Domiciliary Care Allowance

Eligibility for Domiciliary Care Allowance is based on the level of care and attention the child needs as a result of their disability or illness. It is not based on the type of disability or illness the child has.

To qualify for Domiciliary Care Allowance, the child must:

• be aged under 16
• be resident in Ireland
• have a severe disability that is likely to impact them for at least 12 months
• need ongoing care and attention substantially over and above the care and attention usually required by a child of the same age
• live with the person claiming Domiciliary Care Allowance for at least 5 days a week. There are some exceptions, for example if the child’s parents are living apart or if the child attends residential care part-time. 

The person claiming Domiciliary Care Allowance must:

• provide for the care of the child
• be habitually resident in the Republic of Ireland

There are no PRSI conditions for DCA and it is not means tested. You can find out more about who can get Domiciliary Care Allowance on gov.ie.

Ask the child’s GP or Medical Specialist to complete the Domiciliary Care Allowance Medical Form (DCAMed1)

The Domiciliary Care Allowance application consists of two parts: 

1. This online application completed by you.
2. The paper medical (DCAMed1) completed by the child's GP or Specialist. Your application will not be assessed without a completed DCAMed1. The DCAMed1 is available to download on gov.ie or from your local Intreo Centre.

Important note:

The quickest way to get a decision on your claim is to upload the completed DCAMed1 with your online application. If you are unable to upload your DCAMed1 now, please upload or post it within 21 days of submitting your online application. If you have any difficulty in providing the form, please contact us within this timeframe. Medical evidence is required to assess your claim. If it is not provided, we will be unable to assess your eligibility and your application will be refused. You would then need to make a new application.

There are three ways to provide the DCAMed1:

1. Upload it with your application.
2. Upload it via the Manage My Claim service on your MyWelfare account dashboard. This will become available after your application has been submitted.
3. You or the child's GP or Specialist can post it to the below address.

Postal address:
Domiciliary Care Allowance Section,
Department of Social Protection Government Buildings, 
Ballinalee Road,
Co. Longford, 
N39 E4E0

You can also upload or post additional reports from therapists, specialists or consultants, if you have them available.

Only PDF files can be uploaded as part of this application. Files cannot be larger than 10MB. If you don’t have access to a scanner, please follow the guidelines below to create a PDF using your smartphone.

Using your smartphone to scan documents to create a PDF:

• Scan documents to create a PDF with Android – Scanning a document using an Android phone for document upload to MyWelfare
  
• Scan documents to create a PDF with iPhone – Scanning a document using an iPhone for document upload to MyWelfare

You can find more information on how to prepare and upload documents on gov.ie.