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Know
your rights - 2004
- Q. I believe there have been some changes to the Rent Supplement scheme.
Can you please give details of the changes?
- A. Rent Supplement is paid to people living in private rented accommodation
who cannot provide for the cost of the accommodation from their own
resources. It is paid if they are eligible and do not have alternative
accommodation available to them. The supplement is available under the
Supplementary Welfare Allowance Scheme (SWA) through the Community Welfare
Officers at local health centres.
A significant change from 31st January 2004 is that new applicants for
the supplement are required to have been in rented accommodation for
at least 6 months in total in the previous 12-month period. This does
not apply to certain people, such as those aged 65 or over, or those
in receipt of certain disability payments. Periods in hospital, prison
etc. may count towards the 6 months.
Except in certain circumstances, a person in full-time employment (30
hours or more) is not eligible for Rent Supplement. Since the start
of 2004 any new applicant whose spouse is in full-time employment will
not now be eligible. Also not eligible for the supplement is anyone
who refuses accommodation twice from housing authorities or other approved
bodies within a 12-month period which begins on or after the 31st January
2004.
In the means test for the supplement there are a number of income disregards.
There is an income disregard for social welfare pensioners aged 65 or
over. From 5th January 2004 the income disregard has increased from
€23 per week to €26 per household. Family Income Supplement
will also now be disregarded in the standard means test for the supplement.
It was already disregarded when assessing the €317.43 income limit
that applies to people retaining the supplement on a tapered basis,
such as those on employment schemes.
If you are considered eligible, you have to make a contribution towards
the rent. From the 5th January 2004 the minimum contribution which you
have to make has increased from €12 to €13. You may have to
pay more depending on your income.
Further information is available from the Citizens Information Centre.
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- Q. What are the new Medical Card income guidelines
for 2004?
- A. The Medical Card income guidelines are updated in January each
year. The new income guidelines, effective from 1st January 2004, are
as follows:
Medical Card Income Guidelines from 1st January 2004
Weekly income limit (gross less PRSI deductions)
Age
Couple |
Single Person |
Single Person |
Married |
| |
Living Alone |
Living with family |
|
| Up to 66 years |
€142.50 |
€127.00 |
€206.50 |
| 66 – 69 years |
€156.00 |
€134.00 |
€231.00 |
| 70 – 79 years |
|
|
€462.00 |
| 80 years or over |
|
|
€486.00 |
| Allowances for each child under 16 |
€26.00 |
| Allowance for other dependants |
€27.00 |
| Allowance for (rent, mortgage) excess over €26.00
per week |
| Allowance for cost of travelling to work in excess
of €23.00 per week |
For the year 2004 the guidelines have been increased by between 3% and
3.25%. For example, for a single person living alone, aged less than
66, this means an increase of €4.50 and for the age group 66 –
69 years an increase of €5.00. Similarly, for a married couple
the increases are €6.50 and €7.00 respectively.
Everyone aged 70 and over normally resident in Ireland is entitled to
a Medical Card irrespective of income. This medical card is not means
tested. It covers the cardholder only and does not cover their spouse/dependants.
If you do have a medical card because you are over 70 but your spouse
is under 70 years of age, she/he can apply for a means tested medical
card. For example, where one spouse is aged 75 and the other 68, the
means limits applying to the younger spouse are those of a married couple
aged 70 – 79 years.
Further information is available from the Citizens Information Centre.
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- Q. Is it true that the minimum wage has increased?
- A. Yes, it is true. From the 1st February 2004 the national minimum
wage is €7.00 an hour.
The National Minimum Wage Act, 2000 was introduced on 1st April 2001
setting the minimum hourly rate of pay at €5.97. On 1st October
2002 the rate increased to €6.35 per hour and now it has increased
to €7.00. The rate applies to virtually all employees over age
18. Close relatives of the employer and statutory apprentices are excluded.
Employees under age 18 are entitled to 70% of the national minimum wage
(NMW) which amounts to €4.90 per hour. If they continue to work
in the same employment once they reach 18 they must be paid €5.60
per hour (80% of NMW) for the first year and €6.30 per hour (90%
of NMW) for the second year.
Those over the age of 18 who are starting employment for the first time
are entitled to 80% or €5.60 per hour for the first year, and 90%
or €6.30 per hour for the second year, from the date of their first
employment over the age of 18.
In both cases after two years they are entitled to the full rate. Employees
undergoing training or a prescribed course of study are entitled to
a percentage of the national minimum wage for hours worked.
If you have a dispute with your employer about the national minimum
wage you can try to resolve the matter with your employer directly and
if it is still unresolved you can refer your dispute to a Rights Commissioner
of the Labour Relations Commission.
Further information is available from the Employment Rights Information
Unit, Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Davitt House,
65a Adelaide Road, Dublin 2 Tel: (01) 631 3131, LoCall 1890 201 615
or the Citizens Information Centre
Further information is available from the Citizens Information Centre
Ennis.
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- Q. I was told that the eligibility criteria for Disability
Benefit have been changed. What are the changes?
- A. Disability Benefit is a payment from the Department of Social
and Family Affairs to insured people who are unable to work due to illness.
For 2004 the maximum weekly personal payment is €134.80, €89.40
for your spouse/partner and €16.80 for each dependent child. To
qualify for the payment you must be under age 66, be unfit for work
and you must satisfy the PRSI contribution conditions.
The current PRSI condition that you must have at least 39 paid contributions
since first entering work increases to 52 paid contributions from 5th
April 2004.
Previously, people on a social welfare widow/widower’s pension
or on One Parent Family Payment could qualify for a half-rate Disability
Benefit payment along with their existing payment. From 19th January
2004 new applicants are no longer entitled to the half-rate payment.
The weekly amount of Disability Benefit you receive for yourself and
your spouse/partner is reduced where your average earnings are below
a certain amount in the relevant tax year – for claims in 2004
it is 2002. From 29th December 2003 this threshold has increased from
€88.88 to €150 for new claimants.
If you return to work after you have been on Disability Benefit but
become ill again after more than three days your new claim is seen as
a separate claim i.e. not linked. If you have been receiving Disability
Benefit for at least 5 years, the new claim is seen as a separate claim
only after a 13-week gap. From 19th January 2004 this linking period
increases to 26 weeks.
If an allowance for your spouse/partner is not included in your Disability
Benefit payment then you will only receive half-rate allowances for
your dependent children. From the19th January 2004 half-rate Child Dependant
Allowances are only paid where the spouse/partner’s income is
less than €300 per week.
Further information is available from the Citizens Information Centre.
- Q. I hope to start a course next September. Could
you please tell me who is eligible for the Back to Education Allowance?
- The Back to Education Allowance (BTEA) is paid by the Department of
Social, and Family Affairs (DSFA) to unemployed people, lone parents
and people with disabilities who wish to do approved second or third
level courses of education. To be eligible for the allowance you must
be:
Aged 21 or over (24 or over for a postgraduate course) and for the previous
6 months (15 months for a third level course) have been receiving a
social welfare payment such as Unemployment Assistance/Benefit or One-Parent
Family Payment.
Aged 18 or over and for the previous 6 months (15 months for a third
level course) have been receiving a disability payment such as Disability
Allowance or Invalidity Pension (receiving Disability Benefit for 3
years).
Aged 18 to 20, out of formal education for 2 years, and for the previous
6 months (15 months for a third level course) have been receiving One-Parent
Family Payment or Unemployment Assistance/Benefit.
An adult dependant of someone who is eligible may qualify if a Qualified
Adult Allowance is in payment. Periods spent on employment schemes,
training courses and in prison may count towards the qualifying period.
Courses you can attend include full-time second level courses certified
by the Department of Education and Science (DES) or approved by the
Further Education and Training Awards Council (FETAC), such as the Leaving
Certificate or a Post Leaving Certificate course, and full-time third
level courses approved by DES for its maintenance grant schemes or courses
which have Higher Education and Training Awards Council (HETAC) recognition.
When you have been accepted for a course you should apply to DSFA for
the allowance on Form BTE 1. You will be paid the allowance instead
of your social welfare payment at a rate equivalent to the maximum of
your current social welfare payment. If you were previously getting
an unemployment payment, the BTEA will not be paid during the summer
period between academic years. Those who had been receiving other payments
will continue to receive the BTEA during the summer.
Further information is available from the Citizens Information Centre.
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