Introduction

This investigation report is concerned with a complaint made to the Ombudsman by a woman living in Co. Wexford. Her complaint centred on the fact that there are variations in the way the Long Term Illness card (LTI card) scheme is administered by the HSE in different parts of the country. The complainant believed that her son would have qualified for the card, which was refused at the time of the complaint, had he lived in a different region and that the refusal amounted to discrimination against him.

The HSE acknowledged that there are variations around the country in the assessment of certain illnesses for the purposes of the scheme. These variations meant that applications for the card from people suffering from the same type of illness could be treated differently depending on where the applicants lived; in some parts of the country they would qualify for the card while in others, they would not qualify for it. This report explores some of the issues arising from the case in addition to the circumstances of the case itself.