Concern over care allowance review plan

An online organisation which has more than 22,000 members has said it is “concerned” about Department of Social Protection plans to recommence reviews of the Domiciliary Care Allowance.

The Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection said it would begin “routine reviews” of its DCA claims, beginning from next Monday, June 17.

The monthly payment is made with regard to children aged under 16 with a severe disability, who requires ongoing care and attention. It is not means tested but has been the subject of scrutiny in recent years over the number of initial claims turned down, only to be reversed on appeal, and the length of time to process and appeal the claims. A number of cases on behalf of families affected were also brought to the High Court.

The department said the last review of Domiciliary Care Allowance claims was in 2012 and a spokesperson said:

“While the department expects that the vast majority of claims reviewed will continue to have an entitlement to the Domiciliary Care Allowance, it is a requirement that all departmental schemes have a review policy, something that is raised regularly with the department by C&AG on annual audits.”

A first tranche of 100 claimants will be contacted by post and asked to complete a review form, confirming their child’s current care needs. They will be asked to return the completed form to the department within five months from the issue date.

But the DCA Warriors, a Facebook group that has addressed the Oireachtas on the issue, said it had concerns over the news.

Margaret Lennon, of DCA Warriors, said the group began as a result of the 2012 review process and that it was unsure if additional staff were being provided for the purpose.

“The format is concerning to DCA Warriors because while some children would have medical conditions that would have improved that they no longer qualify, and that is fair enough.

“Children with invisible difficulties will be asked to complete domiciliary care two, which is quite similar to the original application form and our concern is that many kids who have invisible conditions, like autism, GPs may not have the expertise required to know how severely a child is impacted or how well they are doing, especially in light of the HSE not providing assessment of need as is their statutory duty.”

The HSE is required to provide an assessment of need within a set timeframe but has failed to do so in a number of cases, leading to other cases being lodged in the High Court.

The department spokesperson said there would be discussions with representative groups and added: “The department would like to reassure people that there is no question of anyone having to apply again for the allowance.

“The reviews of cases to be reviewed will be limited to 100 per month and will not include claims in respect of any children with life-limiting conditions. About 16% of the claims in payment relate to children with conditions which have been recorded as not to be subject to review at any time.”