Illness Benefit - notifying end date for claim

Hippodrome Song Owl

I will miss 4 days and according to my employer I must submit a claim for any illness longer than 3 days.

1. My doctor gave me a cert for work and an IB1 form. He also filled in something online for social welfare - would that be the MED1 cert?

2. The IB1 form asks for the date you are certified unfit from. There is no mention of an end date for return to work. How is this notified to DEASP? Is that part of what my doctor filled in online, or do I need to notify them somehow?

3. Also, do I just write freepost on the envelope for the IB1?

Thanks for any information. I've never been in this situation before.

Dempo1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058212813/illness-benefit-notifying-end-date-for-claim

Morning, the online part your GP has sent is likely to be the incapacity to work cert, this is required by the department to process an illness benefit payment.

There's 3 waiting days, not 4.

The IB1 does not ask mention end of date, this is done by GP on incapacity to work cert, seperately you should ask your GP what have they determined, they can doit on a monthly, 6 monthly basis etc or for more long term, what's called a closed certificate lasting the full length of expected illness, the department moved away from the need for weekly certs but I guess a GP can if they wish submit weekly certs.

Re Free post, whilst it is a free post address, personally I'd be over cautious and pay for a stamp or even use swift post ( that's just my own thinking) but yes it is free post.

I've not been in this situation but have been researching as I'm likely to be shortly.

Good luck but I would just enquire of GP what time frame they've put on incapacity cert they've submitted online for you.

Hippodrome Song Owl

Thanks for your response!

I'm supposed to go back Monday so just off for the 4 days. Hopefully whatever my gp did online has put the return date as Monday for DEASP. I just don't want a situation of accidently claiming money for longer than intended and then sorting out paying it back.

However things may now be complicated by it being Covid (awaiting a test result now due to new symptoms), which would be under a different category of leave. I'll hold off posting the form until I get the result.

Dempo1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118014856#Comment_118014856

Are you referring to enhanced illness benefit as opposed to ordinary illness benefit 🤔, two completely different things.

Firstly it's a minimum of 14 days I believe and there's no waiting days, also, you wouldn't be filling out a illness benefit form so I'm now confused completely.

There's also no waiting days for enhanced illness benefit and its paid at €350 pw , much higher than standard illness benefit.

Did your GP ask you for your PPSN number when doing the e cert.

You'd really need to get this clarified

https://www.gov.ie/en/service/df55ae-how-to-apply-for-illness-benefit-for-covid-19-absences/

Hippodrome Song Owl

No, just regular Illness Benefit for the sick leave if it turns out not to be Covid as my gp first thought. Yes my gp typed my pps number into whatever he did online. I just won't have to claim anything from social welfare if it now turns out to be Covid, my employer covers that fully itself. But I may have to stay out longer.

Dempo1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118015033#Comment_118015033

No, that is incorrect, enhanced illness benefit (covid) has nothing to do with your employer and is in fact processed through DEASP. My concern is what exactly has your GP submitted and you need to clarify this , these are 2 very distinctly different benefits.

The problem now is , if its just illness benefit you need to send the form and leave it but if it's enhanced, you have to apply following the details I've sent you. Very confusing I know but if you don't follow up with your illness benefit form, illness benefit won't be processed, enhanced illness is processed on the basis of assuming the worst, self isolating etc .

Hippodrome Song Owl

No, my employer definitely covers Covid leave itself. It definite does not require me to claim from the state for this leave. It has its own Covid leave system in place.

My gp definitely only filled in for ordinary illness Benefit as the question of it being Covid did not arise until nearly 2 days later. He doesn't even know I've gone for a Covid test.

Dempo1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118015205#Comment_118015205

Well it's great your employer does have a covid leave payment in place it's not something I'd heard an employer doing before, but just out of curiosity if they are prepared to cover covid leave, why not normal sick leave , it seems a little odd but as long as your happy 😉

Hippodrome Song Owl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118015437#Comment_118015437

They do pay full pay sick leave for 1 year. But they deduct the amount paid in Illness Benefit and expect you to claim that. I've just never missed more than 2 days before. They're an international company so have chosen to stick with their own standard procedures for Covid leave due to too many differences between countries. They also paid me fully to work for home for 10 months when occupational health deemed it too risky for me to work in person until vaccinated, even though it meant I couldn't actually do my job at all so was just given a few admin tasks.

I have no concerns over this sick leave other than ending up mistakenly claiming for too long (with there being no return to work date on the IB1) and needing to sort out paying back DEASP!

Dempo1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118015513#Comment_118015513

A, now that makes absolute sense, I assumed incorrectly based on OP that your employer didn't pay sick leave and then it got a little confused when you mentioned covid as there are 2 different types of illness benefit, just wanted to be sure you'd not be left hanging with no income , but good you have excellent employment sick leave .

Take care and hope its not Covid 😏

Hippodrome Song Owl

Well exactly what I feared would happen, appears to have happened! I ended up missing 7 days on certified sick leave, Tue to Mon inclusive, and have received two payments from DEASP of €101.50 and €203. I am certain this is an overpayment! I have emailed them to try get it sorted but no response as yet.

What should I have received? Since the first 3 days are waiting days, and they don't pay for Sundays, I think 3 days payment for Fri, Sat, Mon so €101.50 total. Is that correct?

Hippodrome Song Owl

To give a final update on this in case it helps anyone else in the future:

I did not receive a response to my email notifying DEASP of their overpayment error. But I received an obnoxious letter from them today notifying me that they had indeed incorrectly paid an extra week of Illness Benefit and giving me options to repay it. I phoned to repay by debit card. It is entirely their mistake. There is nothing I or my gp could have done to avoid it. The final date is determined by the online submission of incapacity to work made by the gp - and this was done correctly in my case.

This is the first time I have ever claimed any sort of social welfare payment in over 20 years of working. I can't say I'm impressed with their rudeness. Glad to have it sorted quickly, but it leaves a bad taste to be spoken to (both in writing and on the phone) as if I acted fraudulently, when in reality they made the mistake and I notified them of it and repaid within an hour of being told how to do so. I hope my interactions with them are not indicative of the broader culture or attitude of the department!

Dempo1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118084942#Comment_118084942

Glad it's sorted but yes, they seem not to be able to differentiate between an over payment through their error or someone acting fraudulently.

My I ask , as I wasn't aware you could call them and pay with a debit card, what number you called, I've a small overpayment also but have been told to lodge into an account,

PM me number if you prefer

Thank you.

Hippodrome Song Owl

The number is 071-9672591

I googled to check, and it's a number they have tweeted publicly many times so shouldn't be any issue with posting it here.

I hope they have better manners when you call.

Dempo1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118085038#Comment_118085038

Thanks for that , I won't be expecting manners but a Thank you 😊

mystic

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118085005#Comment_118085005

Here's a link with info about repaying DSP. It states it's for PUP overpayments so not sure if it applies to other payments.

https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/858d89-how-to-repay-pandemic-unemployment-payment-if-received-in-error/

Dempo1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118095894#Comment_118095894

Thanks, it wasn't for PUP over payment 😏

mystic

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118095924#Comment_118095924

I know the payment mentioned in the link is PUP but as far as I know it covers all overpayments.

Dempo1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118097089#Comment_118097089

Morning and thanks 😊

Hippodrome Song Owl

Another update here in case it ever helps anyone else - I am now paying tax on the overpaid Illness Benefit even though I repaid it immediately at the time. Social Protection failed to update my record and as far as Revenue is concerned I was paid €304.50 not €101.50. There is no hope of getting it resolved. I am down money in my Net pay for November and Revenue says December will be worse.

I am so angry with the DSP. They were obnoxious at the time when they overpaid me in error (and I notified them of their mistake) and now their error has left me short at Christmas. Yes I can claim it back eventually but that's no help right now.

I would have been better off not claiming at all and just losing the €101.50 from my salary. I'd have paid less tax and wouldn't have actually been down the full amount. Now I'm down more with more to be lost next month. And it has affected my mortgage application. I'm livid at their incompetence combined with their sneering attitude.

So if you do repay an overpayment also follow up and get confirmation that your record for Revenue has been updated to accurately reflect the money you were paid.