Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I know from my own experience that many medical files have to be gathered and gone through. It is not a simple process. This has to go to different branches. It is not just one civil servant who reads a medical file and is able to determine if a person has lack of hearing, a disability or some form of injury. It has to go through different branches. The medical side takes some time and has to go through due process. There is also the Army pensions board. The processing time depends on the complexity, nature and range of medical conditions and injuries claimed. To assist in its investigations, the board often seeks outside independent medical opinion from consultants in the relevant specialist fields and the process for deciding disability pension applications is very different from the one involving the award of military retirement benefits. It takes some time to complete due to the need to fully verify the background details in individual cases for the medical investigation by the Army pensions board.