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Post by Banjo on Jan 29, 2011 18:09:03 GMT 7
We've heard about Centrelink refusing to accept doctor's certificates and I'd like to start cataloguing these experiences. We may be able to write to the Australian Medical Association and those MPs who are also medical practitioners.
If this happened in the workforce with employees seeking sick leave or workman's compensation there would be a huge outcry.
I'll make this a sticky thread. All those who have already posted on this, please do so again here.
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Post by spaceyone on Jan 31, 2011 21:56:04 GMT 7
A friend who was granted DSP years ago, always says to me that 'it is a Federal Offence for Centrelink employees to mess with medical'.
When looking through the new Centrelink Laws the other night, I couldn't find anything about it, but I didn't get all of the way through them.
If anyone else is able to find it, and I will keep looking, make sure you post it to here, so that we can view, analyze and plan out arguments for our complaint around it.
Thanks!
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Post by Banker on Feb 1, 2011 19:41:07 GMT 7
This is the latest in my friends saga :::
His words:Monday I had to attend a meeting with the shrink, on arrival I was asked to hand over my Medicare card and the session will cost me $130 and if I went to my GP and got him to agree to me being placed on to a Mental Health Care plan I would be eligible to receive an additional 6 visits and the CL would pay for them, the Pakistani women was new to the XXXXX she had no file on me whatsoever and was only interested in me signing up for the course so she could get the money, I left after 10 minutes and told her that from now I would only deal direct with CL and no Job placement places. This was the worst con job that I had ever experienced they should be reported to AMA no comfort for the patient - she didn't give a fig about me, she was only interested in the $$$'s
My Words: BASTARDS!!!!
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Post by spaceyone on Feb 2, 2011 19:30:11 GMT 7
And then this is where your real troubles begin.
There are so many people contracting to the government to monitor us in anyway they can, by either forcing us to apply for jobs you know you won't get, wasting your time on a silly course which will only put you into a low paid job (if you are lucky), or counselling you back into the workforce.
None of them care about our condition. They get paid more to keep us listed as healthy enough to work, and so play down our ailments. The government pumps billions into assisting these agencies and staff into positions to process us, and then claim it is the payment to us which are keeping the country poor.
My real problems began with a corrupt disability employment agency. While I was on their program, I was not required to lodge medical certificates when I was too ill to work or look for work. However, when applying for DSP later, I was almost without proof of how much of that time I was ill. I had assumed the Disability Agency would advise Centrelink of how often I was ill and how severe it was, but that I had kept trying to work.
Nope. In fact they did the opposite. When I did lodge one, when a C/L employee insisted that I should, the Employment Agency was quite miffed. They informed me I was now voluntary for the three month period it covered, and didn't have to attend interviews. So, of course, I chose not to. However, they recorded that I did, once a fortnight in fact.
When I applied to see a copy of my file, and what they had written we discussed during those interviews, they denied me my rights under FOI. They are still playing games with me about it, 6 months after I applied for the records.
So they get a nice fat salary, chunky bonuses, and their owners/board of directors get rich. My employment agency made $1,000,000 pure profit in 2009, but only $500,000 in 2010 after the economy had failed. It was built into their charter that the board of directors could buy computers and furniture for cheap from the company, each time they refurbished their offices.
For their clients, they offer you assistance and give you absolutately nothing. At least one normal employment agency gave me a $20 petrol voucher once when I got a job.
Their is no funding for any financial help at all, once you have become ill and lost your job. Then to top it all off, they play games with you, to deny you a DSP which gives you more chance to survive than Newstart, and frees you from their laws requiring you to work.
Then, to make it all the more expensive for the tax payer, they employ thousands of public servants to monitor all of these places, to keep them honest, but who instead protect their public serice colleagues at all times, and join in the Centrelink 'attack of the client game'.
I also noticed, that after the government announced a multi-billion dollar injection into the disability management industry, all the normal employment agencies starting employing at least one disability consultant. They were also teaming up with Job Capacity Assessors to work out of their offices, as contractors. This gives the employment agency another opportunity to rig your health assessments even further. As is exactly what was done to me, my JCA interview had already been decided before I attended it.
It is all a big conspiracy against us, to keep them off the unemployment figures, and the public hating us for the cost of it all. Not to find us jobs, housing or treatment, but to gather the data.
DEEWR is evil and needs to be disbanded. It is John Howard's Australia Card. The Centrelink card and records, as you are all finding out, connect to all of your other files and so they are overlapping all of the laws.
We will have no secrets from Centrelink, and they are being granted more power over us, at the expense of our rights.
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Post by spaceyone on Feb 2, 2011 19:52:37 GMT 7
Centrelink's Dismissal of My Medical Documents
1. Mis-recorded the conditions listed on a medical certificate. Left off completely a new diagnosis of a torn tendon, and which was supported by Ultrasound Scan Result. Then over-ruled arthritis of the neck, as being 'just the usual condition'.
2. Ignoring a Medical Certificate stating Osteoarthritis, and with a guarded prognosis. Had a referal to an arthritis specialist as supporting evidence.
3. Ignoring a CT Scan report showing 2 slipped dics, 2 buldging discs and degenerative disc disease.
4. Removed a TDR completed by my Osteopath from my file, and pretended it did not exist. It wrote off both of my arms, due to RSI and muscle strain, and pain in the neck from a arthritis and a pinched nerve. Fortunately I had a copy, but that was later dismissed by all concerned.
5. Supplying scant and outdated information to Job Capacity Assessor, instead of my whole DSP application.
Ordering me to look for work, or have my NewStart allowance cancelled, after I lodged each of the above.
Job Capacity Assessor
1. Phoned to tell me that my GP had said I was not sick enough for DSP. When I read what he really had said, in her JCA report, it was the opposite.
2. Did not contact the new GP I had already changed to, and wrote that she didn't believe that I even had a new one, or undergoing tests.
3. Said she would wait for the results of above tests, and then did not.
4. Marked a report from my Osteopath as not confirmed, when she didn't contact him. It listed RSI both rotator cuff muscles, and neck and lower back muscle strain.
5. My Disability Employment Agency obtained the above report, without my permission, and then would not give it to me or to the JCA. I had to get it from the source and fight to have it admitted.
6. All upheld as being consistent with Social Security Law, by the SSAT.
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Post by howdo on Nov 17, 2011 8:32:12 GMT 7
Hi guys, I was just reading through the medical report that my doctor filled out for C/L and I'm curious about something. My doctor has ticked more than 24 months on my ability to function due to my condition and within the next 2 years he believes my condition will deteriorate.
What are C/L policies regarding this, will they send me to my doctor again after 2 years or what?
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Post by Banker on Nov 17, 2011 12:08:42 GMT 7
Hi howdo hope your keeping well.
"What are C/L policies regarding this, will they send me to my doctor again after 2 years or what?"
Im only guessing but they might ask for a new medical no one can be sure as C/L staff seem to be making their own rules.
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Post by spaceyone on Nov 19, 2011 5:10:07 GMT 7
Hi guys, I was just reading through the medical report that my doctor filled out for C/L and I'm curious about something. My doctor has ticked more than 24 months on my ability to function due to my condition and within the next 2 years he believes my condition will deteriorate. What are C/L policies regarding this, will they send me to my doctor again after 2 years or what? The two year period is part of their qualification system for DSP. If the GP indicates that you will be ill for less than two years, you do not qualify. GP's know to tick the 2 year box if they are filling out forms for a DSP application. You will come up for review, but not necessarily at the end of two years. That will depend on what C/L decides about your case. If they think you will get better, or that they can find another way to deprive you of money, they will review it at the end of that time. If your illness is untouchable by them, they might only review you every five years or so.
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Post by howdo on Nov 19, 2011 18:53:33 GMT 7
Thanks for the info guys.
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Post by spaceyone on Jun 23, 2012 11:44:05 GMT 7
I noticed that the Department of Human Services has upgraded their website, and so am having a look through it now. I see that they are now promoting the Chronic Pain Management Program that I advise people to request from their GP's, to get some extra treatments at a discounted rate. However, if they are going to get more involved in it, maybe it won't be worth having now Finding SupportPatients who have a chronic or terminal medical condition can have a GP Management Plan service. Contact your doctor to find out more about chronic disease management. More detailed information on chronic disease management Medicare items is available from the Department of Health and Ageing website. Quick linksMedicare Benefits Schedule If you have a chronic medical condition, your doctor may suggest a GP Management Plan. If you need treatment from two or more health professionals, your doctor may also put a Team Care Arrangements plan in place for you. A GP Management Plan is a plan of action agreed between you and your GP. It identifies your health care needs, sets out the services to be provided by your GP and lists the actions that you need to take. A Team Care Arrangements plan lets your doctor work with, and refer you to, at least two other health professionals who will provide treatment or services to you. You may be eligible for Medicare benefits for specific allied health services if your doctor prepares both types of plans for you. www.humanservices.gov.au/customer/services/medicare/chronic-disease-management-planThere are links on the page to other information, about specific conditions.
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Post by spaceyone on Jun 23, 2012 11:47:38 GMT 7
Australians overseasBefore you travel you need to: check that you have a current Medicare card if you are travelling to a country with which the Australian Government has a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement check the rules about travelling overseas with Pharmaceutical Benefit Scheme medicines let us know if you plan to move or travel overseas if you currently get a payment from us pay your child support in full and on time If you are leaving Australia to travel or relocate, you need to check how this might affect your income support payments, health care and child support arrangements. Who does this information apply to?This information applies to people travelling overseas for a holiday or permanent relocation who: receive financial support from us, such as a pension, payment or allowance are enrolled in Medicare use Pharmaceutical Benefit Scheme (PBS) medicines have child support payment arrangements, or are overdue with their child support payments. PaymentsIf you get an income support payment from us and you plan to travel overseas, you need to talk to us about how this may affect your payment. Health care and medicineReciprocal Health Care Agreements cover the cost of essential medical treatment for Australian residents travelling in some countries. Under these Agreements, some health services and subsidised medicines are provided to visitors from these countries when they are in Australia. If you are planning a trip overseas, organising your medicine is one of the most important things you can do. If you need prescription medicine, it is important you have this medicine with you so you keep in good health while you are away. Before you travel, make sure the medicine is legal in the country you are travelling to by contacting the relevant embassy, high commission or consulate before leaving Australia. It is illegal to take or send PBS medicine out of Australia that is not for your own use or the personal use of someone travelling with you. Social securityAustralia has formal social security agreements with particular countries to make sure you continue to get social security protection if you are travelling in the agreement countries. We can help you claim foreign pensions and assess your ability to get Australian payments under an international social security agreement, or receive your Australian social security payments while outside of Australia. If you provide child support, you may need to talk to us about your child support arrangements before you go overseas. www.humanservices.gov.au/customer/subjects/australians-overseas
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Post by spaceyone on Jun 23, 2012 11:50:16 GMT 7
Income support when you retireIf you have reached age pension age, Age Pension will help to support you in your retirement. To qualify for Age Pension, you must first satisfy age and residency requirements. We then work out how much Age Pension you can get. This depends on your income and assets and other circumstances. If you are a self-funded retiree, or still working part time, you may be able to get a partial pension. Check with us about whether you are entitled to get this pension. If you have lived or worked outside of Australia and are claiming or receiving Age Pension here, the Australian Government may also ask you to apply for a pension from other countries you have lived or worked in. If you are legally blind, you may get an Age Pension (Blind) which has no income or assets test. There are other payments and supplements available as well. For instance, the Pension Loans Scheme can help you if your capital is tied up in assets and you need more income to live on. www.humanservices.gov.au/customer/subjects/age-pension-and-planning-your-retirement
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Post by spaceyone on Jun 23, 2012 11:59:11 GMT 7
Attention Rowdy:
Their own website lists less than 15 hours work per week, that's 30 per fortnight, to qualify for DSP. This is actually an increase, as they had previously said they had lowered it to less than 7 hours per week, to make less people qualify for DSP. Then they had raised it to this, to coax us into working, as we would be still able to keep our DSP's. However, that now conflicts with their new 2 hour yardstick. Eligibility for Disability Support PensionYou may receive Disability Support Pension if you are: you are over 16 years of age and under Age Pension age you are an Australian resident and in Australia when you claim you are permanently blind or have beenassessed as having a physical, intellectual, or psychiatric impairment, and either: you are participating in the Supported Wage System or you are unable to work, or to be retrained to work, 15 hours or more per week at or above the relevant minimum wage within the next two years because of your impairment andhave been assessed as having a severe impairment or as having actively participated in a program of support. To assess your eligibility for Disability Support Pension, we usually need a report from your doctor or specialist about your disability, injury or illness. You may also need to have a Job Capacity Assessment. A Job Capacity Assessment is a way of finding out: whether you can work how much work you can do and how much help you need in order to find and keep a job. www.humanservices.gov.au/customer/enablers/centrelink/disability-support-pension/eligibility-for-disability-support-pension
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Post by rowdy on Jun 23, 2012 12:32:12 GMT 7
Attention Rowdy:
Their own website lists less than 15 hours work per week, that's 30 per fortnight, to qualify for DSP. This is actually an increase, as they had previously said they had lowered it to less than 7 hours per week, to make less people qualify for DSP. Then they had raised it to this, to coax us into working, as we would be still able to keep our DSP's. However, that now conflicts with their new 2 hour yardstick. Eligibility for Disability Support PensionYou may receive Disability Support Pension if you are: you are over 16 years of age and under Age Pension age you are an Australian resident and in Australia when you claim you are permanently blind or have beenassessed as having a physical, intellectual, or psychiatric impairment, and either: you are participating in the Supported Wage System or you are unable to work, or to be retrained to work, 15 hours or more per week at or above the relevant minimum wage within the next two years because of your impairment andhave been assessed as having a severe impairment or as having actively participated in a program of support. To assess your eligibility for Disability Support Pension, we usually need a report from your doctor or specialist about your disability, injury or illness. You may also need to have a Job Capacity Assessment. A Job Capacity Assessment is a way of finding out: whether you can work how much work you can do and how much help you need in order to find and keep a job. www.humanservices.gov.au/customer/enablers/centrelink/disability-support-pension/eligibility-for-disability-support-pension Spacey this whole "2 hour" work rule is absolute rubbish. They will have to go back to the drawing board on that one. It is a policy decision that does not follow the legislation. This will cause them grief at the SSAT/ The SSAct makes many mention of hours people can work etc as you have pointed out. The new section doesn't. If the legislature had intended it to be a "2 hour" rule they could have legislated that as it is legislated in other parts of the Act. Policy must follow the law. Centrelink plucked the 2 hours out of thin ai.r
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Post by spaceyone on Jun 23, 2012 13:37:20 GMT 7
Spacey this whole 2 hour work rule is absolute rubbish. They will have to go back to the drawing board on that one. It is a policy decision that does not follow the legislation. This will cause them grief at the SSAT/ Centrelink plucked the 2 hours out of thin ai.r Yes, that's what I am trying to point out to you. So if they use it to assess anyone for portability, then you have them for discrimination. How can one number apply to people in Australia, and a different one apply to people who wish to travel o/s.
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