Galway TD Denis Naughten has expressed his disappointment at people with Long Covid being denied the occupational injury support they “rightfully deserve”.
The Department of Social Protection has ruled allowing Long Covid as an illness for which people could claim occupational injury benefits following the publication of a new report.
The report said that COVID-19 does not meet the criteria for designation as an occupational illness under the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005.
“Specifically, the presumptions about workplace transmission would not be sustainable on a general basis in the current environment when infection rates are low.”
The report also said that the Occupational Injuries Benefit would be of “limited value or no value” to people who already contracted COVID-19 in the past.
“As outlined in this paper, only Class A contributors would get full access to the Occupational Injuries Benefit scheme and the scheme would not apply retrospectively.”
Deputy Naughten had said before the production of the report that he intended to reintroduce an amendment to the Social Welfare Bill 2023 to have Long Covid designated as an occupational illness.
“As the Minister will be aware, the Department of Health and the HSE have agreed to extend special payments for a period exceeding 28 months to 143 healthcare staff afflicted with long Covid symptoms.”
“The State has, therefore, acknowledged that these 143 healthcare staff have an occupational illness of long Covid after contracting it, in all probability, within their place of employment.”
“However, they are still being denied access to an occupational illness scheme because the State is still refusing to publicly acknowledge that staff are chronically ill as a result of Covid infection.”
Deputy Naughten asked what would happen to those staff next April when the benefits expire and they are still unfit to work, or to all of the others who have been excluded from this support.
“Every other front-line worker outside of the health service who is out with a chronic illness as a result of long Covid is getting no additional occupational support.”
“We asked these individuals who run our hospitals and supermarkets and who support people with disabilities to go out and roll up their sleeves in the interests of the country at the height of the pandemic.”
“These dedicated individuals, who contracted long Covid as a direct result of their heroic efforts during the pandemic, are now being denied the support they rightfully deserve.”
