Rehab welcomes reversal of training bonus cuts

THE REHAB Group has welcomed a reversal by the Government of cuts to a training allowance paid to those with disabilities.

The rehabilitative training bonus, which is funded by the Health Service Executive, is aimed at supporting those with a disability or mental health issue to progress on to further education, employment or to other support services. There are about 2,700 people undertaking rehabilitative training, according to Rehab. About 870 of them are receiving training from Rehab.

On January 3rd, Rehab received a memo from the HSE indicating the allowance would be cut from €31.80 per week to €20 per week from January.

Rehab described the cut as “unfair and unacceptable” saying “it targeted people with a disability, reducing the training allowance by 37 per cent with only two days’ notice”. Writing to both the HSE and the Minister of State for Disability Kathleen Lynch, Rehab chief executive Angela Kerins called for the decision to be reviewed and for the allowance to be restored in full.

Rehab, which administers the allowance on behalf of the HSE, also said it would continue to give all those on its training courses the full-time rate of €31.80 per week for the month of January to give them time to make plans for the decrease.

The HSE however has now said the allowance will continue to be paid in full, “pending a comprehensive review of the service”. The HSE says the review of the cut has been requested by Ms Lynch.

It also says those affected by the reduction, which came into place on January 1st, will be reimbursed.

Yesterday, Ms Kerins welcomed the decision saying Rehab could now “reassure those affected that they will continue to receive their full payment until the review is complete”. With over 80 per cent of those completing training with Rehab progressing on to further education or training and 11 per cent going into employment in 2011, Ms Kerins described the scheme as “an extremely important way for people to enter or re-enter the workforce, or progress on to further education and training”.

Ms Kerins said she looked forward to contributing to the Minister’s review and hoped it would consider the benefits of rehabilitative training to the individual, the labour market and the exchequer.

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