My Department provides Exchequer funding to local authorities under the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and Disabled People scheme, to assist people in private houses to make their accommodation more suitable for their needs. The grants include the Housing Adaptation Grant for Disabled People, the Mobility Aids Grant and the Housing Aid for Older People Grant, which are funded by my Department, with a contribution from the resources of the local authority. The detailed administration of the scheme including assessment, approval, prioritisation and budgetary apportionment is the responsibility of local authorities.
Guidelines issued by my Department to local authorities outline that where an application form is not fully completed, an applicant should be notified as soon as possible and requested to submit the outstanding information. The Guidelines propose that where only minor details are outstanding, this may involve the local authority contacting the applicant by phone. Incomplete applications awaiting submission of minor details should not be held by the local authority for longer than 3 weeks.
The Guidelines also outline that where an application is missing key elements, the local authority should return the full application with a checklist detailing the outstanding documentation to be submitted. The correspondence accompanying the checklist must communicate to the applicant that this does not mean their application has been rejected.
