HSE asks priest – do you get child maintenance?

A parish priest was asked by the Health Service Executive (HSE) to provide evidence that he was receiving child maintenance payments after applying for a medical card.

The priest, who was not aged 66, was also asked to supply the medical cards office of the HSE with details of whether he was being paid a State pension.

The priest, from the West of Ireland, had applied for a medical card and filled out the necessary forms.

The returned form included that he was a priest, and gave his age, which is not that of someone who could receive a pension.

But weeks later, the application was sent back to the priest, who was asked to clarify whether he was in receipt of child maintenance.

Child maintenance usually, but not always, is paid to mothers; and only people with children would be in line for maintenance. It is included in a statement of means to determine eligibility for a medical card. Though he is of an age that makes him ineligible for a pension, the medical cards office also asked for pension details.

The case was highlighted by Mayo County Councillor Michael Kilcoyne, at the recent regional health forum west meeting.

Mr Kilcoyne said it was bureaucracy gone mad before outlining a similar, more serious case of the inflexibility of the medical cards office.

In this instance, the woman had her medical card cancelled even though she had provided the HSE with all the necessary information.

She applied for the medical card but was asked to send in a notice of assessment from the Revenue Commissioners. This assessment, which contains USC and PRSI details, used to be spread over four pages. But revenue has recently streamlined the document and has put all the information into one page.

When this woman sent in the assessment with all the relevant information on one page, the medical cards office replied and said she was missing three pages. She got in touch with them to say that all of the information was now being provided on one page, and not three, but the medical cards office refused the application.

Cllr Kilcoyne said the woman’s card was refused, and she is now paying for doctor’s visits and medication because the medical card office cannot communicate with Revenue about a change from four pages to one.

Cllr Kilcoyne added: “I’ve come across several cases like these. One is more unbelievable than the next. I have the emails to prove it. It’s just unreal what is going on. But the long and the short of it is that it is Government policy not to issue medical cards. As soon as they issue a medical card, it costs money. So they are trying everything they can to delay and postpone and avoid issuing medical cards. This is the new Ireland that Enda Kenny talks about – isn’t it great?”

Bernard Gloster, Interim Chief Officer of HSE West, said he would look into the matter.