The Carer’s Support Grant (CSG) is an annual payment made to full-time carers who satisfy certain conditions.
The person claiming the Grant must:
- Be aged 16 or over and ordinarily resident in this State.
- Care for the person on a full-time basis.
- Care for the person for a continuous period of at least six months – this period must include the first Thursday in June.
- Live with the person being looked after, or this person can be contacted quickly by a direct system of communication (i.e., a telephone or alarm).
- Not be employed / self-employed for more than 18.5 hours per week.
- Not be in receipt of, or entitled to receive Jobseeker’s Allowance or Jobseeker’s Benefit or be signing for credited contributions.
Additionally, the person being cared for must:
- Be so incapacitated as to need full-time care and attention.
- Not normally live in a hospital, convalescent home, or another similar institution.
- Not receive full-time care and attention within their own home from another person other than the person claiming the grant.
A CSG Cost-of-Living Questionnaire issued to the person concerned in October 2023 and no response was received to the Department.
A Department Officer has been in contact with the person concerned and advised that a completed application form (CSG1) was required to establish an entitlement to the grant. The person concerned was also advised that a completed medical report was not necessary in this instance.
The person concerned submitted the application on 14 June 2024. CSG for 2024 and the 2023 CSG Cost-of-Living payment were awarded on 14 June 2024 and the payments issued by cheque.
I trust this clarifies the position for the Deputy.