Blind Welfare Allowance

Information

The Blind Welfare Allowance is a means-tested payment from the Health Service Executive to people who are blind or visually impaired. The allowance is paid to eligible people from 18 years of age.

If you consider that you have been wrongly refused Blind Welfare Allowance you can appeal this decision.

Rules

You may qualify for Blind Welfare Allowance, if you are:

• Getting Blind Pension from the Department of Social Protection

Or 

• Getting an income maintenance payment from the Department of Social Protection or an equivalent type social security payment from another country and you are registered with the National Council for the Blind of Ireland (NCBI) or have a certificate of visual impairment from an ophthalmic surgeon

Or

• Have an income below the combined Blind Pension rate and Blind Welfare Allowance rate, and you are registered with the National Council for the Blind of Ireland or have a certificate of visual impairment from an ophthalmic surgeon  

Residential care

You cannot get Blind Welfare Allowance if you are in a long-term residential care facility. However, if you are admitted into a residential care facility you can keep your Blind Welfare Allowance for a maximum of 8 continuous weeks in any 12 month period. 

Registration for blind and visually impaired people

The National Council for the Blind of Ireland (NCBI) operates a system of registration for blind and visually impaired people. To qualify for registration with the NCBI, you must have "best vision equal to or less than 6/60 in the better eye or if the field of vision is limited, the widest diameter of vision subtending an angle of not greater than 20 degrees" (Certificate of Visual Acuity).

Basically, this means that you must see at a distance of 6 metres or less, what somebody with standard vision would see at 60 metres.

Rates

Blind Welfare Allowance rate (January 2010):

• €61.00 per week for a single person
• €122.00 per week for a blind couple  
• €4.40 per week for each child dependant.

The Blind Welfare Allowance rate for a couple is only applicable where both the applicant and partner/spouse are blind or visually impaired and qualify for the allowance.

How to apply

Apply to your Local Health Office for a Blind Welfare Allowance.

Where to apply