It has been one of the biggest scandals in Ireland’s social welfare system for years.
Its origins lie in a failed state-sponsored scheme called the Social Security Service, which was designed to provide income support to people who lost their jobs, suffered illness or other economic hardship.
It was also intended to provide social security benefits to those who had been in a position of unemployment for a period of more than two years.
This meant the system was meant to provide those on social welfare, which is the majority of the population, with enough to live on for at least a year.
The scheme was set up to provide some of the poorest people with an income that was guaranteed to last for years, but its finances were a mess.
It failed to meet its stated goal of providing income to at least two-thirds of people by 2020.
It also failed to cover the cost of the payments it made to those on welfare.
The government now admits it made a mistake in the scheme, but argues it should have gone further and introduced a tax on financial transactions to bring down the cost.
The reforms will mean more people will be able to access support, with the promise of higher payments and a greater chance that they will be paid.
This is the biggest reform to the social welfare state in decades.
But for many people on social security there are now serious questions about the extent to which the reforms will make a difference.
What will the reforms mean for those on benefits?
Where will they come from?
And how will it affect those who are not receiving the social security payments they were promised?
Here are some key questions: will it benefit everyone?
As the reforms go into effect, the most common way people will access the benefits they were told they were entitled to is through the new website, socialive.ie.
Those on benefits will still be able access the website, but the benefits will only be available to people whose social security is valid, and not to people with the same type of social security as them.
This means they will still have to be on social support, and those who have the same job may not be able get a payment for the same work.
Those who have had their social security stopped will also still be eligible to access the site.
People who are unemployed for more than a year will still also be eligible for the benefits.
The only way people who have been on social disability benefits for at most a year and a half will now be eligible is through a new online application process.
Those people will have to complete a questionnaire to be allowed to access benefits.
This process will not be as easy to navigate as the previous system, as the government will now require more documentation to be included on the application form.
This will mean applicants will need to provide additional documents to prove they are a person with a disability.
This may include a letter from a doctor, a letter of recommendation, or a copy of a certificate of completion from a job or other qualification.
Will it affect everyone?
It is not clear how the changes will affect those on the welfare rolls.
The new system will only apply to those aged 18 and over.
People aged over 18 will also have to register for the new system and must prove they have a disability if they are on social insurance.
People on social benefit will be asked to provide proof of their disability if the person is applying for a payment, or if they have their benefits stopped.
The changes mean that people on disability benefits will also be able apply for a refund of their income support, but this is likely to be less widespread.
It will still not be possible to claim disability payments on behalf of a dependent.
How will it change the way people are paid?
The new scheme will make it easier for people to claim social welfare payments.
In previous versions, people could only claim payments for two months.
Now, they will also need to show they were receiving a payment in the period between the date of the decision and the date they received the payment.
The payments will also only be valid for up to two years, and they will no longer be able be cancelled.
Will the changes mean those on disability get less money?
Yes, but it will mean those who need support the most will be the most vulnerable.
Those with a mental illness will also find it harder to access social security and will be less likely to claim benefits if they receive a disability payment.
They may also be less able to claim unemployment benefits if their income falls below the threshold for claiming them.
People with disabilities and those with other conditions, such as cancer, will also face more difficulty in accessing benefits.
Those without a disability and those on other benefits will face different challenges in accessing the benefits, with those on state benefits being more likely to need assistance.
This could mean those with a chronic illness or disability will be particularly disadvantaged.
It could also mean that those on workfare, disability and incapacity payments will be left