Disabled Married Daughter Not Entitled to CGHS Facility

Disabled Married Daughter Not Entitled to CGHS Facility – As per the 2007 order, a son of a government employee who is suffering from any disability of any kind is entitled to CGHS facilities for life till he does not start earning.

A disabled but married daughter of a government employee cannot be entitled to subsidised medical facilities under the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) unlike the son in the same situation, the union health ministry has ruled.

“A daughter once gets married is related to her husband and can no more be treated as dependent on the principal beneficiary as before. Therefore, dependency defined for son and daughter cannot be compared to each other,” the ministry of health and family welfare has said in a communication to the department of pensions and pensioners welfare.

The latter, which reports to the prime minister, had asked the health ministry to “examine the suggestion” of pensioner organisations for extension of CGHS facilities to married disabled/mentally retarded daughter of a government employee.

The health ministry rejected the suggestion and its above-mentioned reasons have been communicated to the pensions department, as per an action taken report sent on October 8 to all the pensioner organisations.

The health ministry has cited its 2007 order pertaining to CGHS facilities and ruled out any change. As per the 2007 order, a son of a government employee who is suffering from any disability of any kind is entitled to CGHS facilities for life till he does not start earning.

If the son is normal, he can avail CGHS facilities only till he turns 25 or starts earning, whichever is earlier. But a daughter -disabled or not – can’t avail of CGHS facilities by virtue of being a child of a government employee once she is married or starts earning, whichever is earlier.

The daughter can only be eligible for CGHS facilities once married if she is “divorced/abandoned/separated from her husband or widowed,” the order said. Same goes for the sister of a government employee.

Source: Patrika