COUNTY Limerick politician Richard O’Donoghue quizzed Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys in the Dáil on how people who are suffering from long Covid and can no longer work are not being financially supported by the Government.
The Rural Ireland Independent TD asked if this issue can be addressed with the Minister for Health to introduce a payment for those suffering from long Covid.
In response, Minister Humphreys said that her department provides a suite of income supports for those who are unable to work due to an illness or disability.
These include contributory payments, based on PRSI contributions, such as illness benefit and invalidity pension, and non-contributory payments, based on a means test, such as the disability allowance.
“Entitlement to these supports is contingent on the extent to which a particular illness or disability impairs or restricts a person’s capacity to work. It is not dependent on the nature of the illness or disability,” Minister Humphreys told Deputy O’Donoghue.
“Every application for the Department’s schemes is individually assessed, in line with the provisions specified in the relevant social welfare legislation. Assessment is based on the medical information provided by healthcare providers and the claimant and taking into account the opinion of the Department’s Medical Assessor.”
A temporary scheme of paid leave, she added, was also developed by the Department of Health for certain public health sector employees who were unfit to work after a Covid-19 infection. This scheme has been extended until March 31 2024.
