ENTITLEMENT QUIZ
I must admit I am not a fan of quizzes. My general knowledge is shocking and my wife’s ability to retain weird and wonderful facts, that come up in quizzes is admirable but doesn’t make me feel great. But I thought this month that it might be a bit of fun and something different to my usual articles.
Here are 10 questions to test your knowledge around entitlements:
- Which of the following payments is not means-tested? Carer’s Allowance, Household Benefit Package, Carer’s GP Visit Card, Disability Allowance.
Carer’s GP Visit Card is not means-tested. It is automatically granted if you receive Carer’s Allowance or Carer’s Benefit. This entitles the Carer to free GP Care.
- If parents earn over €100,000 per annum and their child has Domiciliary Care Allowance. Would their child be entitled to a Medical Card? Yes or No
Yes, all children in receipt of Domiciliary Care Allowance are entitled to a non means-tested medical card. Obviously, if the parents apply for their own family medical card then this would be refused.
- When a child turns 16 and is granted Disability Allowance, what two additional benefits are they now entitled to?
Free Travel Pass & Medical Card
- If your spouse earns over €100,000 per year and your child is in receipt of Disability Allowance and you work part-time (less than 18.5 hours per week) and earn €20,000. Would you be entitled to the Carer’s Support Grant? Yes or No
Yes, Carer’s Support Grant is not means-tested but base on full-time care which allows the Carer to work up to 18.5hours per week.
- If your spouse earns €30,000 per year and you earn €20,000. Would you be entitled to the Housing Adaption Grant? Yes or No
Yes, you would not get the full €30,000 grant but you would still be entitled to a proportion of the grant through your local authority.
- Which of the following is a taxable source of income? Carer’s Support Grant, Carer’s Allowance, Domiciliary Care Allowance
Carer’s Allowance and Benefit are taxable sources of income and parents should inform Revenue.
- Which of the following is not refundable through the VAT department? Ipad to assist your child in communication, Bike to assist your child exercising, new bathroom to make your child more independent.
Bike, in general, standard toys, would not be entitled to VAT rebates unless there are recommended by a professional dealing with your child and have specific adaptation. If in doubt you can call the VAT department to check.
- Can parents claim the Disable Passenger Scheme without first getting a primary medical certification for their child’s mobility? Yes or No
No, parents need to take their child for the HSE primary medical assessment before being granted the Disable Passenger Scheme.
- If you are self-employed and wish to reduce your hours to below 18.5 hours of work per week to become the main Carer for your child. Would you be entitled to Carer’s Benefit? Yes or No
No, self-employed parents are prevented from claiming Carer’s Benefit even if they meet all other criteria as the department will state the parent doesn’t have the right type of PRSI.
10. Is money you saved in your child’s special needs bank exempted from means-tested payment? Yes or No
No, the special needs bank account is means-tested and why we ask parents to regularly check the balance. Money held in a special needs trust would not impact on children’s access to entitlements.
Well, how did you do? Are you top of the class when it comes to ensuring your child has their full range of entitlements? Here is a link to our entitlement booklet which has a lot of good information.
https://www.financialwellbeing.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020A-ZEntitlementGuide.pdf
If you are confused by any of the answers then feel free to email allan@financialwellbeing.ie. If you have information regarding entitlements that is not commonly known then do let us know and we can share it with our families.
