Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister. He has acknowledged the delays and such is the nature of applications. There are sometimes delays where additional information is needed or the applications need to be looked at again. How many people are dealing with the processing and issuing of these payments?

I was recently contacted by a survivor who had received a letter to state they would be given the enhanced medical card. The letter included a full list of what the survivor could access in home care and other supports. The person contacted me to ask how to access those supports with the enhanced medical card. I rang the medical card division which asked me to contact representatives of the payments scheme. Those representatives told me to contact the medical card division. Neither could give me the information, one way or another. I know that individuals have been put in place by the HSE to act as a support and engage with people, which is welcome. However, we need to put their contact details on the letters that are issued to people so they know who to contact and are not ringing from one to the other looking for the information.

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