Post by mikey on Feb 6, 2015 5:50:11 GMT 7
Appeal rejected over $18,000 Disability Support Pension fraud
A SYDNEY man who had previously worked as a partner in a business claimed more than $18,000 on the Disability Support Pension because he had anxiety, although a psychologist who apparently never consulted with him decided he had “moderate mental retardation”.
Maan Charrouf told the Administrative Appeals Tribunal he met an unidentified man in mid-2012 who “noticed that he seemed to be suffering from anxiety and offered to help him claim DSP”.
This man took him to a psychologist and social worker, Joseph D’Silva, who spoke only to the mysterious broker during the 10-15 minute consultation before “strongly” supporting his DSP application on the basis that his cognitive ability was at the extremely low range of the IQ scale.
“Mr Charrouf says he paid the man $500, which he did not think was unreasonable at the time for a medical report,” AAT senior member Jill Toohey said in her decision relating on the matter.
Ms Toohey said Dr D’Silva was “almost certainly” involved in making a false statement to Centrelink. Mr Charrouf had his pension suspended after Centrelink surveillance recorded him doing activities that “appeared inconsistent with his claimed disability”.
Later, it was cancelled and he was sent a bill for $18,757.49.
Mr Charrouf appealed against the payment order because he said that Centrelink had not provided a translator at his job-capacity assessment and he thought that his doctor’s assessments related to his anxiety, not to an apparently fabricated intellectual impairment.
In September 2013 the Australian Federal Police raided the offices of Dr D’Silva and doctor Ishrat Ali, a consultant psychiatrist.
Mr D’Silva did not return calls from The Australian.
The federal government has announced a crackdown on the DSP aimed at such fraud, which occurs in less than 1 per cent of cases.
All new applicants for the DSP who are younger than 35 now have to be referred to a government-contracted doctor following a job-capacity assessment, unless the person is “manifestly eligible”.
From July, the policy will apply to all applicants, no matter what their age.
At the time of the announcement, then social services minister Kevin Andrews said 411 people had dishonestly claimed the disability pension, raising debts of $9.5 million.
About 830,000 people claim the DSP in total.
Ms Toohey said Mr Charrouf was still required to pay all of his debt and said the case demonstrated the need for qualified “job-capacity assessors” used by Centrelink, who act as gatekeepers to the pension.
“I mean no criticism of the first assessor, but the case highlights the importance of assessors being qualified in the area of disability they are called upon to assess,” Ms Toohey said.
www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/appeal-rejected-over-18000-disability-support-pension-fraud/story-e6frg6nf-1227208304267
A SYDNEY man who had previously worked as a partner in a business claimed more than $18,000 on the Disability Support Pension because he had anxiety, although a psychologist who apparently never consulted with him decided he had “moderate mental retardation”.
Maan Charrouf told the Administrative Appeals Tribunal he met an unidentified man in mid-2012 who “noticed that he seemed to be suffering from anxiety and offered to help him claim DSP”.
This man took him to a psychologist and social worker, Joseph D’Silva, who spoke only to the mysterious broker during the 10-15 minute consultation before “strongly” supporting his DSP application on the basis that his cognitive ability was at the extremely low range of the IQ scale.
“Mr Charrouf says he paid the man $500, which he did not think was unreasonable at the time for a medical report,” AAT senior member Jill Toohey said in her decision relating on the matter.
Ms Toohey said Dr D’Silva was “almost certainly” involved in making a false statement to Centrelink. Mr Charrouf had his pension suspended after Centrelink surveillance recorded him doing activities that “appeared inconsistent with his claimed disability”.
Later, it was cancelled and he was sent a bill for $18,757.49.
Mr Charrouf appealed against the payment order because he said that Centrelink had not provided a translator at his job-capacity assessment and he thought that his doctor’s assessments related to his anxiety, not to an apparently fabricated intellectual impairment.
In September 2013 the Australian Federal Police raided the offices of Dr D’Silva and doctor Ishrat Ali, a consultant psychiatrist.
Mr D’Silva did not return calls from The Australian.
The federal government has announced a crackdown on the DSP aimed at such fraud, which occurs in less than 1 per cent of cases.
All new applicants for the DSP who are younger than 35 now have to be referred to a government-contracted doctor following a job-capacity assessment, unless the person is “manifestly eligible”.
From July, the policy will apply to all applicants, no matter what their age.
At the time of the announcement, then social services minister Kevin Andrews said 411 people had dishonestly claimed the disability pension, raising debts of $9.5 million.
About 830,000 people claim the DSP in total.
Ms Toohey said Mr Charrouf was still required to pay all of his debt and said the case demonstrated the need for qualified “job-capacity assessors” used by Centrelink, who act as gatekeepers to the pension.
“I mean no criticism of the first assessor, but the case highlights the importance of assessors being qualified in the area of disability they are called upon to assess,” Ms Toohey said.
www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/appeal-rejected-over-18000-disability-support-pension-fraud/story-e6frg6nf-1227208304267
