Unsuccessful disability claims are clogging the system
Jan 6, 2014 21:06:05 GMT 7
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Post by Banjo on Jan 6, 2014 21:06:05 GMT 7
Repeated, unsuccessful disability claims are clogging the system, latest data shows
THOUSANDS of would-be disability support pensioners are bombarding federal reviews and tribunals with repeated, unsuccessful appeals to score the benefit.
The Daily Telegraph can reveal a 30 per cent blowout last year in the number of people fighting the Department of Social Services over access to the DSP at the Social Security Appeals Tribunal and the higher Administrative Appeals Tribunal.
Government data shows SSAT appeals relating to the DSP rose to 4404 cases in 2012-13, up from 3446 appeals in 2011-12 and 2951 appeals in 2010-11.
But the success rate was only 15 per cent of applications in 2012-13, compared with 20 per cent the previous year.
The success rate at the AAT fell from 6 per cent to 4 per cent from 741 finalised decisions after about 500 appeals the previous year.
The rapid growth in DSP disputes now covers almost half of appeals for all Centrelink payment types - compared with only 30 per cent two years ago - after the DSP eligibility rules were tightened in 2011.
Published decisions show claimants are often told they have provided incomplete records to justify their appeals, have not done months of support programs or even been diagnosed as required by law to receive the benefit.
Many are living overseas trying to keep the taxpayer-funded help while living abroad while others are found to have given dishonest evidence and are caught out by Centrelink investigations.
The growth in DSP disputes has been so large the federal government says a 2 per cent increase in appeals for all payment types would have been a 7.5 per cent decrease if the DSP figures were not included.
Social Services Minister Kevin Andrews yesterday said through a spokeswoman the success rate of claimants had fallen from 64 to 43 per cent following the reforms that made it harder to access the payment in 2011.
But the minister could not detail the cost of fighting the increasing appeals, often multiple times, and would not be drawn on appeals that wasted time.
Shadow families minister Jan McLucas said Labor had moved to cut those receiving the support who could work and urged the government to support the tribunals.
2013 FAILED CASES:
A NSW woman claimed she deserved to be paid the single rate of the DSP rather than the couple rate, despite being married and living with her husband and not being able to satisfy a special reason required for the
rare allowance.
An Australian citizen was knocked back after appealing against a decision to cancel his DSP because he had lived in Vietnam with his family since 2008 and complained that coming back repeatedly to satisfy the limits for overseas travel was pointless and costing him too much money.
www.perthnow.com.au/lifestyle/health/repeated-unsuccessful-disability-claims-are-clogging-the-system-latest-data-shows/story-fnhqg9bs-1226796116390
THOUSANDS of would-be disability support pensioners are bombarding federal reviews and tribunals with repeated, unsuccessful appeals to score the benefit.
The Daily Telegraph can reveal a 30 per cent blowout last year in the number of people fighting the Department of Social Services over access to the DSP at the Social Security Appeals Tribunal and the higher Administrative Appeals Tribunal.
Government data shows SSAT appeals relating to the DSP rose to 4404 cases in 2012-13, up from 3446 appeals in 2011-12 and 2951 appeals in 2010-11.
But the success rate was only 15 per cent of applications in 2012-13, compared with 20 per cent the previous year.
The success rate at the AAT fell from 6 per cent to 4 per cent from 741 finalised decisions after about 500 appeals the previous year.
The rapid growth in DSP disputes now covers almost half of appeals for all Centrelink payment types - compared with only 30 per cent two years ago - after the DSP eligibility rules were tightened in 2011.
Published decisions show claimants are often told they have provided incomplete records to justify their appeals, have not done months of support programs or even been diagnosed as required by law to receive the benefit.
Many are living overseas trying to keep the taxpayer-funded help while living abroad while others are found to have given dishonest evidence and are caught out by Centrelink investigations.
The growth in DSP disputes has been so large the federal government says a 2 per cent increase in appeals for all payment types would have been a 7.5 per cent decrease if the DSP figures were not included.
Social Services Minister Kevin Andrews yesterday said through a spokeswoman the success rate of claimants had fallen from 64 to 43 per cent following the reforms that made it harder to access the payment in 2011.
But the minister could not detail the cost of fighting the increasing appeals, often multiple times, and would not be drawn on appeals that wasted time.
Shadow families minister Jan McLucas said Labor had moved to cut those receiving the support who could work and urged the government to support the tribunals.
2013 FAILED CASES:
A NSW woman claimed she deserved to be paid the single rate of the DSP rather than the couple rate, despite being married and living with her husband and not being able to satisfy a special reason required for the
rare allowance.
An Australian citizen was knocked back after appealing against a decision to cancel his DSP because he had lived in Vietnam with his family since 2008 and complained that coming back repeatedly to satisfy the limits for overseas travel was pointless and costing him too much money.
www.perthnow.com.au/lifestyle/health/repeated-unsuccessful-disability-claims-are-clogging-the-system-latest-data-shows/story-fnhqg9bs-1226796116390
