Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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160. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection when a decision will be made on an appeal submitted by a person (details supplied) for partial capacity benefit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35740/20]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Partial Capacity Benefit (PCB) allows a person who has been in receipt of Illness Benefit for six months and who may not have full capacity for work, to return to employment and continue to receive a partial or full payment from the Department.

The personal rate of payment is based on the assessment of the persons restriction on capacity for work i.e. Moderate, Severe or Profound, where they retain 50%, 75%, or 100% of their payment respectively.

A claim for PCB from the person concerned was disallowed on the 21st April 2020 as they were medically assessed as having a mild incapacity for work and as such did not qualify for payment of PCB.

The person concerned submitted an appeal of this decision. She submitted further medical evidence to the Social Welfare Appeals Office (SWAO) who then sent this to the PCB section. This medical evidence was then used by the department's medical assessors to review her entitlement to PCB.

Following this review, the person concerned qualified for PCB at a moderate incapacity for work and a letter issued to her on the 6th November 2020 giving her the full details of this decision.

Once the department has received a return to work date from the person concerned their PCB payment will commence.

The PCB section will be in further contact with the customer to discuss if she is satisfied with the result of her review or if she wishes to continue to the next stage of her appeal with the Social Welfare Appeals Office.

I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.