Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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995. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if her attention has been drawn to the case of a person (details supplied) in relation to a disability allowance payment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14907/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The person concerned was previously in receipt of an Illness Benefit payment. Illness Benefit is paid for a maximum of two years or 624 payable days. This is governed by legislation and cannot be extended.

The person concerned was paid Illness Benefit up to the 20th February 2021, at which point their entitlement to Illness Benefit exhausted as they had received their full 624 days of payment. The person concerned may continue to submit medical certificates for the duration of their illness in order to receive PRSI credited contributions on Illness Benefit.

A letter issued to the person concerned dated the 23rd November 2020 to inform them that their benefit was due to expire and to give them details of other schemes they may want to apply for. To date, no request for an appeal has been received regarding their Illness Benefit claim.

The person concerned submitted an application for Disability Allowance on 4th February 2021.  Their application, based upon all the evidence submitted, was refused on medical grounds as it was not found that the person concerned was substantially restricted in taking up employment.

The person concerned was notified in writing of this decision on 24th February 2021 and was also notified of their right to request a review of this decision or to appeal it to the independent Social Welfare Appeals Office. No request for an appeal or review has been received.

I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.