Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Independent)
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222. To ask the Minister for Health if he will publish the medical criteria being applied to the assessment of medical cards, and particularly those medical card applications that are over the income thresholds; if he will outline any changes that have been made to these criteria since the centralisation of medical card applications and assessment; and when these changes were made [20892/13]

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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Following the centralisation of the overall management of the GMS Scheme to PCRS in July 2011, the assessment methodology applied to applications, that include supporting documentation to indicate that the applicant (or dependent(s), where applicable) has a medical condition, are outlined below.

Where the combined income of an applicant and spouse/partner is over the Medical Card or GP Visit Card income qualifying limits for an individual or family and they have difficult personal circumstances that cause them undue hardship, such as a family member with a particular illness, the application is considered under hardship/unduly burdensome. In such instances, evidence, for example a medical report and/or medical expense receipts will be considered. In cases where a medical condition applies, the file will be reviewed by a Medical Officer who may recommend to invoke discretion and issue a Medical Card or GP Visit Card, as considered appropriate.

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Independent)
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223. To ask the Minister for Health if he will publish the operational guidelines for the assessment of medical card applications that are made on the basis of one individual family member who has a number of medical conditions [20893/13]

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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The Medical Card/GP Visit Card National Assessment Guidelines, including the guidelines which deal with income in excess of the Medical Card Guidelines and undue hardship, are available on the HSE website.