Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, United Left) | Oireachtas source

The Minister may be satisfied that she has cut the processing times down from what they were two years ago, but there are still people coming to my office who have been waiting longer than that. This happens in particular when the Department comes back to the person seeking another letter from the doctor or more medical evidence in regard to the claim and application. Recently, we found we had to ring from the Oireachtas line in regard to a case from November 2013, but the office was unable to tell us when that claim would be processed.

Several things would facilitate a quicker turnaround of claims, one of which would be simpler application forms. Another would be if someone were to sit down with people and tell them exactly what was required from their doctor in terms of medical evidence. When a doctor writes to the panel and verifies that a person is disabled, very ill and that his or her condition will not improve, the panel should accept this, rather than refusing the application.

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