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 from January 2011:
- €58.50 per week for a single person
- €117.00 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
National Council for the Blind of Ireland
Whitworth Road
Drumcondra
Dublin 9
Ireland
Tel:+353 (0)1 830 7033
Locall:1850 33 43 53
Fax:+353 (0)1 830 7787
Homepage: http://www.ncbi.ie/
Email: info@ncbi.ie
Language
Related Documents
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Contact Us
If you have a question relating to this topic you can contact the Citizens Information Phone Service on 0761 07 4000 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 9pm) or you can visit your local Citizens Information Centre.