Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 May 2026
750. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of individuals currently transitioning from invalidity pension to the partial capacity benefit scheme; the average processing time for these applications; if his attention has been drawn to concerns regarding financial security during the medical assessment phase; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39330/26]
View answerPartial Capacity Benefit (PCB) is a social welfare scheme which allows a person to return to work or self-employment and continue to receive a payment from my Department. A person must be in receipt of Illness Benefit (IB) for a minimum of six months or Invalidity Pension (IP) before applying for PCB.
There is a two-stage application process involved. The applicant first notifies my Department of their intent to take up employment and applies for PCB. My Department will determine whether the applicant is eligible and (if so) at what level the PCB would be paid. Once that decision is made the applicant must then subsequently confirm that they wish to proceed on that basis and confirm the date that their employment is commencing. The PCB team will then put the relevant payment in place.
From the start of January to the end of April 2026, 215 PCB claims were awarded. Of these, 107 originated from IP.
From a processing perspective, once an application is received it is immediately referred for medical assessment. A desk assessment is conducted by a qualified Medical Assessor (MA). Medical assessments are currently taking approximately 3 weeks. The applicant will qualify for PCB if their capacity for work is assessed by the MA as moderate, severe, or profound. Once a medical opinion is recorded, the person concerned is notified of their potential entitlement. Applicants are also advised to notify my Department with their expected employment start date.
The second stage of the process can only occur once my Department receives notification that the applicant is proceeding with their employment and provides details of their expected employment start date. The applicant’s PCB claim remains open for 13 weeks from the date of receipt of their application to allow time to provide a return-to-work date. Once this is received, their PCB payment is processed immediately (which is generally within a week from receipt of this notification).
The IP or IB remains in payment throughout the PCB application process.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
