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Operational Guidelines: Employee Retention Grant Scheme
From Department of Social Protection
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The Employee Retention Grant is a grant available to private sector employers, should an employee acquire an illness, condition or disability.
The cause or nature of the illness, condition or disability is not relevant for the purpose of this grant.
The Employee Retention Grant Scheme assists in enabling the retention of the employee in his or her current position or in retraining the employee for another position in the company.
The grant provides funding to:
- identify accommodation or training to enable the staff member to remain in his or her current position
- retrain the staff member so that he or she can take up a different position within the company
The scheme facilitates employers by making a financial contribution enabling them to buy in the specialist skills and knowledge to develop and implement a Retention Strategy for an employee who acquires an illness, condition or disability.
Employers within the private sector may apply for grant aid for eligible employee(s).
Any existing employee could be eligible for this grant if he or she acquires an illness, condition or disability. The employee may be ‘disabled’ as a result of an accident (occupational or otherwise), or may have acquired a chronic or progressive illness such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS), or a condition such as diabetes or epilepsy.
The Employee Retention Grant Scheme consists of two stages.
Development of Retention Strategy
In the first stage, funds are available to the employer towards the development of an individualised written Retention Strategy, devised by an appropriately qualified Specialist (hereafter referred to as the ‘Specialist’) (1) , which ensures safe and timely return to work. The resulting Retention Strategy outlines what the employer needs to do to accommodate, and if necessary train, the employee to remain in his or her existing role. Alternatively, if this is not an appropriate option, the Retention Strategy should outline where the person may be re deployed in the company and what accommodation or retraining is required.
(1) Appropriately qualified ‘Specialists’ include the following: Occupational therapist, Occupational psychologist, Occupational physician, Occupational health nurse or other occupational health services professional, Rehabilitation nurse, Ergonomics Specialist, Chartered physiotherapist, Employment advisor attached to a relevant Disability Organisation, that is, an organisation that provides specific employment advice or resources to a dedicated client base, for example, NCBI, DeafHear, CRC, Headway Ireland, Brainwave and so on.
Implementation of the Retention Strategy
In the second stage, grant assistance is provided towards the cost of retraining the employee, hiring a Job Coach (2) or a Specialist to support or manage the implementation of the Retention Strategy. Funding for the Job Coach or the Specialist is limited to a set number of hours. Stage 2 payment will not be made without the support of an individualised written Retention Strategy and is subject to the employer initiating and completing Stage 1.
2) A Job Coach is an employment-training specialist who works with people who have disabilities. Job Coaches specialise in helping workers with disabilities to perform the tasks of their jobs successfully. This includes providing intensive training and support to workers with disabilities and facilitating healthy working relationships between them and their management and co-workers.
Funding is available for the following:
STAGE 1
(Subject to a maximum of €2,500 or 90% of eligible programme costs per employee)
- to hire a Specialist(s) to evaluate the employee’s occupational capacity and conduct a workplace or job assessment to develop an individualised written Retention Strategy
STAGE 2
(Subject to a maximum of €12,500 or 90% of eligible programme costs per employee)
- to train the employee for his or her current position or to retrain him or her for another position within the company
- to hire a Job Coach to offer support to the employee and liaise with his or her line manager for a maximum period of 300 hours
- to hire a Specialist to manage the Retention Strategy on an ongoing basis until reintegration is complete for a maximum period of 60 hours
When should the application be made?
The application should be made, in consultation with the employee and line manager, either when the employee has been absent for a minimum period of four weeks or, in the case of a chronic illness (for example MS - Multiple Sclerosis) or medical condition (for example Epilepsy), when it begins to impact on his or her employability. The application must be approved by the nominated DSP Assistant Principal, as per the Workplace Supports Contact List prior to the development of the Retention Strategy (See General Conditions – Claim Requirements (ii)).
How does it work?
The employer should contact a Specialist(s) who will evaluate the employee’s occupational capacity and perform a job or workplace assessment (See Appendix for contact details of relevant representative organisations). Once the occupational capacity evaluation and job or workplace assessment have been completed, the Specialist will develop a written Retention Strategy.
The Specialist must develop the written Retention Strategy in collaboration with the employer, the employee and his or her advocate or representative (if appropriate).
The written Retention Strategy should incorporate all actions needed to implement the Retention Strategy, including itemised costing, timeline for implementation and personnel responsible for its implementation (if applicable), for example, Job Coach, Specialist and so on.
The written Retention Strategy should accompany any claim for funding for Stage 1 and must have been received before an application for Stage 2 can be considered.
The employer completes and returns the ERGS Application Form Stage 1 (ERG1), which is available from the department’s website or from the nominated DSP Assistant Principal (See Contacts List of APs with responsibility for Disability Employment Supports ).
Claim Form: Employee Retention Grant Scheme
Please refer to the General Conditions before completing this form.
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The application form must be accompanied by:
- references for the Specialist(s) from two companies which have previously availed of their services
- copies of the Specialist’s qualifications and, where applicable, professional memberships
- the employer’s current Tax Clearance Certificate (TCC) or electronic Tax Clearance Access Number (TCAN)
- a current Tax Clearance Certificate (TCC) or electronic Tax Clearance Access Number (TCAN) for each Specialist or his or her employer(s)
The employee, the employer (or nominee), the employee’s line manager (if appropriate), the employee’s representative (if appropriate), and the Specialist(s) responsible for providing the service should sign the application form.
Ninety per cent (90%) of the costs of performing an occupational capacity evaluation with the employee, conducting a workplace or job assessment and developing a written Retention Strategy are available to companies up to a maximum of €2,500 per employee.
A claim for Stage 1 payment may be made once the employee has undergone an evaluation of his or her occupational capacity, the job or workplace has been assessed and the written Retention Strategy has been developed and agreed. The grant will be paid once the employer has submitted a completed ERG Claim Form and it has been processed by the Case Officer and the Case Officer’s AP. To ensure prompt payment, it is essential that all of the documentation required is included with the claim form.
The employer completes the parts of the common ERG Claim Form relevant to Stage 1. This form is available from the department’s website or from the nominated DSP Assistant Principal (See Contacts List of APs with responsibility for Disability Employment Supports ) and should be returned to the employer’s local DSP Intreo Centre or to the Case Officer or Assistant Principal who dealt with the application.
The claim form must be accompanied by:
- detailed invoices and receipts as outlined in General Conditions – Claim Requirements (iii)
- a copy of the written Retention Strategy including a detailed costing and proposed timeframe in which the various actions associated with the implementation of the Retention Strategy are scheduled to take place
- a copy of the employer’s current Tax Clearance Certificate (TCC) or their electronic Tax Clearance Access Number (TCAN), if not previously submitted
- a copy of the current Tax Clearance Certificate (TCC) or an electronic Tax Clearance Access Number (TCAN) for each Specialist(s) or his or her employer
The employer (or nominee) should complete and sign the declaration on the claim form.
Specialists must have a track record in the area of occupational capacity evaluation, job or workplace assessment and the development and implementation of retention or return to work interventions. Where applicable, the Specialist(s) should be registered with a relevant professional body, such as the Association of Occupational Therapists, Irish Association of Rehabilitation Professionals and so on.
When should the application be made?
Application for Stage 2 funding may be made once Stage 1 has been completed. The application for Stage 2 funding must be approved by the nominated DSP Assistant Principal, as per the Workplace Supports Contact List prior to the implementation of the Retention Strategy (See General Conditions – Claim Requirements (ii)).
Application Procedures
The employer completes and submits ERGS Application Form Stage 2 (ERG2), which is available from the department’s website or from the nominated DSP Assistant Principal (See Contacts List of APs with responsibility for Disability Employment Supports ).
The application form should be accompanied by:
- references for the Specialist(s) or Job Coach(es) from two companies which have previously availed of their services
- copies of the Specialist(s) or Job Coach(es) qualifications and, where applicable, professional memberships
- the employer’s current Tax Clearance Certificate (TCC) or electronic Tax Clearance Access Number (TCAN) (if not previously submitted)
- current Tax Clearance Certificates (TCC) or electronic Tax Clearance Access Numbers (TCAN) for all external personnel involved in the implementation of the Retention Strategy (if not previously submitted)
The employee, the employer (or nominee), the employee’s line manager (if appropriate), the employee’s representative (if appropriate), and the Job Coach or Specialist responsible for supporting and managing the implementation of the Retention Strategy must sign the application form.
Where the value of any one application exceeds €5,000 and a single Specialist or Job Coach or Trainer is to provide these services the applicant company will need to obtain three independent quotations and make these available to DSP. Where the lowest quote is not selected, it will be necessary to state the reason(s) for the selection.
What are the grant limits under Stage 2?
Ninety per cent (90%) of the eligible costs associated with the implementation of the Retention Strategy, up to a maximum of €12,500 per employee, is available for all elements of Stage 2 (within the limits outlined below):
- funding for a maximum 300 job-coaching hours
- funding for a maximum of 60 hours external co-ordination of the Retention Strategy by a Specialist, including case management meetings
- 90% of the cost of external training is available where redeployment of the employee requiring retraining is indicated by the Retention Strategy
When will the grant be paid?
A claim for Stage 2 payment may be made once the Retention Strategy has been implemented. The grant will be paid once the employer has submitted a completed ERG Claim Form and it has been processed by the Case Officer and the Case Officer’s AP. To ensure prompt payment, it is essential that all of the documentation required is included with the claim form.
Claim Procedures
The employer completes the parts of the common ERG Claim Form relevant to Stage 2. This form is available from the department’s website or from the nominated DSP Assistant Principal (See Contacts List of APs with responsibility for Disability Employment Supports ) and should be returned to the employer’s local DSP Intreo Centre or to the Case Officer or Assistant Principal who dealt with the application.
The claim form must be accompanied by:
- detailed invoices and receipts as outlined in General Conditions – Claim Requirements (iii)
- a copy of the employer’s current Tax Clearance Certificate (TCC) or their electronic Tax Clearance Access Number (TCAN) if not previously submitted
- a copy of the current Tax Clearance Certificate (TCC) or an electronic Tax Clearance Access Number (TCAN) for each Specialist(s) or his or her employer if not previously submitted
- an original EFT Bank Mandate, if the employer’s bank details have changed
The employer (or nominee) should complete and sign the declaration on the claim form.
Providers
Job Coaches (or "life coaches") and those with responsibility for the external co-ordination of the strategy (Specialists) must have a track record in the area. Contact the Irish Association of Supported Employment for further information on Job Coaches (See Appendix).
Non-supported Activities
The following activities are not eligible for funding under the Scheme:
- attendance at Seminars and Workshops
- company-wide disability management assessments
- development of company-wide disability or absence management policies
- capital expenditure associated with training. However, the cost of appropriate assistive technology for the employee may be recouped through the DSP Workplace Equipment Adaptation Grant (see Other Initiatives)
There is a maximum grant limit of €15,000 payable to an employer for the purpose of retaining any one employee; that is, the total funding available for both Stage 1 and Stage 2 must not exceed this amount.
i) The employer and those contracted for service must not be in receipt of funds from any other source in respect of the development or implementation of the Retention Strategy, including the delivery of (re-)training, which is the subject of a claim under this scheme. The employer is not precluded from applying for other DSP funding which may assist in the successful implementation of the Retention Strategy, such as the Workplace Equipment Adaptation Grant. They are, however, required to declare this on the application for Stage 2 of the Employee Retention Grant Scheme.
ii) Application must be submitted for approval to the nominated DSP Assistant Principal (See : Contacts List of APs with responsibility for Disability Employment Supports ) on the relevant application forms prior to the development (Stage 1) and implementation (Stage 2) of the Retention Strategy. Ideally the application should be made at least three weeks prior to the commencement of each stage. Approval for funding for either stage of the grant must be obtained prior to the commencement of the stage. A Case Officer or Assistant Principal will communicate notice of approval in writing to the Employer.
iii) Before a grant is paid, the employer must complete an ERG Claim Form and return it to the DSP Case Officer or Assistant Principal who sent them written approval of the application, together with:
Proof of payment, that is, a copy of the original receipted invoice(s) from the Specialist(s) or Job Coach(es) (as appropriate), accompanied by:
- a written receipt(s) that includes the cheque number OR
- a copy of the bank statement indicating the payee, the date of payment and the amount. These details must correspond with those listed on the receipt(s) issued by the Specialist(s) or Job Coach(es) OR
- a copy of the bank draft, in the case of foreign currency, or a copy of the bank statement in the case of an electronic transaction in a foreign currency
These details must correspond with those listed on the receipt(s) issued by the Specialist(s) or Job Coach(es).
DSP reserves the right to withhold any grant payable if there is any outstanding debt owed to DSP by the employer.
The employer shall grant officials of the Department of Social Protection, and the Comptroller and Auditor General’s office, or any other person appointed on behalf of any of them, immediate access to all records, financial or otherwise, maintained by the employer in connection with this Scheme. Records must be held for a period of six years. The employer shall comply promptly with all reasonable requests for information relating to this Scheme from DSP, and any of the other agencies specified herein. It is recommended that the employer retain copies of all documentation for reference.
Retention Strategies developed or implemented by a parent or associate company or by a member of the employer’s own staff are not eligible for funding under this scheme.
The DSP undertakes to use its best endeavours to hold confidential any information provided by your company (correspondence, forms or tenders and so on), subject to the DSP’s obligations under law, including the Freedom of Information Act 2014 . Should you wish that any of the information supplied by your company not be disclosed because of its sensitivity, you should, when providing the information, identify the same and specify the reasons for its sensitivity. The DSP will consult with the company’s representative about this sensitive information before making a decision on any Freedom of Information request received. Please note, however, that if no information is identified as sensitive, with supporting reasons, then it can potentially be released in response to an FOI request.
Under this scheme, and in line with the provisions of the Employment Equality Act, 1998 (amended by the Equality Act 2004 ), and of the Equal status Act 2000 (amended by the Equal Status (Amendment) Act, 2012) , employers are encouraged to initiate actions that focus on achieving equality and eliminating discrimination.
Private sector employers participating in this scheme may also avail of other grants supporting the employment of people with disabilities.
These are:
- the Disability Awareness Support Scheme for the purpose of providing Disability Awareness training to staff. Further details are available from the local DSP INTREO Centre or from the nominated DSP Assistant Principal (See Contacts List of APs with responsibility for Disability Employment Supports .)
- where the productivity of a new employee (who is in the process of being recruited into the company for the first time) is affected by disability (80% or less of normal levels), the employer may apply for the Wage Subsidy Scheme (WSS) which incentivises the employment of people with disabilities who are unemployed. However, the WSS is not available to existing employees who have acquired a disability. Further details are available from the local DSP INTREO Centre or from the nominated DSP Assistant Principal (see above)
- the Workplace Equipment Adaptation Grant , a grant towards the cost of adapting premises or purchasing equipment to accommodate an employee with a disability. Further details are available from the local DSP INTREO Centre or from the nominated DSP Assistant Principal (see above)
- the Personal Reader Grant is available for up to 640 hours per year towards the cost of hiring someone to read relevant documents or training manuals to someone who is blind or visually impaired or onto audiotape. Further details are available from the local DSP INTREO Centre or from the nominated DSP Assistant Principal (see above)
The DSP reserves the right to vary the conditions of the Employee Retention Grant Scheme and to amend the grant limits to ensure that ‘cost effective’ interventions are provided in accordance with prevailing norms.
Association of Occupational Therapists of Ireland
Address:
AOTI Office 201, 18 Herbert Street Dublin 2, D02 FK19.
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Irish Association of Supported Employment
Address:
Unit 1, Údarás Industrial Estate, Belmullet, Co. Mayo, F26 CA40.
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IBEC (Identity, Beliefs, Ethics and Culture)
Address:
84/86 Lower Baggot Street, Dublin 2, D02 H720.
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The following publications are available from:
Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission
Address:
Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, 16-22 Green Street, Dublin 7, D07 CR20.
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The following publication is available from:
National Disability Authority
Address:
25 Clyde Road, Dublin 4, D04 E409.
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Retaining Employees who acquire a disability uiting, training and developing staff
- companies appreciate the value of experienced staff and also realise the economic benefits of both maintaining staff loyalty and retaining staff expertise and experience
- employers are aware of the time and cost of recruiting replacement staff and training them to full productivity