10,000 who qualify for Covid-19 illness benefit yet to claim

Some 10,000 people who are eligible for the coronavirus illness benefit payment have yet to claim it, officials have said.

The €350 per week is available to anyone who has a confirmed case of Covid-19 or who has been medically certified by their doctor to self-isolate.

The enhanced payment is almost €150 extra per week compared with the regular illness benefit rate of €203.

At a Government press briefing on Covid-19, senior Government official Liz Canavan said 27,300 people are medically certified to meet conditions for receipt of the payment.

Ms Canavan said that, while doctors have submitted documentation for those people, around 10,000 of them have yet to submit an accompanying application which is also required.

“Only 17,000 of these people have of yet submitted an application form, and therefore around 10,000 cases cannot be progressed to conclusion,” she said.

She added that anyone still waiting for their Covid-19 illness benefit payment should contact the Department of Social Protection.

Meawnhile, Ms Canavan also confirmed that some 43,400 employers have applied to the Government’s temporary Covid-19 wage subsidy scheme.

The scheme enables employers to keep staff on their payroll during the pandemic by refunding 70% of employees’ take-home pay up to a maximum of €410 per week.