Disability Allowance

Darrio · 24-09-2019 12:00pm #1

Good morning Everyone. I am new here and this is my first post.

Without boring you about health issues, I will get straight to the question. I am 62 years old and worked all my life. I find myself on illness benefit since March 2018. As far as I know, this runs out after 2 years which would be next March 2020. My GP has indicated I will not return to work and advised me to apply for the Invalidity Pension which I did. This was refused but is now in appeal and supported by my GP.

As you all know only too well, delays are awful for getting decisions so I have to look in the future a little bit if my appeal is refused. So, come March 2020, I assume then I can apply to be on Disability Allowance ?. This is of course means tested, so I am just looking for info on the means tests as it is hard to understand it all. My wife does work part time and we do not have much savings ( I believe you can have €50,000 in savings not counted and we have nothing like that...I wish !! lol).

So, in easy terms, how are you assessed for DA. I had heard there was a calculator on the SW site but I can not find it anywhere.

Thanks in advance and I would really appreciate ANY advice .

splinter65 · 24-09-2019 12:40pm

First of all there is nothing at all to stop you applying for disability allowance right now.
In fact I always advise people to apply for both at the same time. It’s perfectly in order and you can abandon one in favor of the other as soon as you hear.
The means test is the same as JSA.
So the will calculate your DA as if your wife wasn’t working at all first. So,
€203+
€134.70
=€337.70

Then they look at your wife’s wages. Say she’s working 20 hours per week at €10 per hour (€200) over 3 days.
They allow €20 per day up to a max of 3 days so in your wife’s case €60
€200-
€60
= €140
Then they say that 60% of that is “means”.
So in your wife’s case €84.
So your means from your wife’s employment is €84.
Deduct that from the total of your max DA giving you a DA payment of €253.70.

Darrio · 24-09-2019 12:54pm

Thank You very much Splinter65.

If I may ask, in you first calculation where does the €134.70 come from ?. I am on €205 a week on IB at the moment.

I should add also, technically I am still employed, on the books so to speak. As I could also retire early and get a small weekly amount, is that deducted from the total also.

Thank you in advance

splinter65 · 24-09-2019 1:57pm

Darrio wrote: »

Thank You very much Splinter65.

If I may ask, in you first calculation where does the €134.70 come from ?. I am on €205 a week on IB at the moment.

I should add also, technically I am still employed, on the books so to speak. As I could also retire early and get a small weekly amount, is that deducted from the total also.

Thank you in advance

If your wife wasn’t working at all and you actually claimed for her on your IB then you would have got €134.70 in respect of her.
How much does your wife earn gross per week and how many days does she work per week?

Darrio · 24-09-2019 2:16pm

Thanks again Splinter65.

As my wife is working, I did not claim for her on my IB.

I am not sure on the exact amount but she does have a good job. She would earn in the region of €500 gross per week and she works 3 days per week.

If I do not get the IP on appeals, are there any other directions I could go. As I said, I have worked all my life (Contract Building Work) unbroken with little or no Sick Leave or SW payments since 1976.

splinter65 · 24-09-2019 2:44pm

Darrio wrote: »

Thanks again Splinter65.

As my wife is working, I did not claim for her on my IB.

I am not sure on the exact amount but she does have a good job. She would earn in the region of €500 gross per week and she works 3 days per week.

If I do not get the IP on appeals, are there any other directions I could go. As I said, I have worked all my life (Contract Building Work) unbroken with little or no Sick Leave or SW payments since 1976.

If you apply for DA then you will only get €113.70 per week total payment. So you’re better of to stay on your IB. If you’re certain that you’ve put forward the best possible case for IP including all medical evidence and a letter from yourself setting out the reasons why your illness/injury prevents you from working then there’s not much to can do if they refuse your appeal. It’s hard to get IP now.

Darrio · 24-09-2019 2:59pm

splinter65 wrote: »

If you apply for DA then you will only get €113.70 per week total payment. So you’re better of to stay on your IB. If you’re certain that you’ve put forward the best possible case for IP including all medical evidence and a letter from yourself setting out the reasons why your illness/injury prevents you from working then there’s not much to can do if they refuse your appeal. It’s hard to get IP now.

Thank You very very much Splinter65, you have been so helpful. I have, I hope put in a strong appeal, with my GP going as far to say, I will not return to work. I am aware it is very hard to get the IP and did not think after all these years of paying taxes etc that I would be in this position and almost bearing my soul to try get some sort of payment.

I will stay on IB as long as I can (March 2020) but I am worried if I fail to get the IP where I can get some income. I am not sure how you came up with the €113.70 per week but I suspect it is based on my wife's earnings. So as I am unsure at this moment her true wage per week, I suspect if she earns more, that figure will go down.

Anyway, you are very kind to take the time to reply, I really appreciate it.

splinter65 · 24-09-2019 3:05pm

Darrio wrote: »

Thank You very very much Splinter65, you have been so helpful. I have, I hope put in a strong appeal, with my GP going as far to say, I will not return to work. I am aware it is very hard to get the IP and did not think after all these years of paying taxes etc that I would be in this position and almost bearing my soul to try get some sort of payment.

I will stay on IB as long as I can (March 2020) but I am worried if I fail to get the IP where I can get some income. I am not sure how you came up with the €113.70 per week but I suspect it is based on my wife's earnings. So as I am unsure at this moment her true wage per week, I suspect if she earns more, that figure will go down.

Anyway, you are very kind to take the time to reply, I really appreciate it.

No bother OP. The €113 income from DA is based on your wife having gross income of €500 per week less PRSI.
Yes if she has more than €500 then the €113 is reducing all the time.
Hope you win your appeal.

Darrio · 05-11-2019 2:01pm

5 Months now and still no word on my review & appeal for the IP.

As advised by splinter65, I will need to apply also now for the DA as my IB ends early March 2020.

Just another question on the means test calculation. My wife can retire from Civil Service at age 60, which is next year.
She was an early entrant into the Civil Service (mostly part time and career break for kids) and at that time payed the lower stamp or PRSI, not sure which, but this of course effects her pension. When means testing my DA and if she did retire, I take it that it would be her Civil Service Pension would be calculated as her income and depending on how much that is, is part of the calculation for my DA or does her pension not count at all (clutching at straws....I know....lol)

hawthorne · 05-11-2019 5:20pm

Of course your wife's pension counts as means.

Darrio · 05-11-2019 5:49pm

hawthorne wrote: »

Of course your wife's pension counts as means.

Thanks for that Hawthorne, I thought as much !!

Am I correct in saying then, that the €20 a day allowance to a max of 3 days is only allowed if she is working ?

hawthorne · 05-11-2019 7:19pm

You find everything here:

http://www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/Means-Assessment.aspx

Disability Allowance

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