Income supports

• Bereavement grant
• Death Benefits under the Occupational Injuries Scheme
• Payment for six weeks after death
• Payments for widowed people
• Other social welfare benefits and payments
• War of Independence veterans
• Medical Card and GP Visit Card

The Department of Social and Family Affairs (DSFA) is responsible for the administration of social insurance and social assistance schemes including pensions, benefits, allowances and other payments. Social Welfare information booklets, leaflets and application forms referred to in this publication are available in the following ways:

• By telephoning Lo-call 1890 20 23 25
• From your local Social Welfare Office
• From your local Post Office
• On the Internet at www.welfare.ie

There are Information Officers in the network of Social Welfare Offices throughout the country. They can give advice or help you fill in forms. You should consult the telephone directory for details of the office nearest to you.

The Health Service Executive (HSE) operates a number of income support schemes. It is proposed to transfer most of these to the Department of Social and Family Affairs in the near future. It also operates the medical card and GP visit card schemes.

The following are the main social welfare payments and schemes which are likely to be relevant to bereaved people. You should apply as soon as possible for these benefits and not later than three months after the death.

Bereavement grant

A Bereavement Grant (currently €850) is a once-off payment based on PRSI Contributions which is payable on the death of an insured person or their spouse, their widow/widower or their dependent child.

A Bereavement Grant may also be paid on the death of someone in respect of whom a Guardians Payment (Contributory) is paid. Since May 2007, a Bereavement Grant may be claimed by the next of kin of someone aged 16-22 who was getting Disability Allowance at the time of their death.

A Bereavement Grant is paid to the spouse or the personal representative or the next of kin of the deceased. Only one Bereavement Grant is payable on a death. You should apply within 12 months of the date of death.

A Widowed Parent Grant may also be payable in addition to a Bereavement Grant if you are widowed with dependent children.

How to claim a Bereavement Grant

A Bereavement Grant may be paid without the need for a formal application where the deceased was getting a State Pension (Contributory or Transition), formerly known as Old Age and Retirement Pensions or was an adult or child dependant of a person getting a State Pension.

In the case of the following payments applications are made to the address below:

• Blind Pension l Widow/Widower's (Contributory or Non-Contributory) Pension
• One-Parent Family Payment
• Deserted Wife's Benefit or Allowance
• Guardians Payment (Contributory or Non-Contributory)

Pension Services Office
College Road
Sligo

Lo-call: 1890 500 000

In all other cases, applications should be sent to:

Bereavement Grant Section
Social Welfare Services Office
Government Buildings, Ballinalee Road, Longford.

Tel: (043) 45211 / (01) 704 3487

You must enclose the funeral bill and the death certificate (or death notice) with the application form.

Death Benefits under the Occupational Injuries Scheme

If the death happened because of an accident at work or while travelling to or from work or as a result of a prescribed disease, you may be entitled to a Funeral Grant of €850 under the Occupational Injuries Scheme, instead of the Bereavement Grant.

Contact:
Disablement Benefit Section
Social Welfare Services Office
Government Buildings
Ballinalee Road
Longford.

Tel: (043) 45211 / (01) 704 3000

Payment for six weeks after death

In general, weekly social welfare payments which the deceased was receiving are continued for six weeks after the death. The rules involved are quite complex. The six week payment is normally paid in a lump sum by cheque.

Death of a spouse/partner

If your spouse/partner dies while getting any of the following social welfare payments and the amount included a payment in respect of you, then the same rate of payment is continued for six weeks after the death. If you qualify for a widow/widower's payment, it is payable from the seventh week.

State Pension (Contributory, Non-Contributory and Transition)

Pre-Retirement Allowance

Supplementary Welfare Allowance

Jobseeker's Benefit or Allowance (formerly called Unemployment Benefit or Assistance)

Farm Assist

Illness Benefit (formerly called Disability Benefit)

Disability Allowance

Invalidity Pension Carer's Allowance

Carer's Benefit

Blind Pension

Injury Benefit

Incapacity Supplement

Death Benefit under the Injury Benefit scheme

Back to Work or Back to Work Enterprise Allowance

If you are getting any of the payments listed and your deceased spouse was also receiving one of those payments, your spouse's payment continues for six weeks after the death. You may then continue to receive your own payment or you may qualify for a widow/widower's payment.

Maternity Benefit

If your wife dies while receiving Maternity Benefit, you may qualify for the rest of her entitlement to the payment or for six weeks' payment, whichever is longer. You do not have to meet the usual PRSI contributions for the benefit.

Death of a child dependant

If your child, for whom you were receiving a Qualified Child Increase on your social welfare payment, dies, then payment of the Qualified Child Increase continues for six weeks after the death. Child Benefit ceases from the end of the month during which the child dies.

One-Parent Family Payment (OFP)

If you are receiving the OFP and your only child dies, then the payment together with the Qualified Child Increase is payable for six weeks after the death. You are then no longer eligible for the OFP as you do not have a qualifying child.

Carer's Benefit/Allowance

If the person you are caring for dies (and he/she is not your spouse or partner), your carer's benefit or carer's allowance is continued for six weeks after the death.

Child Benefit and Early Childcare Supplement

If the person (usually the mother) getting Child Benefit (and Early Childcare Supplement) dies, you should contact the Child Benefit Section to get the payment transferred to the other parent or the child's guardian.

Payments for widowed people

Widow's/Widower's (Contributory) Pension

If your spouse dies you may be entitled to a Widow's/Widower's (Contributory) Pension from the Department of Social and Family Affairs. To qualify, you must satisfy certain PRSI contribution conditions which can be based on either your own or your late spouse's PRSI contributions. However, the two PRSI records cannot be combined for this purpose. Virtually all PRSI Classes count for this pension. This pension cannot be paid if you re-marry or cohabit. You may be entitled to this pension even if you are divorced from your late spouse, regardless of whether he/she has remarried.

As this payment is not means-tested, other income, for example earnings, an occupational pension or a pension from your late spouse's employment does not affect it.

Apply to:
Widow's or Widower's Pension Scheme
Social Welfare Services Office
College Road
Sligo

Lo-call: 1890 500 000

Widow's/Widower's (Non-Contributory) Pension

If you are widowed but do not qualify for a Widow's/Widower's (Contributory) Pension, and you do not have dependent children, you may be entitled to a Widow's/Widower's (Non-Contributory) Pension. This is a means-tested payment.

One-Parent Family Payment

If you are widowed, with dependent children, and you do not qualify for Widow's/Widower's (Contributory) Pension because you do not have enough PRSI contributions you may be entitled to the One-Parent Family Payment (OFP). If your partner with whom you were living as husband and wife dies and you have dependent children you may be entitled to the One-Parent Family Payment. This is a means tested payment.

Widowed Parent Grant

A once-off Widowed Parent Grant is payable to a widow or widower, with dependent children, who has an entitlement to Widow's/Widower's Contributory Pension, Widowed One-Parent Family Payment, Guardian's Payment or a Bereavement Grant. The current amount of the grant is €4,000. It is paid in addition to a Bereavement Grant.

It is not necessary to make a separate application for a Widowed Parent Grant if a claim has already been made for a Widow's/Widower's (Contributory) Pension or widowed One-Parent Family Payment. Widow's/Widower's Pension under the Occupational Injuries Scheme If your spouse died as a result of an accident at work (or while on an unbroken journey to or from work) or from an occupational disease, you may be entitled to a Widow's/Widower's Pension under the Occupational Injuries Scheme, instead of the Widow's/Widower's (Contributory) Pension. It is usually paid at a higher rate than the Widow's/Widower's (Contributory/Non-Contributory) Pension.

Widow's/Widower's Pension from other countries

If either you or your late spouse was insurably employed in another EU Country or a country with which Ireland has a Bilateral Social Security Agreement, you may be entitled to a payment from that country. Alternatively, contributions from that country could, in addition to Irish contributions, help you qualify for a Widow's/Widower's (Contributory) Pension from this country. You should give details of any such employment on your application form for the Irish Widow's/Widower's (Contributory) Pension, and the Department of Social and Family Affairs will send the necessary papers to the other country on your behalf.

Guardian's Payment

Orphaned children may be entitled to a Guardian's Payment (Contributory) depending on the PRSI contributions of their parents or step-parent, or a Guardian's Payment (Non-Contributory) which is granted on the basis of the orphan's means test. This is a weekly payment which is usually paid to the guardian of the children up to age 18. The payment may be paid up to age 22 if the children are in full-time education.

There is a separate guardian's pension available under the Occupational Injuries Scheme. This is for an orphan if a parent, step-parent or another person who supported the child died because of a work-related accident, or an occupational disease.

Additional entitlements

Normally, you may only receive one weekly social welfare payment, but there are exceptions. If you are receiving a Widow's/Widower's Pension or One-Parent Family Payment and you are also entitled to either Illness Benefit, Jobseeker's Benefit, Injury Benefit or Incapacity Supplement, you may be paid one of these payments at half the normal personal rate for up to a maximum of 15 months. Maternity Benefit, Adoptive Benefit and Health and Safety Benefit may also be paid at half the normal rate.

You may be able to receive a social welfare payment and also receive a half-rate Carer's Allowance, subject to a means-test.

A person may receive a Guardian's Payment in addition to a Widow's/Widower's Pension. A dependent child increase is also payable in respect of the orphan.

If you are aged under 66 and qualify for a Blind Pension, you may receive this at the full rate in addition to a Widow's/Widower's Pension or a One-Parent Family Payment.

Changing from Widow's/Widower's (Contributory) Pension to State (Contributory) Pension

Widow's/Widower's (Contributory) Pension is based on either your own or your spouse's social insurance contributions. The State Contributory Pension is based only on your own social insurance contributions, therefore your spouse's contributions cannot be used for the State Contributory Pension. A separate application must be made if you think you qualify for the State Contributory Pension. However, if you do not qualify for the State Contributory Pension you may continue to receive your Widow's/Widower's (Contributory) Pension for as long as you remain widowed.

Contact:
The Pension Services Office
College Road
Sligo

Lo-call: 1890 500 000

Other social welfare benefits and payments

Fuel Allowance

Fuel Allowance may be payable for 29 weeks from the end of September to mid- April each year. It is a means-tested payment and is subject to certain other qualifying conditions. The current rate is €18 a week. A Smokeless Fuel Allowance may also be payable in certain areas - it is currently €3.90 a week.

Living Alone Allowance

The Living Alone Allowance is a weekly payment for people receiving certain social welfare payments who are living alone. It is not available to people who are only receiving pensions from other countries. You must apply separately for this allowance to the section of the Department of Social and Family Affairs which deals with your main social welfare payment. The Living Alone Allowance is then normally included in your main payment.

Free Travel

You are entitled to a free travel pass if you are living in Ireland and

• You are aged 66 or over or
• You are aged between 60 and 65 and your late spouse held a Free Travel Pass and you are getting certain payments from the Department of Social and Family Affairs or
• You are under the age of 66 and are getting certain long-term disability payments or Carer's Allowance from the Department of Social and Family Affairs or similar payments from another EU member state or a state with which Ireland has a bi-lateral social security agreement.

The free travel pass allows the holder and spouse to travel free on public transport within Ireland and to and from Northern Ireland and on certain private transport services that have become part of the scheme. Companion passes may be granted to enable travel pass holders who are unable to travel alone to bring a companion with them.

You can also use the Free Travel Scheme to travel within Northern Ireland. The free travel pass is not used for this: you will need to apply for a Senior Smartpass card that can be used in Northern Ireland. Eligibility for this card does not extend to the spouse, partner or companion.

The Free Travel Pass is issued automatically at age 66 if you are getting a social welfare pension and is issued automatically with the long term disability payments. Otherwise, you must apply to:

Free Travel Section
Pension Services Office
College Road
Sligo

Lo-call: 1890 500 000

You can apply for the Senior Smartpass card at your local Social Welfare Office.

Household Benefits Package

The Household Benefit Package is made up of three allowances: Electricity/Gas Allowance, Telephone Allowance and Free Television Licence. Only one Household Benefits Package is payable in a household even if several members are eligible.

You are entitled to the package if you are living at the address to which the package applies and you are the registered consumer of electricity, gas and telephone and

• You are aged 70 or over or
• You are getting a Carer's Allowance or
• You are aged between 66 and 70 and you are getting certain long-term payments from the DSFA or
• You are aged between 66 and 70, you pass a means test and you are living alone or only with certain specified people or
• You are aged between 60 and 65 and your late spouse qualified for the package and you are getting certain payments from the DSFA.

Apply to:
Free Schemes Section
Social Welfare Services Office
College Road
Sligo

Lo-call: 1890 50 00 00 ext. 48371

Treatment Benefit

Treatment Benefit includes Dental Benefit, Optical Benefit, and contact lenses and hearing aids. Entitlement to any of these benefits is based on PRSI contributions. Dentists, opticians or hearing aid suppliers normally keep stocks of application forms.

If you are widowed and your late spouse was eligible for Treatment Benefit at the time of his/her death and you were dependent on him/her at the time of the death, you may continue to be eligible for as long as you remain widowed.

For further information, contact:
Social Welfare Services
Office Oliver Plunkett Road
Letterkenny
Co. Donegal

Lo-call: 1890 400 400 ext. 44480

Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA)

The Supplementary Welfare Allowance is a means-tested scheme for people with little or no income. It is administered by the HSE at present but it is planned to transfer it to the Department of Social and Family Affairs. It is not normally paid to people who are in full-time work or to full-time students but there are exceptions to this.

Weekly payments may be made to people who do not qualify for any other social welfare payment or who are awaiting a decision on an application for a payment.

One-off payments can be made for exceptional or urgent needs. For example, you may qualify for an Exceptional Needs Payment if you do not have adequate means to pay for the funeral.

There is a range of weekly supplements available. For example, if you have difficulty paying your rent or mortgage, or if you have exceptional heating expenses due to ill-health or need a special diet due to a medical condition, you may qualify for financial assistance.

You should apply for Supplementary Welfare Allowance by contacting the Community Welfare Officer at your local Health Centre.

War of Independence veterans

Separate allowances for veterans of the Irish War of Independence are provided by:

Department of Defence
Veterans Section
Áras an tSáile
Renmore
Galway

Tel: (091) 743 846

Medical Card and GP Visit Card

Everyone aged 70 or over living in Ireland is entitled to a Medical Card, regardless of income. In most other cases a means test applies. If you were not eligible for a medical card before your spouse died, you should apply again if your financial circumstances have changed. If you already hold a Medical Card, then it is likely that you will remain qualified.

GP Visit Cards are given to people who do not qualify for a Medical Card but whose income is below a certain level. The HSE issues guidelines for the award of both Medical Cards and GP Visit Cards. If your income is only a little higher than the guidelines, you should apply anyway, particularly if you have high medical expenses.

Medical Card /GP Visit Card income guidelines 2007

You may be entitled to a Medical Card or a GP Visit Card if your net weekly income is less than the guideline figure that applies to your circumstances. Net income is income after tax, PRSI, health contribution and certain childcare and housing costs.

	Income threshold for Medical Card	Income threshold for GP Visit Card
Family Unit	€ per week	€ per week
Single Person Living Alone
Aged under 66 years	184.00	276.00
Aged between 66-69 years	201.50	302.00
Single Person Living with Family
Aged under 66 years	164.00	246.00
Aged between 66-69 years	173.50	260.00
Married Couple/Single-Parent Family with dependent children
Aged under 66 years	266.50	400.00
Aged between 66-69 years*	298.00	447.00
Aged between 70-79 years 2**	596.50	895.00
Aged 80 years and over***	627.00	940.50
Additional allowances for dependent children
First two children under 16 years	38.00	57.00
Third and subsequent children under 16 years	41.00	61.50
First two children over 16 years	39.00	58.50
3rd and subsequent children over 16 years	42.50	64.00
For a dependant over 16 years who is in full-time third-level education and not grant-aided	78.00	117.00
Other Additional Allowances
Reasonable rent/mortgage costs, childcare costs and travel costs to work.

Footnotes: Entitlement to a Medical Card at age 70
* If you are habitually/ordinarily resident in the State and over age 70 you are entitled to a medical card regardless of means.
** This is the weekly rate used to assess a couple where one person is aged 70 years or over and the other has not yet reached 70 years.
*** This is the weekly rate used to assess a couple where one person is aged 80 years or over and the other has not yet reached 70 years.