Medical Card

Sonny678

If you find work and you have a medical card. Is the medical card taken off you?. I remember years you could keep the medical card for two years after leaving the dole. Is it still the same or is there a change. What is the current situation with medical cards .

Kristopherus

You are entitled to retain your medical card for a period of 3 years after you take up employment, Provided you were in receipt of long-term unemployment immediately beforehand. Have a look at http://www.hse.ie/portal/eng/services/list/1/schemes/mc/about/howtoapply/

If you did not have a medical card before taking up employment, you can always apply for a means-tested card. Info on the link above.

Sonny678

Do you get a medical card for three years or is it a GP card you receive from the department for three years. Does anyone Know which one do you retain. If your on medical card do you retain it for three years are you given a GP card for three years.

SCOOP 64

Kristopherus wrote: »

You are entitled to retain your medical card for a period of 3 years after you take up employment, Provided you were in receipt of long-term unemployment immediately beforehand. Have a look at http://www.hse.ie/portal/eng/services/list/1/schemes/mc/about/howtoapply/

If you did not have a medical card before taking up employment, you can always apply for a means-tested card. Info on the link above.

I thought they stopped people keeping the medical for 3yrs after returning to work ?

haveringchick

SCOOP 64 wrote: »

I thought they stopped people keeping the medical for 3yrs after returning to work ?

No they didn't
OP you keep your medical card, if a medical card was what you had

puma90

I got a form to renew my medical card but my circumstances have changedsince the last time it was renewed/ It says to download a review form from the hse site but all I see are the application forms for the medical card and plus I did not receive a pin to do it online??

haveringchick

puma90 wrote: »

I got a form to renew my medical card but my circumstances have changedsince the last time it was renewed/ It says to download a review form from the hse site but all I see are the application forms for the medical card and plus I did not receive a pin to do it online??

Just manually complete the form they sent you and return it to them

puma90

I didnt get a form. I got a letter asking me if my circumstances have changed. Tick yes or no. If yes download review form on hse.ie?? I don't see one

Calahonda52

puma90 wrote: »

I didnt get a form. I got a letter asking me if my circumstances have changed. Tick yes or no. If yes download review form on hse.ie?? I don't see one

Just had a look :I don't see it either, you may have to call them

fin12

Hey I'm just wondering if anyone can help me, I was long term unemployed from September 2014 to October 2015 receiving Jobseeker's Allowance. I then went on a ce scheme from October 2015 to December 2015. I received my medical card in December 2015 valid till January 2017. I took up full time employment in January 2016 and I am currently in full time employment to present day. Am I eligible for the retention scheme, I have been applying for my card under the retention scheme and they continue to refuse me.

denis160

fin12 wrote: »

Hey I'm just wondering if anyone can help me, I was long term unemployed from September 2014 to October 2015 receiving Jobseeker's Allowance. I then went on a ce scheme from October 2015 to December 2015. I received my medical card in December 2015 valid till January 2017. I took up full time employment in January 2016 and I am currently in full time employment to present day. Am I eligible for the retention scheme, I have been applying for my card under the retention scheme and they continue to refuse me.

Ours was out in Oct of last year & only this month got my card on retention grounds! Be prepared for a long & frustrating few weeks ahead. I was refused too even though I was out of work over a year. I had to get a letter from the DSP stating the dates I was unemployed & sent it in with my application appeal & a letter stating that as stated in their guidelines I was entitled to retain it as I had returned to work etc. I was eventually issued it after 6 months back & forth.

fin12

denis160 wrote: »

Ours was out in Oct of last year & only this month got my card on retention grounds! Be prepared for a long & frustrating few weeks ahead. I was refused too even though I was out of work over a year. I had to get a letter from the DSP stating the dates I was unemployed & sent it in with my application appeal & a letter stating that as stated in their guidelines I was entitled to retain it as I had returned to work etc. I was eventually issued it after 6 months back & forth.

Thanks I've done all that letters from DSP, letter from CE Scheme and have appealed their decision but they continue to refuse me. In their letters they don't even acknowledge I was applying under the retention scheme. In the letter it's based on a means test. When I ring them and ask them why I'm being refused on retention scheme they say it's because I was on Jobseeker's Allowance for 6 weeks in September 2016. Even though my claimis based on my unemployment from 2014 to 2015. See I got full time work in January 2016 and worked there till September 2016 and I was unemployed 6 weeks before starting the job I'm in now in November 2016.

denis160

Ringing them is a waste of them in my honest opinion. Keep copies of all your letters & correspondence. Look up their guidelines for retention on their website, I printed that info & sent it in with my appeal. There are 2 different appeal avenues for you to follow have you followed both? Good luck it is very very frustrating.

Smyth123

My other half has just had their card renewed under the retention of back to work. Myself and kids were refused under the retention as I am now working. Is this right as the guidelines say dependents are also entitled under the retention, there is no information if the other half is working but I was under the impression retention is not means tested, not sure if its worth appealing?

denis160

Smyth123 wrote: »

My other half has just had their card renewed under the retention of back to work. Myself and kids were refused under the retention as I am now working. Is this right as the guidelines say dependents are also entitled under the retention, there is no information if the other half is working but I was under the impression retention is not means tested, not sure if its worth appealing?

I retained mine fully but my dependants & spouse were entitled to the gp card only through the assessment. Dependants, aren't, asfaik, entitled to retain theirs through the retention scheme.

fin12

denis160 wrote: »

Ringing them is a waste of them in my honest opinion. Keep copies of all your letters & correspondence. Look up their guidelines for retention on their website, I printed that info & sent it in with my appeal. There are 2 different appeal avenues for you to follow have you followed both? Good luck it is very very frustrating.

I have followed one appeal but I honestly don't know what to do now because they don't even refer to the fact that I'm applying under the retention scheme in the letters, they continue to means test me.They only acknowledge it when I rang them.

Does this disqualify me from the retention scheme the fact that I had 6 weeks unemployment in September 2016 to November 2016 when I finished one job and was waiting to start another one. I am looking to retain my medical card from January 2016 when I took up full time employment.I was unemployed 12 months prior to January 2016.

rachaelf750

Keep the pressure on. I had issues ended up getting the refusal reversed via the ombudsman dept.

fin12

Sorry the last thing I did was a reassessment which came back unsuccessful so now I will be requesting an appeal which you have to write to in Donegal. It says in the letter that the Appeals office cannot consider any new documentation so what to I actually write in the appeal letter? I suppose I just state again why I should be granted a medical card under the retention scheme. Anyone have some advice on when they wrote for an appeal.

denis160

fin12 wrote: »

Sorry the last thing I did was a reassessment which came back unsuccessful so now I will be requesting an appeal which you have to write to in Donegal. It says in the letter that the Appeals office cannot consider any new documentation so what to I actually write in the appeal letter? I suppose I just state again why I should be granted a medical card under the retention scheme. Anyone have some advice on when they wrote for an appeal.

I put in my appeal a copy of the letter from the DSP stating my dates of unemployment, I also enclosed a copy of their retention rules & referred to it in my letter. You could also ring citizens information & ask if the information you have is correct & if it is them how you might phrase the appeal letter.

Chieftain

do appeals take long? And do they extend the end date of the card while the appeal is ongoing?. Mine is up for review at the moment, and I think they probably wont renew the card

fin12

Hi guys, thanks to everyone who gave me advice here, I recieved a letter from the National Appeals office in Donegal and they have approved my medical card for 18 months so it's great news.

My appeal took about a month.

denis160

fin12 wrote: »

Hi guys, thanks to everyone who gave me advice here, I recieved a letter from the National Appeals office in Donegal and they have approved my medical card for 18 months so it's great news.

My appeal took about a month.

Great stuff, glad you got sortef