Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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527. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the reason payment of illness benefit ceased after 12 months for a person (details supplied); when payment will be reinstated; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17290/19]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Illness Benefit is paid for a maximum of 1 year if a person has a total of between 104 and 259 reckonable social insurance contributions paid or for a maximum 2 years if a person has a total of 260 or more reckonable social insurance contributions paid.

The entitlement of the person concerned to Illness Benefit exhausted on the 29th March 2019 as she had received a full year of Illness Benefit payment and her social insurance record indicated that she had 251 contributions paid.

However, the Department reviewed her entitlement and based on additional contributions from her 2018 social insurance record it was determined that as she now has over 260 contributions she is entitled to an Illness Benefit payment for another year as long as she continues to satisfy the medical criteria for the scheme.

The person concerned is currently paid Illness Benefit up to date and is medically certified until the 30th April 2019.

I trust this clarifies matters for the Deputy.