Boy, 16, in court fight for disability allowance

A 16-year-old boy with attention deficit hyper-activity disorder and a cleft lip and palate has taken a High Court challenge after being refused a disability allowance.

The case raises issues concerning whether there is a policy within the Department of Social Protection under which officers deciding on disability allowance abdicate their responsibilities by deferring to the opinion of departmental medical assessors based on “desk assessments” of applicants.

In the teenage boy’s case, it is alleged the deciding officer impermissibly refused the allowance on the basis of a desk assessment by the departmental medical assessor that the boy was not “substantially restricted” in getting employment suitable to his age, experience, and qualifications.