The Respite Care Grant is a cash payment made to carers by the Department of Social and Family Affairs in Ireland. Carers can use the grant in whatever way they wish. You can use the grant to pay for respite care if you wish, but it is not necessary to do so. Read more about respite care facilities here.
In June of each year, the Department of Social and Family Affairs pay the grant to certain carers. In previous years it has been paid to those getting Carer's Allowance, Carer's Benefit, Constant Attendance Allowance or Prescribed Relative's Allowance. The Health Service Executive (HSE) is responsible for payment of the Respite Care Grant to people getting Domiciliary Care Allowance and no other payment.
Since June 2005, you don't have to be receiving a payment for caring in order to get the Respite Care Grant.
Grants
Below are examples and links to some of the main benefits and allowances which you may qualify for. Read the brief description for each one and choose which is relevant to your case
Carers Allowance
Carer's Allowance is a payment to people living in Ireland who are looking after someone who is in need of support because of age, physical or learning disability or illness, including mental illness.
The Carer's Allowance is not payable to everyone, it is mainly aimed at carers on low incomes who live with and look after certain people who need full-time care and attention. There are rules about who may be entitled tc claim Carers Allowance and these rules are set out under 'Rules' below.
If you are providing care to more than one person you may be entitled to an additional 50% of the maximum rate of Carer's Allowance each week.
Carer's Allowance is paid directly into your bank or building society account or by a hook of payable orders. whichever you prefer, (Payable orders may be cashed each week at a Post Office chosen by you
You may also qualify for free household benefits (such as Free Electricity/Natural Gas/Bottled Gas Refill Allowance, Free Television Licence, Free Telephone Rental Allowance) and a Free Travel Pass.
Carer's Allowance is not taken into account in the assessment for a medical card.
If you consider that you have been wrongly refused Carer's Allowance, or you are unhappy about a decision of Social Welfare Deciding Officer about your entitlements, you have the option of appealing this decision.
Carers Benefit
Carer's Benefit is a payment made to insured persons in Ireland who leave the workforce to care for a person(s) in need of full-time care and attention. You can get Carer's Benefit for a total period of 104 weeks for each person being cared for. This may be claimed as a single continuous period or in any number of separate periods up to a total of 104 weeks. However, if you claim Carer's Benefit for less than six consecutive weeks in any given period you must wait for a further six weeks before you can claim Carer's Benefit to care for the same person again. If you are caring for more than one person, you may receive payment for each care recipient for 104 weeks. This may result in the care periods overlapping or running concurrently.