Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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830. To ask the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 24 of 14 May 2014, if his officials will work with the National Adult Literacy Agency to develop a more user friendly guide for medical card applicants and persons subject to reviews of medical card applications to be fully appraised of the extent and level of documentation required on their income and any medical conditions they may have; and if he will indicate in the case of discretionary medical cards if a specific more user friendly process for applicants can be devised [22778/14]

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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As the Deputy will be aware, all medical card and GP visit card holders are subject to a periodic review of eligibility to determine continuing eligibility.

All applications or reviews concerning medical and GP visit cards must be supported with a range of documentation. This requirement is clearly outlined on the relevant forms and where such supporting documentation is not supplied, or is incomplete, the HSE will issue correspondence to the applicant, specifying the additional information required.

The HSE has recently redesigned the Medical Card and GP Visit Card application forms with the help and assistance of the National Adult Literacy Agency (NALA). The revised forms have a more user friendly design and have been made simpler to understand and complete. A revised ‘help and information’ section is included on the forms explaining the eligibility criteria for a Medical Card/GP Visit Card and the assessment process. The forms have been accredited the NALA approval rating for Plain English use.

In addition, a step by step video aid to completing the application form has been produced and is available to view on the HSE website HSE .ie. The website also contains comprehensive information on how to apply for a Medical Card/GP Visit Card, eligibility criteria, the assessment process, how to request a review or appeal of a decision, contact details and frequently asked questions section.

The HSE local health offices can be contacted or visited by any person who wishes to be assisted in completing their Medical Card/GP Visit Card application form or who wishes to have clarified any aspect regarding the process of assessing eligibility for a Medical Card/GP Visit Card; an information phone line 1890 252 919 is available to the public in this regard and the operating hours of this service have been extended and it is now operating from 8.00am to 20.00pm Monday to Friday.

The Deputy may be aware that, in response to concerns about the process of medical card assessment, the HSE is developing a revised approach to how it deals with applications by persons with illnesses.

Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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831. To ask the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 24 of 14 May 2014, in relation to the ability of general practitioners to allow temporary extension of eligibility for expiring cards where a sensitive renewal is appropriate, if he will provide details on the guidelines laid out for GPs to determine when such a temporary extension can be effected; and if he has figures on the number of such extensions which have been effected to date in 2014 [22779/14]

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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I have asked the Health Service Executive for a report on the issue raised by the Deputy. I will revert to the Deputy on the matter as soon as possible.

Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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832. To ask the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 24 of 14 May 2014, what is meant by the statement in the reply that well in excess of 95% of applications were processed within the target of 15 working days; if this means that this is the level of applications which are fully decided or if it refers to the level of applications which have been first looked at within 15 working days [22780/14]

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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The Primary Care Reimbursement Service has a target to have 90% of properly completed medical / GP visit card applications processed within 15 days of the application having been received by the HSE. The current turnaround is 95% within 15 days. This refers to applications, again properly completed, that enable an assessor to make a determination on eligibility under the scheme.

The length of time that it takes for applicants to receive a decision on their medical card applications where a fully completed application form was not submitted, depends on how quickly the applicants respond to the subsequent request for additional information. Applications that remain in process outside of the 15 day period due to incomplete applications, and where the applicant is engaging with the process, are facilitated so that eligibility may be retained in the interim. Once the documentation is received, their assessment is prioritised without delay. This process applies to renewal applications also.