Domiciliary Care Allowance

Information
Rules
Rates
How to apply
Where to apply

Information

Domiciliary Care Allowance is a monthly payment to the carer of a child with a disability so severe that the child requires care and attention and/or supervision substantially in excess of another child of the same age. This care and attention must be provided to allow the child to deal with the activities of daily living. The child must be likely to require this level of care and attention for at least 12 months.

The Domiciliary Care Allowance scheme was administered by the Health Service Executive before it was transferred to the Department of Social Protection.

Budget 2012

It was announced in Budget 2012 that the age of entitlement for Domiciliary Care Allowance would be extended from 16 years to 18 years of age. This is to compensate for the raising of the age of eligibility for Disability Allowance to 18. (These measures are under review and may not be implemented.)

Rules

In order to qualify, the child must have a severe disability that is likely to last for at least one year and:

Be aged under 16 (at 16, the child can apply for a Disability Allowance)
Live at home with the person claiming the allowance for 5 or more days a week - see 'Half rate payment' below
Meet the medical criteria - see below
Be ordinarily resident in the State

In addition, the person claiming the allowance for the child must:

Provide for the care of the child
Be habitually resident in the State.

Medical criteria

To qualify for Domiciliary Care Allowance a child must have a disability so severe that it requires the child needing care and attention and/or supervision substantially in excess of another child of the same age.

Eligibility for Domiciliary Care Allowance is not based on the type of impairment or disease, but on the resulting lack of function of body or mind which means the child needs extra care and attention. The Department's Medical Assessor will take the following into account before giving his/her opinion on whether the child meets the medical criteria:

Review the history of the case
Consider all medical reports received
Have regard to the description of the care and attention required by the child given by the parent/guardian.

Half-rate payment

Children who are being cared for on a full time basis in residential homes or other institutions are not eligible for the allowance.

However, children in residential care who go home may receive a half-rate payment if they are at home for 2 days or more a week, for example, a child who attends residential services from Monday to Friday and goes home at weekends.

Reviews and appeals

If your application is refused on medical grounds, you may submit additional information and ask for the case to be reviewed by a different Medical Assessor. If you are not satisfied with the outcome of this review, or wish to appeal on other grounds, you can appeal the decision to the Social Welfare Appeals Office.

Rates

The Domiciliary Care Allowance rate is €309.50 per month.

There is no restriction on the number of children in respect of whom you may claim Domiciliary Care Allowance. (In other words, if you are caring for more than 1 child who qualifies for Domiciliary Care Allowance, you may claim the monthly allowance for each).

Payment is made on the third Tuesday of every month for the current month.

Hospital stays

Payment may continue for up to 13 weeks if the child is getting medical or other treatment in hospital.

Other payments

Entitlement to Child Benefit is not affected and a parent or other carer may also qualify for Carer's Benefit or Carer's Allowance if they meet the other conditions.

You can also claim a Respite Care Grant, which is paid automatically each year during the month of June.

How to apply

To apply, fill in a Domiciliary Care Allowance form (pdf) or text “FORM DCA” followed by your name and address to 51909 (standard text rates apply).

You can also get an application form in your Social Welfare Local Office or Citizens Information Centre.

You should complete Parts 1 to 5 of the application form and have your child’s GP complete parts 6 and 7. Please ensure that you attach any reports or assessments relevant to your child’s disability.

Where to apply

Your application form and supporting documentation should be sent to: