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Post by mildlymeek on May 23, 2018 7:36:48 GMT 7
First let me say thanks for adding me. There are two facebook pages that i have found (and joined) that have alot of the same issues and help links as this forum does.. if you would like the links i will put them up on a future post.
Now here is my story in brief..I was on dsp for over 20 years and now I am on newstart. I am in my mid 50's and have never worked, I have no skills. The money situation is bad enough, eating peanut butter sandwiches four days a week is getting tiresome. Centerlink say I can volunteer 15 hours a week and not look for work, I suffer from depression, anxiety, social anxiety bipolar. Since loosing my dsp i have seen 3 doctors (general practitioners). One of the biggest problems is lack of mental health help in my town. We have no clinical psychologists and even thou the GP's all agree I am not fit for work without a specialist to say so means i wont get my 20 points.
I have tried everything, followed every link and prayed to every god (little humour) I have had NO HELP from ANYONE and have seriously considered self harm several times. My kids all live far away and i have applied for housing in their area (Brisbane) but who knows how long that will take.
Before I am bombarded with links and help let met say, I have had the decision reviewd by the AAT, I have contacted basic rights Queensland, I am hoping my new GP will fill in a form to allow me three more months of not having to volunteer. I realise i am one of many and not in as bad a situation as some but I am at my wits end ...what to do.....where to go...
Mark
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Post by tasjo on May 23, 2018 7:50:25 GMT 7
Welcome Mark... unfortunately without an 'appropriate' diagnosis it will be almost impossible to get back onto DSP.
The only suggestion I can think is to contact either clinical psychologists or psychiatrists in Brisbane and see if they would conduct appointments via skype with your GP?
Or possibly investigate whether there is a transport assistance scheme (we have one in Tassie due to the lack of some specialists and treatments). They may be able to assist with costs to visit a specialist in Brisbane or somewhere closer to you?
I have heard of people requesting to see a Centrelink specialist but I dont know much about it.
Mental health impairments are one of the areas that the diagnosis part has become much more stringent and it would be unlikely that the Tribunal would overturn this part of legislation.
For treatment you would most likely be able to claim that it isnt reasonable to travel, but without the diagnosis by an appropriate person centrelink wont assess that part.
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Post by Deleted on May 23, 2018 8:06:38 GMT 7
Hi , why did they take away your DSP in the first place,? they shouldn't have done that in my opinion, maybe get your local doctor to arrange you to see a clinical psychologist out of town or in Brisbane and with new medical evidence you could appeal or apply for the DSP again. l applied for the DSP three times over three years before l was successful, l had pity much given hope getting it until l was successful the third time l applied , maybe if you keep fighting you can get the DSP back.
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Post by Banjo on May 23, 2018 8:53:51 GMT 7
Welcome to the forum.
Unfortunately your story is becoming all too common. I suggest that you read through the experiences of other members here but you sound like you need some time out, often being placed in a position where you feel that something has to be done NOW only makes things worse.
Wait and see how you go with the housing but look for something in the lower private rental range in the area you want to live as well, sites like RealEstate.com often show good deals.
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Post by Deleted on May 23, 2018 8:55:52 GMT 7
Hi Welcome to the Forum Sorry to hear you lost your DSP You should have kept appealing and teried to get Welfare Rights to help too I hope you can find help here Thers will be something that you can try with others help As they have had similar problems keep us informed of what your progress
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Post by nomadic on May 23, 2018 9:51:08 GMT 7
welcome mark, firstly, a little humor is always welcome among all the GGGRRRROOOWWLLLINNNG. Yours as we all here know is just another case of getting a miracle cure after 20 years on DSP. One minute disabled the next cured on new start. Try to stay calm as banjo suggests is the way to go while you get back your entitlements. As you will in the end. It's a form of torture they use where they try to wear us down. And it will never work if you don't allow it. You must reverse it and wear them down. So just go slowly and get the evidence is all you need to do, as harder as it is from smaller rural places. Take care.
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Post by Deleted on May 23, 2018 10:47:24 GMT 7
Welcome to the forum Mark. All good advice and telling it like it is here I'm afraid. Without knowing the Why's; as to how you lost it, such as a review etc; it is difficult to approach the How's, as to giving advice and help. Losing DSP on review is likely caused by not having strong medical links over your time on the payment and if this is the case as nomadic has suggested; strengthen them and keep them strong. Strong continuous medical evidence will win out every time, in the end! As for posting links in a future post, go for it; we need all of the help we can get. Cheers bear P.S. Knowledge is power! Get your file under FOI and you find out how your determination was made! Then unless there really was a miracle cure or the doctors say you've gotten worse, these things could help. Have you actually gone before the tribunal Mark; AAT1 or have you just started the review process i.e.first review by a Centrelink ARO. (Authourised Review Officer)
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Post by mspurple on May 23, 2018 11:59:22 GMT 7
Welcome to the forum Mark.
I live in a very remote rural town also, we have a medical assistance program here and I believe a lot of smaller towns do have them. They are basically volunteers who take you to the appointments out of town....ask your doctor if you have one of those in your town and if the doctor does not know then ask the local council as they are usually the ones who fund the programs. They are designed to get those who can not drive themselves or need assistance into other towns for medical appointments. Another option (as tasjo said) is to see if your doctor can organize a specialist appointment for you through skype, most rural doctors are using these types of communications so the patients can get adequate care so it should be a possibility.
If you can not get specialist reports then you will not be able to get DSP as now you will need reports from specialists not from the GP. I think by the sounds of what you put in your brief story that this may be your main issue....no reports from specialists and no way to be able to see one for a report. This is most likely a barrier you will have to find a way around (I know it is hard as I have had to work through this myself) in order to progress with any new DSP claim or appeal.
Looking forward to hearing of your journey and finally your success at getting DSP reinstated.
mspurple.
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Post by Deleted on May 23, 2018 13:49:48 GMT 7
l guess a problem is in 2012 they changed the rules so that you need depression to be diagnosed by a clinical psychologist or a psychiatrist and not your GP, which means people who got their DSP before 2012 and had their depression diagnosed by a GP could be in trouble. What happens to such people who had depression diagnosed by their GP when they come up for review or reassessment , does centrelink just tell them they no longer qualify and they lose their DSP or have to reapply under the new rules or does Centrelink give them a chance to get a diagnosed by a clinical psychologist or a psychiatrist during the 3 week review period and they keep their DSP depending on the diagnosis
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Post by krystal on May 23, 2018 14:06:07 GMT 7
Welcome to the Forum. Your Centrelink file is important. It will tell you things like what kind of "employment services" they believe you should be on: JSA/DES (DMS/ESS) etc. (The type of employment services you are on is important to how much support Centrelink thinks you should have. So as Bear said FOI this report as soon as possible. If you have only one impairment you must meet the criteria for 20 points on the table. Which means a clinical psychologist or psychiatrist writing a report that covers each and every point on the table as follows. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- There is a severe functional impact on activities involving mental health function.
(1) The person has severe difficulties with most of the following:
(a) self care and independent living; Example: The person needs regular support to live independently, that is, needs visits or assistance at least twice a week from a family member, friend, health worker or support worker.
(b) social/recreational activities and travel; Example: The person travels alone only in familiar areas (such as the local shops or other familiar venues).
(c) interpersonal relationships; Example 1: The person has very limited social contacts and involvement unless these are organised for the person.
Example 2: The person often has difficulty interacting with other people and may need assistance or support from a companion to engage in social interactions.
(d) concentration and task completion; Example 1: The person has difficulty concentrating on any task or conversation for more than 10 minutes.
Example 2: The person has slowed movements or reaction time due to psychiatric illness or treatment effects.
(e) behaviour, planning and decision-making; Example: The person’s behaviour, thoughts and conversation are significantly and frequently disturbed.
(f) work/training capacity. Example: The person is unable to attend work, education or training on a regular basis over a lengthy period due to ongoing mental illness.
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They must also state that there is no way you could work/study 15 hours a week even if you had support at work/study (including "training activities" that your Employment Services Provider will want to send you on. (I printed out the table and handed it to my psych to include those points in the reports they have to send to the referring GP. They have to do the report to the GP anyway and it's a way of getting the criteria covered without asking them to write to Centrelink directly) I don't know where exactly you do live but some however, if you are anywhere near Mount Perry, Mundubbera, Gayndah, Kumbia, Miles, Taroom, Chinchilla, Tara, Kalbar, Rathdowney, Kooralbyn, Inglewood, or Texas, there are mobile services available to help you through the Quagmire called Centrelink. www.humanservices.gov.au/individuals/services/centrelink/mobile-service-centres
Here are two Clinical Psychologists that offer Skype therapy Brisbane Counselling Services do both phone and skype www.brisbanecounsellingcentre.com.au/ecounselling/ - Dr Matthew Worthington as does lifesupportscounselling.com.au/counsellors/merima-isakovic/Dr Merima Isakovic
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Post by Deleted on May 23, 2018 16:29:13 GMT 7
mildlymeek we have covered this elsewhere but where there are six descriptors as in krystal analogy you need to meet 4 out of six to be sure; though three might get you over the line, depending on who does it and on what day. Yes I'm a facetious bear at times! Cheers Mark
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Post by mildlymeek on May 24, 2018 5:29:02 GMT 7
wow....what a response..to krystal neither of those links bulk bill and on newstart i can not afford $1..as stated i have read and researched everything..i have a copy of the mental health table in my hot little hand...luckily my gp gave me another month medical certificate ...i will admit this has made me feel less alone..thank u one and all
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Post by mspurple on May 24, 2018 9:46:04 GMT 7
Mark if you can not afford to pay for the services then you could possibly ask your Dr for a health care plan allowing you a limited number of specialist visits for free or for a very low price of about $25. My doctor had to set one of these up for me as I could not afford the travel and the cost of the specialists. It should be enough to get you a diagnosis from a clinical psychologist or a psychiatrist.
There are ways that you can get funding for the services you need but unfortunately you need to know where or who to ask. The Dr is always a good place to start as they can write you a medical care plan. Other than your doctor you can link in with uniting care or other services like this as they offer funding for those who need it for many things including medical care....heck they even pay for some people to get their drivers licence.
Don't feel ashamed to ask for help and assistance, there is only shame in not trying to help yourself so just ask and keep asking for help. Salvos, uniting care, Doctors, council, social workers, they are all there to help but can only do so if they know you need help. Some areas even have places called Helping Hands who give food, job training through volunteer work, clothes, household goods and in some cases referrals to get help with funding.
Don't let them beat you, just keep pushing ahead and do not give up.
Best wishes Mark.
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Post by mildlymeek on May 24, 2018 10:07:00 GMT 7
Well that was close, the latest windows 10 update had a "unexpected" effect on my laptop, luckily im very thorough (some say anal) about back ups ...so format and restart and here i am again.
I have gone through the ATT..and they denied me, basically cause i dont have the 20 points. Since being on the dsp i have never seen a specialist, taken medication or anything. My GP of the time had some special magic power apparently that made all that stuff not needed. Then the old bugger retired so...my last "normal review" was not as easy as normal. So I was told no more dsp, first you appeal through centerlink..denied (well duu) then u go to BRQ ,,,and they give u the AAT link. So you go through the AAT the good thing about that is they send you all your paperwork, so i have all that. After 3 or 4 months the AAT say no..you ask them if there is yet another appeal process they say yes, but really discourage you from taking it. So everyone says no more DSP for me, almost 6 MONTHS pass before my payments actually stop and i have to apply..yes apply..for newstart for which they want my birth certificate..hmmm you have been paying me all this money for all these years and you dont know who i am.....strange.
So my paperwork states (and all the new GP's agree) I am have many and varied mental issues not the least of which is social anxiety, so dealing with people, being out of my house is not exactly fun all i need is a clinical psychologist or psychiatrist to say so. Now that i am on newstart i can not afford to pay for these magical people, because of my illness i can not leave my house to go to see them. so my only hope is to get dept of housing qld to move me from where i am to brisbane ( three of my children live there)...and that may take awhile ( it has already been over a year)
So....and i know this has been a ramble..one of the great side affects of being bi polar (and i am not really fond of white bears...think about it.....tis funny)...
Mark
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Post by mspurple on May 24, 2018 14:29:22 GMT 7
Unfortunately it does not matter what your GP knows and says. All you need is to have a clinical psychologist (many will do consults via skype so you will not need to leave your house) or psychiatrist (also possible through skype) to verify your mental health ailments and the effects it has on your every day life. You can get these services for free if you ask.
If you can not leave your house then I assume your GP appointments are done via skype which means you must know they offer this option to people under certain circumstances. The money can not be an issue if you ask for a medical or mental health plan from your GP as the cost is covered by medicare if you have one of these plans which are really quite easy to get.
Your GP writing you a medical certificate for three months will not be of any help down the track (actually probably make things harder due to POS) if you really can not leave your house as you will be required to look for work eventually as the medical certificates will only be accepted a few times before centrelink rejects them. Also they will not help your DSP case or claim either as you need to do a certain amount of time looking for work with a POS before DSP claim can be accepted anyway. So all you are doing by insisting that you can not get the medical help you need is making your future harder as you will need to do certain things to be granted DSP again. There is a chance you will get cut off newstart if you do not meet the requirements as excuses are not a reason in their opinion. I suggest you do what ever you can to get to a medical professional who can provide you with the correct documentation so you are not put through worse stress than just having to survive on newstart payments. It will happen, they will tell you that you must meet certain job application targets, do courses, better yourself so you can better your situation and be a likely candidate for employment. They do not care how you feel, how you are coping, what is happening to you, all they care about is that they get to stop paying you anything.....if it because of employment then great, if it is because you did not meet your mutual requirements they will not care they will cut you off from payments.
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