Know Your Rights: Passport renewal

Question

I have booked a family holiday and checked my passport to make sure it’s still valid. It is, but it’s due to expire a couple of weeks before I travel. How can I make sure that I can get a new one in time?

Answer

You don’t have to wait until the expiry of your passport to renew it. If you apply for a new passport before your current one has expired, the period that your new passport is valid for begins from when you apply, rather than from when your previous passport expires.

The website of the Passport Service, passport.ie, lists the current average processing times for different types of passport applications. The quickest way to renew your passport is by using the online application service, which was introduced earlier this year. You can use the online service if your passport expires any time in the next 12 months.

You must submit a digital photo with your application. You can get a friend to take your photo with a digital camera or smartphone or you can go to a photo provider, for example a pharmacy or a photographer, who will give you a copy of your digital photo to upload. Alternatively, you can go to one of the photo booth services listed on passport.ie, which will take your photo and provide you with a code. If you enter this code when you apply, you don’t need to upload the photo yourself.

Online renewal isn’t available for children’s passports, so if you wanted to renew your family’s passports together, you would have to use Passport Express, the postal application service. Alternatively, you could renew your own passport online and use Passport Express for renewing any passports for children.

When you get your new passport you can set a renewal reminder. The passport.ie website offers a passport reminder service, which will send you an email three months before the passport expires.

Further information is available from the Citizens Information Service below.

Know Your Rights has been compiled by Boyle Citizens Information Centre which provides a free and confidential service to the public. Tel: 0761 07 6330 

Address: Elphin Street, Boyle, Co. Roscommon

Information is also available online at citizensinformation.ie and from the Citizens Information Phone Service - 0761 07 4000

Know Your Rights: Help with paying the rent

Question

We are on the local authority’s housing list, but for now we need to find private rented accommodation and get help with the rent. Should we apply for Rent Supplement or the new Housing Assistance Payment?

Answer

People on the local authority’s housing list should no longer apply for Rent Supplement. You can apply for the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) instead.

HAP is a form of social housing support for people with a long-term housing need. Since 1 March 2017, it has been available nationwide.

The HAP scheme aims to allow all social housing supports to be accessed through one body – the local authority – and to enable people to take up full-time employment and keep their housing support.

Under HAP, you find your own private rented accommodation. The rental agreement will be between yourself and the landlord. This means that you will have certain rights and obligations, as will your landlord.

The rent must be within the HAP rent limits, which are based on your household size and the rental market in your area. Flexibility is provided for people who cannot find suitable accommodation within these rent limits. The Homeless HAP Pilot in Dublin offers further flexibility for homeless people.

You won’t pay the rent to the landlord yourself. You will pay a rent contribution to the local authority through the HAP Shared Services Centre, which manages HAP payments on behalf of all local authorities and will pay the rent directly to your landlord. The rent contribution you pay will be based on your income and your ability to pay – like with a local authority differential rent.

If you are getting a social welfare payment at a post office, you must pay your rent contribution through the Household Budget Scheme.

If you take up a job or increase your working hours, you will still be eligible for HAP, provided that you meet the other conditions of the scheme.

Further information is available on hap.ie and from the Citizens Information Service below.

Know Your Rights has been compiled by Boyle Citizens Information Centre which provides a free and confidential service to the public. Tel: 0761 07 6330

Address: Elphin Street, Boyle, Co. Roscommon

Information is also available online at citizensinformation.ie and from the Citizens Information Phone Service - 0761 07 4000

Know Your Rights: Help with school costs

Question

I am the parent of a four-year-old daughter who will start Primary School in September. My only income is from my One-Parent Family Payment and €90 I get each week from a part-time job. I don’t get maintenance and I’m worried about the extra costs involved in sending my daughter to school. Is there State help available?

Answer

As you are getting a social welfare payment, you may be entitled to the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance (BSCFA) to help meet the cost of your daughter’s school uniform and footwear, as long as your weekly income is below a certain level.

You are currently receiving a One-Parent Family Payment of €222.80 (including a child payment) and earning €90, so your weekly income is €312.80, which is below the income limit of €418.10 for a lone parent with one child and will entitle you to BSCFA. The BSCFA payment this year is €125 for a qualified child aged 4–11 years.

The Department of Social Protection pays BSCFA automatically in many cases. If you haven’t already received a letter from them, you will need to apply by 30 September 2017. Application forms are available on the Department’s website, welfare.ie, or from your local Intreo Centre or Social Welfare Branch Office. A form can also be requested by SMS (text message) by texting ‘Form BTSCFA’ followed by your name and address to 51909 or by emailing the Department at BSCFA@welfare.ie.

The Department of Education and Skills also runs a School Books Grant Scheme which is available to State-funded schools to help with the cost of school books. Some schools will help with the cost of buying textbooks or run a Textbook Rental Scheme. You should contact your daughter’s school principal to find out if this option is available at her new school.

You can get detailed information on the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance on citizensinformation.ie.

Further information is available from the Citizens Information Service below.

Know Your Rights has been compiled by Boyle Citizens Information Centre which provides a free and confidential service to the public. Tel: 0761 07 6330

Address: Elphin Street, Boyle, Co. Roscommon

Information is also available online at citizensinformation.ie and from the Citizens Information Phone Service - 0761 07 4000

Know Your Rights: Medical card and Domiciliary Care Allowance

Question

I’m getting Domiciliary Care Allowance for my daughter so I was happy to hear that medical card cover was being extended to children who qualify for the payment. The medical card application form seems to require a lot of information that doesn’t appear relevant in this situation. Is there another way to apply?

Answer

You don’t need to complete the medical card application form to get the medical card for your daughter. The medical card for children who qualify for Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA) isn’t subject to a means test so information about your income is not required.

Instead, you can register your child online by going to the website medicalcard.ie  and clicking on ‘Medical Cards (DCA)’. The site also has a form you can download if you prefer to apply by post. 

You will need to provide the following information:

• Your Personal Public Service (PPS) Number and contact details

• Your child’s PPS Number and date of birth

• The name and address of your child’s GP

The website includes a list of GPs who are participating in the scheme. If your GP of choice is accepting applications electronically, your child’s details will be sent to them. If not, you will be emailed a copy of the relevant details, which you can print out and bring to the GP. 

Once the GP accepts your child to their GMS patient list, the registration will be finalised by the National Medical Card Unit and a medical card in your child’s name will be sent to you. 

If you have questions about the medical card, you can call the information line on Lo-call 1890 252 919.

Further information is also available from the Citizens Information Service below.

Know Your Rights has been compiled by Boyle Citizens Information Centre which provides a free and confidential service to the public. Tel: 0761 07 6330 

Address: Elphin Street, Boyle, Co. Roscommon

Information is also available online at citizensinformation.ie and from the Citizens Information Phone Service - 0761 07 4000

Know Your Rights: Retirement age

Question

My employer says that I have to retire when I reach the age of 65. Can an employer make you retire at a certain age?

Answer

There is no single fixed retirement age for employees. If you are employed, your retirement age should be set out in your contract of employment. The usual retirement age in contracts of employment is 65.

Many contracts have provisions for early retirement from age 60 (or in some cases from age 55) and most have provision for early retirement on health grounds. Some occupations – for example, firefighters, An Garda Síochána and the Defence Forces – have provisions for earlier retirement.

While employment equality legislation prohibits discrimination on the grounds of age, employers are still allowed to set retirement ages in employment contracts. Since 1 January 2016, under the Equality (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2015 an employer may set a compulsory retirement age if the employer can objectively justify the retirement age of an employee. This could be for health and safety reasons, for example, the physical demands and requirements of the job.

If an employee has reached the employer’s mandatory age of retirement, this legislation provides that they may still be legitimately offered fixed-term contracts, provided that it is objectively justified. The provisions of the Protection of Employees (Fixed-Term Work) Act 2003 would still apply.

The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) provides information on your rights and entitlements under employment legislation. For further information about your contract of employment and retirement age you can contact the WRC’s Information and Customer Service at Lo-call 1890 80 80 90 or through the website, workplacerelations.ie.

Further information is available from the Citizens Information Service below.

Know Your Rights has been compiled by Boyle Citizens Information Centre which provides a free and confidential service to the public. Tel: 0761 07 6330

Address: Elphin Street, Boyle, Co. Roscommon

Know Your Rights: Long-term illness and the State Pension

Question

I’ve been on Illness Benefit for over a year. I don’t ever expect to be fit to return to work. As I’m now nearing pension age, will I be entitled to a full State Pension (Contributory)?

Answer 

The State Pension (Contributory) is paid to people from the age of 66 who have enough social insurance contributions. To qualify, you will need to have paid at least 520 full-rate contributions, which is equivalent to 10 years. The amount of the pension will depend on your average number of contributions per year. Illness Benefit is paid for a maximum of two years. It will end before that if you turn 66, when you may be eligible for a State Pension. You should apply for the State Pension three months before your 66th birthday.

If your entitlement to Illness Benefit ends before you reach pension age at 66 and you are likely to be permanently incapable of work, you may qualify for Invalidity Pension. To get Invalidity Pension you must have at least 260 (or five years) paid PRSI contributions and 48 contributions paid or credited in the last complete tax year before the date of your claim. The last complete tax year is the year before your claim. For example, if you claim Invalidity Pension in 2017, the last complete tax year is 2016. Note that only PRSI paid in classes A, E and H currently count.

If you get Invalidity Pension, you will automatically transfer to the State Pension (Contributory) at the full rate when you turn 66.

You will be contacted by the Department of Social Protection  before your Illness Benefit is due to stop and you will be given information about your options. If at that stage, you don’t qualify for Invalidity Pension and have a disability that is expected to last for a year or more, you may qualify for a means-tested Disability Allowance.

You can get detailed information about the State Pension and payments for people with long-term illnesses from the website of the Department of Social Protection. 

Further information is available from the Citizens Information Service below.

Know Your Rights has been compiled by Boyle Citizens Information Centre which provides a free and confidential service to the public. Tel: 076 107 6330 

Address: Elphin Street, Boyle, Co. Roscommon

Information is also available online at citizensinformation.ie and from the Citizens Information Phone Service - 076 107 4000

Know Your Rights: Treatment Benefit Scheme and the self-employed

Question

I run a small business and pay Class S PRSI. My wife works part-time. Are we both entitled to medical benefits under the Treatment Benefit Scheme?

Answer

Since 27 March 2017, the Treatment Benefit Scheme has been extended to cover self-employed people who have paid sufficient Class S PRSI contributions. The scheme is run by the Department of Social Protection (DSP) and provides dental, optical and aural services to qualified people. You should contact the DSP or your treatment provider to check your eligibility before proceeding with any treatment. The number of PRSI contributions required depends on your age.

Your wife may qualify in her own right if she has enough contributions. If she doesn’t have enough, she may still qualify for Treatment Benefit on your social insurance record. To do this, you must qualify for Treatment Benefit and she must be dependent on you. To be considered dependent she must:

·         Have a gross income of €100 or less per week or

·         Earn more than €100 per week and have been dependent on you before entering or resuming insurable employment (at Class A, E, H, P or S) or

·         Not be getting a social welfare payment (except Disablement Pension, Supplementary Welfare Allowance, Carer’s Benefit or Child Benefit) or

·         Have a Carer’s Allowance or State Pension (Non-Contributory) and have been dependent on you immediately before getting this payment

Benefits under the scheme include an annual oral examination by private dentists on a DSP panel. Most dentists are on the panel so you shouldn’t have difficulty finding one. The scheme also provides for a free eyesight test but does not include sight tests for computer screens or driving licences. Half the cost of medically required contact lenses and hearing aids, up to a maximum amount, may also be covered. Opticians, optometrists or hearing aid suppliers providing the treatment or hearing products must have a contract with the DSP.

You can get detailed information on the Treatment Benefit Scheme on welfare.ie. Further information is available from the Citizens Information Service below.

Know Your Rights has been compiled by Boyle Citizens Information Centre which provides a free and confidential service to the public. Tel: 0761 07 6330

Address: Elphin Street, Boyle, Co. Roscommon

Information is also available online at citizensinformation.ie and from the Citizens Information Phone Service - 0761 07 4000