Carers

This is a short term payment made to insured people who leave employment temporarily to provide full time care to someone. For more information, contact Comhairle (see links page).

Who qualifies

You must have 156 PRSI contributions paid (Class A, B, C, D, E or H) and

• 39 contributions paid in the relevant tax year or
• 39 contributions paid in the 12 months immediately before start of Carer's Benefit or
• 26 contributions paid in the relevant tax year and 26 paid in the relevant tax year prior to that.

Working

Conditions are basically the same as the conditions which apply to the Carer's Allowance above. The maximum weekly earnings allowed for a person caring is €270.

Payment

This is paid for up to 15 months and increases are paid for child dependants. From May 2006 payment is up to 24 months. An additional 50% is paid if looking after more than one person.

How to apply

Carer's Allowance Section, Social Welfare Services Office, Ballinalee Rd, Longford Ph: 043 40000 or 01 7043000

This is one of the main payments for carers. It is a means tested payment for carers on low income who are providing care for someone in need of full-time care.

Who qualifies

You must be:

Aged 18 years or over and satisfy both a means and a habitual residency test.
Living with the person you are looking after, or be providing full time care to a person who is not living with you. Full time care means that the person you are caring for has a severe disability which requires constant supervision and frequent assistance throughout the day in tasks such as helping to walk and get about, eating and drinking, wash/bathe, dress etc or need constant supervision in order to avoid danger to themselves.

The person who you are caring for must require full time care and attention for at least 12 months and not normally living in a hospital, home or similar institution and be ages 16 or over or under age 16 where a full rate Domiciliary Care Allowance is being paid.

Working

A carer may

• Work part time as a home help for HSE for up to 10 hours per week or
• Attend an educational or training course or take up voluntary work for up to 10 hours per week or
• Work outside the home for up to 10 hours (to be first cleared with the Department) or Engage in limited self-employment in the home
• From June 2006, the number of hours increases from 10 hours to 15 hours.

Payment

If a carer is caring for more than one person full-time, an additional payment of up to 50% of the maximum personal rate is applicable.

How to apply

Application forms are available from your local Social Welfare Office or from
Carer's Allowance Section, Social Welfare Services Office, Ballinalee Rd, Longford
Ph: 043 40000 or 01 7043000

This is paid in respect of a child with a disability. It is a means tested HSE payment, based on the child's means, made payable to the parent or carer of a child with a severe disability.

Who qualifies

It is a monthly allowance paid to the carer of a child under age 16 with a severe disability who is living at home and where the child satisfies a means test. Only the child's means are taken into account.

Payment

This allowance is paid until the child is 16 years old. At 16 the child may qualify for Disability Allowance. The allowance is not payable for a child living in an institution.
Recipients of this allowance may also be eligible for Carer's Allowance or Carer's Benefit.

How to apply

Application forms are available from your local health office.

This is the temporary unpaid leave from employment which you may be allowed to take to look after someone requiring full time care.

Who qualifies

The Carer's Leave Act allows employees to take leave to care full-time for an incapacitated person while protecting their employment rights. To qualify for this, a person must have been in continuous employment for at least a year. The leave is unpaid but a person may qualify for Carer's Benefit (see above). If you avail of Carer's Leave but not Carer's Benefit/Allowance, you are entitled to Carer's Leave credits up to a maximum of 65 weeks.

Leave

Maximum amount of leave is 65 weeks. From May 2006, this increases to a maximum of 2 years. The leave may be taken all at once or at different intervals. Not more than one employee can be on Carer's Leave in respect of the incapacitated person at the same time. An employee can take leave to look after two people if they both live together and require full time care. In this instance, total leave cannot exceed 130 weeks.

How to apply

Application is through the Department of Social and Family Affairs using the Carer's Benefit form (you do not have to be entitled for Carer's Benefit in order to get this leave). This application returns a decision as to whether the person requires full time care. You must notify you employer of this decision and give your employer 6 weeks notice in writing of your intention to avail of Carer's Leave.

Employment Rights Information Unit
Dept. of Enterprise, Trade and Employment
Davitt House
65a Adelaide Rd,
Dublin 2
LoCall 1890 201 615
Website: www.emptemp.ie

An annual respite care grant of €1000, increasing to €1200 from June 2006, is paid by the Department of Social and Family Affairs in June each year to all carers in receipt of Care's Allowance, Carer's Benefit, Constant Attendance Allowance or Prescribed Relative's Allowance. The grant has been extended to all carers who are providing full-time care to an older person or person with a disability regardless of the carers' means. A grant is now paid for each person being cared for.

To avail of this, a carer must not be working outside the home for more than 10 hours per week (increasing to 15 hours from June 2006) or getting an unemployment payment.

Note: If the person you are caring for dies, Carer's Allowance/Benefit continues to be paid for six weeks after the death. A bereavement grant may also be payable if the PRSI conditions are met. You should notify the relevant section of the Dept Social and Family Affairs about the death as soon as possible.

The Carers Association is the national voluntary body of family Carers in the home. The aims and objectives of the Association are to improve the quality of life or Ireland's family Carers, through the roles of advocacy, lobbying and service provision.

The Carers Association provides the following services:

• Carers Resource Centre
• Home Respite Service
• Support Groups
• Training and Education
• Advocacy and Lobbying
• Information

Contact the Carers Association using the Freefone CareLine number 1800 240724 or view their website www.carersireland.com for more information.