Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 536: To ask the Minister for Health in view of the undue hardship and stress that annual medical card reapplications cause for persons in receipt of invalidity pension payments, if he will consider granting medical cards to these persons for periods of longer than one year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32319/11]

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Under the General Medical Card Scheme (GMS), medical cards are made available to persons and their dependants whose sole income is derived from Social Welfare payments. Medical card applicants in receipt of Invalidity Pensions with additional income are means assessed under the National Income Guidelines. Where additional income is from work of a verified rehabilitate nature, the first €120 is disregarded in the assessment.

Two years is now the average period nationally for which an individual or family holds a medical card before formal review under the GMS. The review process is an important quality assurance aspect of the management of the GMS.