A social welfare payment that is paid out every month has been increased and the qualification requirements loosened.
The Domiciliary Care Allowance was increased to €360 this month.
The DCA is a payment paid out every month for children under 16 who have a severe disability and is not a means-tested payment so you can qualify for it regardless of your income.
The DCA doesn’t take into consideration the type of disability a child has but rather how much of a physical/mental impairment it is to him/her.
The child must need ongoing care and attention, substantially over and above what is usually needed by a child of the same age.
How do you qualify for Domiciliary Care Allowance?
To qualify, the child must have a severe disability that is likely to last for at least 1 year and:
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Be aged under 16 (at 16, the child can apply for a Disability Allowance
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Live at home with the person claiming the allowance for 5 or more days a week. However, there are some exceptions to this
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Meet the medical criteria
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Be ordinarily resident in the State
In addition, the person claiming the allowance for the child must:
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Provide for the care of the child
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Be habitually resident in the State.
To be eligible for the Domiciliary Care Allowance, families must fit into specific medical parameters stated in the regulations. Children with “a severe disability requiring continual or continuous care and attention substantially in excess of the care and attention normally required by a child of the same age” may qualify.
The allowance is determined not by the impairment or condition but on how much it limits the child’s functional abilities requiring additional care.
To grant this extra care, it must be vital for the everyday living activities, and there must be an expectation that such care is needed for at least a year.
Before approving eligibility, the Department’s Medical Assessor will consider:
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Case history.
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All medical documents submitted (a report from your GP is essential and any additional reports from specialists should be included).
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A narrative of how your child’s care differs from their peers (the application form lets you detail the extra care your child needs in various categories).
The child needs to reside at home with the applicant for over half the week to receive the allowance. Exceptions can be made when parents are living apart and sharing custody, or if the child is in residential care part-time.
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