Current Course Participants
For people currently in training with specialist training providers, FÁS will pay a training allowance equivalent to the person's social welfare payment. In certain cases, people with disabilities currently in FÁS training centres receive a FÁS training allowance and retain their disability allowance/blind person's pension. This arrangement will continue to apply to the people in question on a personal basis until they complete their training course.
In general, the training bonus will not be paid to these people. However, if it is a more favourable rate to them (i.e. by virtue of their social welfare payment being at a reduced rate), a FÁS training allowance plus a bonus will be paid.
New Course Participants
For course participants who commenced training on or after 25 June 2001, either with a specialist training provider or in a FÁS training centre, FÁS will pay a training allowance equivalent to the person's social welfare payment and a training bonus.
Payments of disability allowance or blind person's pension will cease for the duration of the person's attendance on the FÁS training course. New course participants will be required to complete Form DA103 (application for the payment of FÁS training allowance) which will be dispatched by the training provider to the Department of Social and Family Affairs (DSFA) in Longford who will suspend the disability allowance/blind person's pension. The DSFA will return the form DA103 to the training provider indicating the date the allowance was suspended and the amount of disability allowance/blind person's pension payable.
Other Benefits
The FÁS objective is that, in all cases, secondary benefits from the Department of Social and Family Affairs (DSFA) and/or the Department of Health and Children, held by the person prior to the commencement of the new arrangements, will be retained by the participant. FÁS notes that the 'free' schemes (free electricity, telephone rental, etc.) operated by the DSFA are linked to receipt of certain social welfare payments including disability allowance and blind person's pension. These benefits will continue to apply to people with disabilities who receive a FÁS training allowance in place of their social welfare payment.
FÁS will pay fuel allowance to any course participant who qualified for this allowance while in receipt of their social welfare payment.
Sick Leave
FÁS will allow course participants with a disability to have a total of 20 working days certified sick absence(s) in any four month period (this is more favourable than the arrangements for other FÁS course participants). FÁS will continue to pay the training allowance/bonus for that period. If a participant has an aggregate of 20 days sick leave over a four month period, FÁS will review the situation in consultation with the participant. If the participant is unlikely to be able to continue the training course, arrangements will be made between FÁS and the DSFA to restore the person's social welfare payment in place of the FÁS training allowance.
No training allowance will be suspended until social welfare payments are due to recommence.
For further information about disability allowance or blind person's pension, contact your local FÁS Office.
