‘No hope’ JJ’s family can survive €9k loss

THE family of a four-year-old boy who suffers from quadriplegic cerebral palsy, is profoundly deaf, unable to speak and was born with a hole in his heart is set to lose €9,152 a year because of hidden budget family income supplement (FIS) cuts.

Just a fortnight after the Irish Examiner highlighted the story of JJ Ryan — who is still being looked after by the Jack and Jill Foundation because the HSE will not provide a small amount of funding for the care he needs — his father revealed the impact of the secret cutback.

Hotel porter James Ryan, 45, said his family is “finished” if Social Protection Minister Joan Burton refuses to back down on plans to reduce FIS payments for any household in receipt of a carer’s allowance.

According to the father-of-three from Scallagheen in Tipperary, due to the FIS change his already struggling household will be €160 worse off every week.

A further cut of €16 a week to their child benefit, which under new rules affects families with three or more children, will also be imposed.

Therefore, the already hard-pressed Ryans face the prospect of losing €9,152 over the course of the year to the state at a time when senior Government ministers are continuing to claim that the most vulnerable in society have been protected.

“We’re really knocked back, it’s unbelievable what they’re doing,” an emotional James explained.

“There isn’t a hope in hell we’ll be able to come through this if it’s what they do. We’re very, very stressed.

“They should have been up-front with this. It’s unbelievable,” he said.

While JJ’s age means that he is no longer eligible for support from Jack and Jill Foundation, the charity, which helps seriously ill children, is continuing to help because the HSE does not consider JJ a priority case.

According to his Jack and Jill nurse, JJ needs at least 8.5 hours of home care help a week. However, despite this costing just €300 a month, the HSE has refused to provide it.

JJ’s mother Michelle receives a carer’s allowance, while James travels to Limerick to work irregular night shifts at a hotel, regularly getting by on just four hours sleep a night.

Mr Ryan cannot travel by car as he suffers from epilepsy, but the HSE has also refused to provide him with a travel card for the bus, which would lower the cost of travelling involved.

The family has already contacted Children’s Ombudsman, Emily Logan, to complain about the HSE’s handling of the case.

* Have you been affected by the FIS cutbacks? Contact the Irish Examiner on 021 4272722 or [e-mail].