Blind Welfare Allowance

The Blind Welfare Allowance is part of special services for blind persons in Ireland. This payment is made under the Blind Persons Act, 1920. It is a means tested Department of Health and Children supplementary payment in addition to an existing Department of Social and Family Affairs income maintenance payment to qualified persons who are blind or visually impaired. The allowance is paid to eligible persons from 16 years of age.

You may qualify for the Blind Welfare Allowance if you are:

A person in receipt of a Blind Pension from the Department of Social and Family Affairs; or
A person in receipt of other Department of Social and Family Affairs income maintenance payments. For example, Invalidity Pension, State Pension (Contributory) and State Pension (Non Contributory), Disability Allowance, etc or an equivalent type social security payment from another country or
Persons whose income is below the combined Blind Pension rate and Blind Welfare Allowance rate andare registered with the national Council for the Blind of Ireland. If not registered with the National Council for the Blind a qualifying certificate of visual impairment from an ophthalmic surgeon must be submitted.

People who are maintained in an institution are not normally considered for the allowance. The rules governing the means test are not set out in the legislation but, generally speaking, it is broadly similar to the means test for Disability Allowance. If your only income is the Blind Pension or another means tested social welfare payment, you should qualify.

The current rates (January 2010) of payment for Blind Welfare Allowance are as follows:

61.00 euro per week for a single person;
122.00 euro per week for a blind couple; and 4.40 euro per week for each child dependant.

The Blind Welfare Allowance rate for a couple is only applicable where both the applicant and partner/spouse are blind or visually impaired and qualify for the allowance.