I have called on the HSE to issue Primary Medical Certificates on an interim basis to alleviate the drastic backlog of applications that are not yet processed.
“Both initial applications and appeals are held up due to the suspension of the scheme from June 2020 until January 2021 and the difficulties experienced through COVID-19”.
“An appeals clinic which was due to be held in Roscommon in October 2020 was cancelled and will not be re-arranged until sometime in 2022”.
“The clinic in Roscommon was scheduled to deal with appeals in the West for those applicants who were unable to travel to Dun Laoghaire. This delay means they will be waiting for up to 2 years for their appeal to be heard”.
“I am calling on Government to deal with this totally unjust situation as a matter of urgency and put in place an alternative assessment and appeals process through the patients GP on an interim basis”.
“People with disabilities who need to have their car adapted to suits their needs should not have to wait for two years to have their appeal heard if they are not in a position or capable of travelling to Dublin for an appeal. They should be facilitated locally”.