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If you are widowed and were working up until March 13th, you can claim the COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment and it will be paid in addition to your widowed pension. To apply for the new COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment you can apply online at mywelfare.ie If you require a form posted out, it can be requested both online or by calling the emergency phone number 1890800024

An investigation by the Ombudsman led to over €46,000 in backdated State pension payments being awarded, after a review found that a Department of Social Protection office had provided incomplete advice. The case, included in the recently published 2023 Annual Report, highlights the importance of clear and accurate information when people are making decisions about their entitlements.

Delays in forensic crash investigations are leaving Irish families without answers, compounding the grief after sudden and tragic road deaths.

Comptroller & Auditor General Report Widows’/widowers’/surviving civil partners’ contributory pension is a weekly payment to the husband, wife or civil partner of a deceased person. It...

Budget 2015 Pensioners, the disabled and families with children to benefit from Budget 2015. TAX cuts on income and a new Water Charges Relief. Rise in Health...

World’s Largest Medical Study Into What Happens When We Die What happens when we die is an age old question. People who claim of a...

The Loneliness Taskforce was established by Dr. Keith Swanick in collaboration with the CEO of ALONE, Seán Moynihan, to coordinate a response to the epidemic of loneliness and social isolation in Ireland. Through its work, the Loneliness Taskforce is seeking to increase awareness about the issue and to produce a set of recommendations for Government, state agencies and all policy makers. Over 300 submissions have been received by the Taskforce sent from the general public, Oireachtas and Northern Ireland Assembly Members, MEPs, NGOs, Local Authorities, Public Participation Networks, and Volunteer Networks across the country, both North and South. The establishment of the Taskforce has created a much-needed national conversation on the loneliness and social isolation faced by people in Ireland.

The Irish Pharmacy Regulator approved restrictive new rules on Thursday which put jobs at risk and the possibility of rural pharmacy closures. These new rules will mean registered Pharmaceutical Assistants, like Marie and Sarah, will no longer be legally allowed to provide professional temporary cover for a pharmacist. Marie spoke of how, “I still have a mortgage so am worried about keeping my family home as I am a widow with a disabled adult living with me”. Sarah added, “I will be out of a job. I am only 60 and state pension only available at 67…I have two children in college…it will be a financial disaster…I need my work and my money”.

Important updates to the Ombudsman process are now law in Ireland. For widowed people facing issues with social welfare, pensions, mortgage protection, or life insurance claims, these changes promise faster and fairer outcomes.

Department of Social Protection failed to inform Widower of entitlement to pension. A man whose wife died in 1998 brought a complaint to the Ombudsman,...