass

Secondary Benefits:

Fuel Allowance (means test)

Living alone Allowance

Household Benefits

Medical Card (means test)

How to Qualify for Invalidity Pension

To qualify for Invalidity Pension you must meet both:

• Social Insurance (PRSI) Contributions
• Medical Rules

PRSI Contributions rules:

Only PRSI contributions at Class A,E,H and S count for an Invalidity Pension. To get Invalidity Pension you must also have a certain number of PRSI Contributions.

You must have at least:

• 260 (5 years) paid PRSI contributions
• 48 weeks of paid or credited PRSI contributions in the last or second last completed year before the start date of your permanent incapacity for work. The start date is decided by the Department of Social Protection (DSP). It is usually after you have been unable to work for one year. But it can be less than one year if you are permanently incapable of work for life.

How to qualify for Invalidity Pension

If you need your social insurance contributions paid in another EU/EEA member state to help you qualify, then your last contribution must have been in Ireland

You cannot use voluntary contributions to meet the PRSI rules.

Medical Rules:

• Have been incapable of work for at least 12 months and be likely to be incapable of work for at least another 12 months( you may have been getting Illness Benefit or Disability Allowance during that time)

Or

• Be permanently incapable of work (in certain cases of very serious illness or disability, you can transfer from another social welfare payment or from your job to Invalidity Pension)

A Deciding Officer in the Department will decide if you meet the medical PRSI rules for Invalidity Pension.

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Invalidity Pension and work

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You cannot do paid work and get Invalidity Pension.

If you want to return to work or self-employment, you may be able to transfer to Partial Capacity Benefit (PCB). You will qualify for Partial Capacity Benefit if the restriction on your capacity for work is assessed as moderate, severe, or profound.

Education and training:

If you want to do an education course, training course or Community Employment scheme (CE)and keep your Invalidity Pension, you must contact the Invalidity Pension section and get written permission before you start.

To go on a Community Employment scheme (CE) you switch your payment over from Invalidity Pension to (CE) scheme, you don’t get two payments. If you were receiving secondary benefits with your Invalidity Pension you can retain them while on (CE)

When the (CE) is finished you contact the Department to get your Invalidity Pension Re-instated.

Rates Of Payment for Invalidity Pension in 2022

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Maximum Personal Rate € 213.00

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Increase for Adult dependant € 152.50

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Child under 12 years of age € 40.00 Full Rate

€ 20.00 Half Rate

Child age 12 and over € 48.00 Full Rate

€ 24.00 Half Rate

You may get an increase in your payment for an adult dependant,

But it will depend on their income.

Illness Benefit

Illness Benefit is like Invalidity Pension Based on PRSI Contributions and not means tested. Its based on your PRSI contributions.

Illness Benefit is classed as a short-term sick payment and can be claimed for up to 2 years as long as you meet the criteria for the payment. You can also switch payment to Partial Capacity and work.

How to Apply for Invalidity Pension

To apply for Invalidity Pension, fill in an Invalidity Pension application form(INV1). You can get a form from your INTREO Centre or Social Welfare Branch Office or your local Citizens Information Centre..

If you have no other income while you are waiting on your Invalidity Pension to be processed, you can apply for a Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA). SWA is a weekly payment which is means tested, if you are awarded this payment you will receive the payment till your Invalidity Payment is awarded.

If you are refused Invalidity Pension on medical grounds you can appeal the decision to the Department. Citizens Information Service provide an Advocate service and assist their clients with appealing negative decisions on payments to the Social Welfare.

��Thank you�Any Questions ??