Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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214. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of persons who have applied for a carer's benefit in 2017 and to date in 2018 in view of the fact that there is no means test required for carer's benefit; the reason applications are taking so long to process when applications for illness benefit can be processed in a much shorter time; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42650/18]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Carer's benefit (CARB) is a payment made to insured people who leave the workforce to care for a child or an adult in need of full-time care and attention. An increased payment can be made where full-time care is being provided to two people.

The following table gives figures for CARB applications received in 2017 & up to 5/10/2018

Before a decision can be made on entitlement to CARB, a person has to show that they have the required level of PRSI contributions, that they were in full-time remunerative employment and that they have left that employment or reduced their hours of employment to no more than 15 hours per week outside their home, that they are providing full-time care and attention and that the person being cared for has such a disability that they require full-time care and attention.

In general, social welfare schemes with a number of complex qualifying conditions can take longer to process. This is compounded if the documentary evidence provided at initial application stage is incomplete or insufficient; this is sometimes the case with CARB applications.

The Department is currently in the process of re-designing the CARB application form. This will allow carers to provide more information on the type and level of care they provide, with an aim to providing Deciding Officers with the information they need to expedite decisions on entitlement.

Staff have recently been re-assigned within the CARB area to work on claims processing and this should lead to a reduction in processing times.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.