Post by Banjo on May 17, 2013 12:07:56 GMT 7
A significant proportion of the work that is referred to the social work service at the Welfare Rights Centre relates to people who have been rejected the Disability Support Pension. The main reason for the increased rejection rate is the failure of new claimants to meet the new “program of support” requirement which came into effect in September 2011, combined with the application of the more strict impairment tables which came into effect in January 2012. The tightened requirements also impact on those individuals who may have been on the DSP for many years. These individuals are exempt from the program of support requirements on review but may lose eligibility due to being assessed under the new impairment tables. As a result of this tightening of criteria we are receiving a large number of calls from individuals who now face life on the much lower Newstart Allowance: they have a disability which impairs their work capacity significantly but not enough for them to qualify for DSP under the new rules.
Under these circumstances where the legislation itself is causing hardship, the most effective outcome in terms of client well-being would be for the legislation to change significantly: an increase in Newstart Allowance to which people with significant disabilities are now being relegated would help greatly - but is clearly not on the policy agenda as indicated by the 2013-14 Federal budget. Under these circumstances the best we can do regarding a client’s Centrelink issue is take the time to explain the reasons for Centrelink’s adverse decision to clients.
We have not encountered one client who does not appreciate being told “how it is” and clients are grateful when we take the time to explain the complex DSP criteria, the reasons for the rejection of their claim, and what needs to change for them to be successful in a new claim in future. Unfortunately the clients that contact the Welfare Rights Centre are very often not receiving adequate explanations about Centrelink decisions in the first instance. Taking the time to explain these decisions makes a positive difference, reducing client’s confusion and giving them a realistic sense of their future options.
WRC E-Bulletin May 2013
Under these circumstances where the legislation itself is causing hardship, the most effective outcome in terms of client well-being would be for the legislation to change significantly: an increase in Newstart Allowance to which people with significant disabilities are now being relegated would help greatly - but is clearly not on the policy agenda as indicated by the 2013-14 Federal budget. Under these circumstances the best we can do regarding a client’s Centrelink issue is take the time to explain the reasons for Centrelink’s adverse decision to clients.
We have not encountered one client who does not appreciate being told “how it is” and clients are grateful when we take the time to explain the complex DSP criteria, the reasons for the rejection of their claim, and what needs to change for them to be successful in a new claim in future. Unfortunately the clients that contact the Welfare Rights Centre are very often not receiving adequate explanations about Centrelink decisions in the first instance. Taking the time to explain these decisions makes a positive difference, reducing client’s confusion and giving them a realistic sense of their future options.
WRC E-Bulletin May 2013