Latest news with #Carer'sSupportGrant
The Irish Sun
2 days ago
- Business
- The Irish Sun
Thousands of Irish qualify for €447 social welfare cash & MORE eligible for ‘maximum rate' in major new scheme expansion
THOUSANDS more Irish people will qualify for a weekly social welfare payment worth up to €447 following a change to the eligibility rules. And the major Advertisement 1 More people will qualify for the Carer's Allowance payment under the new expansion of the scheme Credit: Getty Images - Getty The weekly income disregard for the This means the first €625 of a single person's weekly income and €900 of a couple's weekly income will not be taken into account when applying for the means-tested payment. The reform to the income disregard is expected to take effect from Thursday. Cash income, capital and maintenance payments are all assessed by the Department of Social Protection as part of the means test. Advertisement READ MORE IN MONEY However, the changes to the means test, which will take effect this week, means a person will still be able to qualify for the payment even if they are earning over €450 from other income each week. And the move means that a whopping 99 per cent of people receiving Carer's Allowance maximum weekly payment is €260 for a carer aged under 66 that is caring for one person, and €390 for a person aged under 66 that is caring for two or more people. Carer's aged 66 or over who are caring for one person can receive a maximum payment of €298 each week while those who are caring for two people or more and are aged under 66 can claim €447. Advertisement MOST READ ON THE IRISH SUN Breaking Little known social welfare benefits thousands are entitled to In addition to this, it is expected that many more carers will now qualify for the payment for the first time under the higher income limits. Deputy O'Shea described the move announced in Budget 2025, as a "positive change", but said the government "needs to go further". He said: "There have been significant changes to the Carers Allowance means test in recent years with the income disregard increased by €292.50 for a single person and €585 for a couple since 2022. Advertisement 'It has been confirmed to me that the further increase in the income limits this week will mean that 99 per cent of people receiving Carer's Allowance will now receive the maximum rate of payment. 'In addition, these changes will mean that many more carers who were previously outside the income limits will now qualify for a payment. STILL TIME TO APPLY FOR €2,000 BOOST THE Carer's Support Grant increased to €2,000 - its highest level ever - last month. The non taxable and non means tested payment had been €1,850 in previous years, but was upped by €150 for 2025. The payment was given to those already receiving the Carer's Allowance, Carer's Benefit and the Domiciliary Care Allowance. Those who believe they may You can apply for a Carer's Support Grant for any given year from April of that year until 31 December of the following year. This means you can 'Our carers play a vital role in our society and we need to support them. This is a welcome step, but we need to go further. "The Programme for Government commits to phasing out the means test entirely during the lifetime of this Government." Advertisement O'Shea called on Minister for Social Protection Dara Calleary to build on the "strong work" in this area in recent years and outline a road map for phasing out the means test altogether. She said: "This is not the final step, but real progress towards Fianna Fáil's commitment to abolish the means test for Carer's Allowance. "I look forward to working closely with the Minister to continue strengthening support for our careers in the future." Advertisement Minister Calleary said: "The Programme for Government is ambitious for carers. Importantly, we will continue to significantly increase the income disregards for Carer's Allowance in each Budget with a view to phasing out the means test during the lifetime of the government."
Irish Independent
4 days ago
- Business
- Irish Independent
Kerry carers can earn more and still keep allowance under new changes
Announced last Thursday, the income disregard will rise from €450 per week to €625 per week for single carers, and from €900 per week to €1,250 per week for carers with a spouse or partner. In practical terms, the changes would see a carer in a two-adult household earning up to €69,000 receive the full carer's allowance, while those with incomes up to €97,000 may still qualify for a partial payment. The new changes will immediately benefit 196 family carers in Kerry who are currently receiving the carer's allowance and will receive higher payments due to the threshold increase. The minister said the reforms will also extend eligibility for the carer's allowance 'to more people in Kerry than ever before', once the rules come into effect on July 3. It's believed that 99 per cent of current recipients, nationally, will qualify for the full-rate payment. Welcoming the changes, Minister for Children, Disability, and Equality Norma Foley, said carers make a vital contribution to the wellbeing of their loved ones and also to wider society. She added that Fianna Fáil remains committed to abolishing the means test for carer's allowance and this latest announcement is a positive step forward in that direction. 'The change represents an 88 percent rise in income thresholds since June 2022, reflecting Fianna Fáil's continued commitment to supporting carers in a meaningful and practical way,' Minister Foley said. The carer's allowance supports over 100,000 carers across Ireland. In 2025, spending on this allowance is expected to exceed €1.24 billion. In addition, the Department of Social Protection provides non-means-tested supports such as the Carer's Benefit and the annual Carer's Support Grant of €2,000, which was recently paid to more than 138,000 carers on June 5.
RTÉ News
17-06-2025
- Health
- RTÉ News
Complaints to Ombudsman rose 30% in five years to 2024
The number of complaints to the Ombudsman rose by over 30% between 2019 and 2024, according to its latest annual report. Last year, almost 1,500 complaints out of a total of 4,478 were about local authorities. Almost 1,400 related to Government departments and offices. The Department of Social Protection was the subject of over 600 complaints. There were 887 complaints about public bodies in the health sector with 705 involving the HSE and 149 about the child and family agency Tusla. The Ombudsman Ger Deering used the annual report as an opportunity to call on the Government to provide funding to support younger people in nursing homes and, where appropriate, move them to more suitable accommodation. Following an investigation by the Ombudsman in 2021, the HSE set up an 'under-65 programme' and successfully transitioned over 100 people to more suitable accommodation. The scheme - according to the report - also "improved the lives" of those who could not transition out of nursing homes. 'Completely unacceptable' scheme cannot be delivered - Ombudsman However, the HSE has said that there is insufficient funding to continue to assist many of the young people to move to more appropriate accommodation or to continue the programme. Mr Deering described as "completely unacceptable", that the programme, which brought hope and independence to people with disabilities "cannot be delivered because of a lack of funding". When it comes to supporting disabled people to access transport, he welcomed a commitment from the Department of Transport to develop a new scheme. The Ombudsman has noted that over the last 13 years, he and his two predecessors highlighted the lack of appropriate supports for people with disabilities since the Mobility Allowance and the Motorised Transport Grant were closed to new applicants. He expressed cautious optimism that "a long-standing injustice" was about to be righted, adding that, progress would be closely monitored. Department of Social Protection complaint A number of complaints have been highlighted in the report including one where the Department of Social Protection mistakenly recalled payment from a deceased carer's account. 'Anne' contacted the Ombudsman after the department recalled a payment of over €2,700 it incorrectly believed it had paid to the bank account of her son and carer, Martin, who had recently died. Anne and her family contacted the department several times over a 12-month period to highlight the error and get a refund, but the Department refused. It emerged that while Anne had notified the Department of her son's death, the department had attempted to continue to pay Carer's Allowance and a Carer's Support Grant into Martin's account. As his account had been closed, the bank automatically returned any payments to the department. However, the department did not know that the payment had been returned and also recalled the payment which meant that the money left Martin's bank account in error. This error arose as the Department had not updated the returned payments to its account, and therefore believed that Martin had received the payment. The department apologised to Anne for the error and refunded the money it had incorrectly retrieved. It also agreed to pay a Carer's Support Grant of €1,850 to Anne's family as a goodwill gesture but also as Martin would have met the conditions of that Grant before his death. In another instance, 'Fiona' had a poor experience in the Coombe Hospital in Dublin when her child was born and was extremely upset and felt traumatised by the experience. While she had initially raised concerns with the hospital ended up making a formal complaint to the hospital two years later. However, the hospital refused to deal with the matter as it was outside the time limit for making complaints. The Heath Act, 2004, includes a 12-month time limit for making complaints. However, it also provides for the extension of the time limit where special circumstances make it appropriate to do so. The Ombudsman queried whether the hospital had considered using its discretion in this case. In response, the hospital offered to meet Fiona who wanted a written response. According to the report, the hospital issued a comprehensive and empathetic letter which Fiona felt resolved the issues for her. The Ombudsman raised a similar issue to Fiona's in his annual report for 2023. Ot has led him to call on all public bodies - particularly those in the health sector - to be mindful that some people may not be in a position to make a complaint within a specific timeframe for a variety of reasons, including feeling upset or traumatised. In such cases he said the body should consider using its discretion to deal with the complaint. 'Andrew' contacted the Ombudsman when his mother's belongings, including her dentures and shoes, went missing during her time in St Vincent's University Hospital, Dublin. The hospital told him that it had no record of the items being with his mother when she was admitted. However, the Ombudsman discovered evidence that both the woman's dentures and shoes were with her when she was in the hospital. An initial report from the hospital's speech and language therapist showed that Andrew's mother had no issues eating, while a subsequent report highlighted that she was having difficulty eating and was missing some teeth. The Ombudsman also uncovered a therapist's report that said she had difficulty "putting on her shoes". The hospital apologised to Andrew and his mother and reimbursed them for the value of the items lost.
Irish Independent
06-06-2025
- Health
- Irish Independent
Over 5,000 Meath carers recieve highest-ever €2,000 grant
Minister for Social Protection Dara Calleary announced the €313 million payout, which is tax-free and available to full-time carers who look after an older person or someone with a disability. In Meath, 5,045 carers are set to benefit from the grant. The grant is paid automatically to recipients of Carer's Allowance, Carer's Benefit and Domiciliary Care Allowance. It is also available to other full-time carers not receiving these payments. Carers looking after more than one person will receive a €2,000 grant for each individual in their care. Announcing the payment, Minister Calleary said: 'This is one of a number of improvements introduced this year in recognition of the vital role of carers and the contribution they make to society. 'The Grant will be paid automatically to those who are receiving the Carer's Allowance, Carer's Benefit and Domiciliary Care Allowance schemes. It is also available to other full-time carers not receiving these payments and is paid in respect of each person being cared for.' He added: 'As Minister for Social Protection, I recognise the crucial role family carers play in our society. You dedicate yourselves to providing care to support your loved ones and I want to take this opportunity to thank all carers in Ireland for the vital and valuable contribution you play in our society and in our local communities.' Since its introduction in 1999, the Carer's Support Grant has become one of the most significant direct supports for family carers. Originally called the Respite Care Grant, it was renamed in 2016 to better reflect the nature of the assistance it provides.
Agriland
05-06-2025
- Health
- Agriland
138,000 carers to receive support grant today
Minister for Social Protection, Dara Calleary, has announced that the Carer's Support Grant will be paid to 138,000 carers across the country today. The grant is not taxable and is available to all carers providing full-time care to an older person or a person with a disability, regardless of their means or social insurance contributions. The rate of the Carer's Support Grant has been increased this year by €150, from €1,850 to €2,000 – its highest-ever level. The overall cost of the grant being paid today is €313 million. The Carer's Support Grant is paid in respect of each person being cared for to take account of the additional cost of providing care and to recognise the particular challenges faced by these carers. Over 16,000 carers are providing care for two or more people and will receive a grant in respect of each person they are caring for. Announcing the payment of the Carer's Support Grant, Minister Calleary commented: 'The Carer's Support Grant this year has been increased by €150, to €2,000, its highest level ever. 'This is one of a number of improvements introduced this year in recognition of the vital role of carers and the contribution they make to society. 'The grant will be paid automatically to those who are receiving the Carer's Allowance, Carer's Benefit, and Domiciliary Care Allowance schemes. 'It is also available to other full-time carers not receiving these payments and is paid in respect of each person being cared for,' the minister added. The minister has acknowledged the crucial role family carers play in society. 'You dedicate yourselves to providing care to support your loved ones and I want to take this opportunity to thank all carers in Ireland for the vital and valuable contribution you play in our society and in our local communities,' he added. The Carer's Support Grant is paid automatically to to all recipients of Carer's Allowance (whether full-rate or half-rate), Carer's Benefit, or Domiciliary Care Allowance. It is also available to other full-time carers who are not receiving any of these payments. Payments to carers The Carer's Support Grant is an annual payment, usually paid on the first Thursday in June. The Respite Care Grant was introduced in 1999 at a rate of £200 (€254). In 2016, the name of the payment was changed to the Carer's Support Grant to better reflect how the grant is used. The table below outlines the county breakdown of Carer's Support Grant recipients; Carlow 2,165 Cavan 2,324 Clare 3,128 Cork 16,432 Donegal 5,664 Dublin 31,191 Galway 6,969 Kerry 4,666 Kildare 5,850 Kilkenny 2,523 Laois 2,730 Leitrim 1,095 Limerick 7,220 Longford 1,605 Louth 4,337 Mayo 4,084 Meath 5,045 Monaghan 1,669 Offaly 3,051 Roscommon 2,191 Sligo 1,922 Tipperary 5,807 Waterford 3,683 Westmeath 3,227 Wexford 5,452 Wicklow 4,038 Source: Department of Social Protection You automatically qualify for the Carer's Support Grant if you get Carer's Allowance, Carer's Benefit, or Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA). If you are not getting any of these payments, you may still qualify if you meet these conditions: You are aged 16 or over; You ordinarily reside in the Irish State; You care for the person full-time; You have been caring for the person for a continuous period of at least six months, and this period includes the first Thursday in June; You live with the person you are caring for or you are contactable quickly by a direct system of communication such as a telephone or an alarm. You do not qualify for Carer's Support Grant if you are: Working, self-employed, or on a training or education course for more than 18.5 hours a week. (Note: you must show us that the person you are caring for has adequate care while you are working, on an education course, or both); Getting Jobseeker's Allowance or Jobseeker's Benefit; Signing on for credited contributions; Living in a hospital, convalescent home, or similar institution. If you are caring for more than one person, you will get a grant for each person cared for. The Carer's Support Grant is exempt from income tax, PRSI and USC.
