Around 10,000 people who've qualified for the COVID-19 illness benefit payment have yet to claim it.
The €350 per week payment - which is separate to the pandemic unemployment payment - is available to anyone who has a confirmed case of the coronavirus or who has been medically certified by their GP to self-isolate.
The 'enhanced' COVID-19 payment is almost €150 extra per week compared to the normal illness benefit rate of €203.
It's available for maximum of two weeks where someone is self-isolating "due to being a possible source of infection", and for a maximum of 10 weeks for anyone who has been diagnosed with the virus.
So far, the Department of Social Protection has received 27,300 medical certificates from GPs to confirm patients are eligible for the payment.
However, senior Government official Elizabeth Canavan this morning noted that anyone applying must also submit an application form in order to receive the payment.
She explained: "Only 17,000 of these people have of yet submitted an application form, and therefore around 10,000 cases cannot be progressed to conclusion".
Anyone waiting on their COVID19 illness benefit payment is being asked to make contact with the Department.
