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Post by Banjo on Aug 4, 2015 9:43:52 GMT 7
Hundreds lose pension as impairment tables turnedWelfare Rights Review Vol 1 No 3 Twenty eight thousand people under 35 who recently qualified for the Disability Support Pension are being re-assessed under tighter medical tables. Welfare Rights Review reports on the impact of the medical review. Over the period 1 July 2014 to 15 May 2015, a total of 7,249 people aged under 35 have had their qualification for the Disability Support Pension reviewed, under a review program that started on 1 July 2014. Of those re-assessed, 746, or 10.3% have had their payments cancelled and were no longer eligible for the Disability Support Pension (DSP). The National Welfare Rights Network estimates that the number of people who are losing entitlement under the stricter and narrower Impairment Tables for the DSP is four times more as many compared with previous medical reviews. There are about 137,500 people aged under 35 years on the DSP. The Government started reviewing around 28,000 of these people who had qualified for the DSP between 1 January 2008 and 31 December 2011. Almost half (48%) of those being reviewed were experiencing mental health issues when granted DSP. The reviews are conducted under the new Impairment Tables that were introduced in January 2012. A government medical assessor is undertaking assessments to determine if these people qualify for the DSP, and if they have any capacity for work, education or training. A person who was granted the DSP on ‘manifest grounds’ (this is about 5% of people receiving the DSP, where eligibility was self-evident) or assessed as having a work capacity of less than eight hours a week, will not be reviewed under this initiative. There remain around 10,000 people still to undergo these reviews. The remainder of assessments will be conducted between now and December 2015. It is not known how many of the 746 people who were previously receiving the DSP have sought a review of the decision to cancel their payment. However, answers provided to the Senate Estimates indicates that, from 1 July 2014 to 14 March 2015, 308 people appealed the decision to cancel their DSP. We estimate that the appeal rate is between 35%-40%, which is a significant increase in the proportion of people who would normally seek a review of a decision to cancel a payment. It is likely that many of these people with disability will now be trying to survive and manage their illness whilst they receive Newstart Allowance at a significantly lower rate. www.welfarerights.org.au/welfare-rights-review/welfare-rights-review-vol-1-no-3/hundreds-lose-pension-impairment-tables
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Post by confusedbeing on Aug 4, 2015 16:54:07 GMT 7
Well I am one of those 10.3%. Yay me. :-( I am appealing the decision. I recently heard that a girl I went to school with also lost hers. I don't think she plans to appeal.
What I want to know is how many of these appeals are successful? And given how much each review and appeal actually cost, just how much money is the government actually saving in the long run?
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Post by muggins on Aug 4, 2015 23:12:26 GMT 7
Well I am one of those 10.3%. Yay me. :-( I am appealing the decision. I recently heard that a girl I went to school with also lost hers. I don't think she plans to appeal. What I want to know is how many of these appeals are successful? And given how much each review and appeal actually cost, just how much money is the government actually saving in the long run? This process will be costing the government a fortune. Good luck with your appeal and fight hard.
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Post by Banjo on Aug 5, 2015 7:37:07 GMT 7
I'm not sure if the stats on successful appeals will be available, the tribunal system has changed recently and the SSAT and AAT have amalgamated. AAT results were published but not SSAT so it remains to be seen what happens.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 6, 2015 12:28:35 GMT 7
I wonder if a lot of the people booted off the pension with mental health issues (and those in general too) didn't have reports from specialists, it is absolutely crucial to have letters from a Psychiatrist or Clinical Psychologist.
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Post by crotts83 on Nov 26, 2015 10:43:26 GMT 7
I too am under 35 and am appealing the decision to cancel my dsp. I am providing more documents, have not heard back from aro but the grace period ends soon so am wondering will my dsp continue pending appeal or will i be placed on newstart?
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Post by anonmouse on May 29, 2018 1:11:49 GMT 7
I too am under 35 and am appealing the decision to cancel my dsp. I am providing more documents, have not heard back from aro but the grace period ends soon so am wondering will my dsp continue pending appeal or will i be placed on newstart? I was born in 83 and was placed immediately on the newstart program. I moved into my own place in 2001 and was on DSP from then until 2015. Last 3 years all I really got was only a reduced $400 a fortnight and life got changed to hard mode.
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Post by nomadic on May 29, 2018 7:01:51 GMT 7
Yes anonmouse those under 35 are being targeted the most,(tortured). good to be older sometimes.Just keep fighting for your legal rights.
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Post by Deleted on May 29, 2018 7:33:35 GMT 7
I too am under 35 and am appealing the decision to cancel my dsp. I am providing more documents, have not heard back from aro but the grace period ends soon so am wondering will my dsp continue pending appeal or will i be placed on newstart? I believe that while you are awaiting your appeal yo should receive the DSP I did many years ago, it quite a while But if you are in doubt call them to clarify
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Post by Banjo on May 29, 2018 7:37:22 GMT 7
This thread is nearly three years old, the reassessment program instigated has been largely unsuccessful and while the government is claiming it's been a success the cuts in DSP have come from harder rules in the new application process.
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Post by Deleted on May 29, 2018 12:30:42 GMT 7
I wonder if a lot of the people booted off the pension with mental health issues (and those in general too) didn't have reports from specialists, it is absolutely crucial to have letters from a Psychiatrist or Clinical Psychologist. Yes they changed the rules in 2012 that metal health problems need to be diagnosed by a Psychiatrist or Clinical Psychologist and diagnosis by a GP is no longer acceptable . WHat happens to those who get reviewed and had their previous mental health problem diagnosed by a GP, do they lose their DSP or do they get given a chance during the review to get a report from a Psychiatrist or Clinical Psychologist?
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Post by itsmylife08 on May 29, 2018 12:49:35 GMT 7
I would suggest being prepared always and have a report from a Psychiatrist/ Clinical Psychologist before waiting for a review. In other words, don't wait for Centrelink to surprise you
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Post by Deleted on May 29, 2018 13:27:27 GMT 7
I would suggest being prepared always and have a report from a Psychiatrist/ Clinical Psychologist before waiting for a review. In other words, don't wait for Centrelink to surprise you what happens to those that do get surprised , does centrelink allow them to get a Psychiatrist/ Clinical Psychologist report for their review or reassessment or do they just get automactically kicked off the DSP, l guess there probably thousands out there who only have a GP diagnosis and don't realise theres new rules and they need a Psychiatrist/ Clinical Psychologist report.
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Post by muggins on May 29, 2018 14:23:07 GMT 7
I would suggest being prepared always and have a report from a Psychiatrist/ Clinical Psychologist before waiting for a review. In other words, don't wait for Centrelink to surprise you what happens to those that do get surprised , does centrelink allow them to get a Psychiatrist/ Clinical Psychologist report for their review or reassessment or do they just get automactically kicked off the DSP, l guess there probably thousands out there who only have a GP diagnosis and don't realise theres new rules and they need a Psychiatrist/ Clinical Psychologist report. I believe catching people by surprise is CL's game plan, that's why they introduced the strict 21 day medical risk based reviews. I have also learn't from reviewee's on this forum, that even living in a remote or regional area, does not exclude anyone from CL's sights. They are going after the low-hanging fruit, so be prepared as others have said.
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Post by jr on May 29, 2018 19:55:54 GMT 7
I wonder if a lot of the people booted off the pension with mental health issues (and those in general too) didn't have reports from specialists, it is absolutely crucial to have letters from a Psychiatrist or Clinical Psychologist. Yes they changed the rules in 2012 that metal health problems need to be diagnosed by a Psychiatrist or Clinical Psychologist and diagnosis by a GP is no longer acceptable . WHat happens to those who get reviewed and had their previous mental health problem diagnosed by a GP, do they lose their DSP or do they get given a chance during the review to get a report from a Psychiatrist or Clinical Psychologist? During a medical risk based review they give you 21 days to provide current medical evidence to substantiate your continuing eligibility for dsp. If you qualified under the old rules for a mental health impairment and didnt have new evidence from a clinical psychologist or psychiatrist to provide them within that 21 day period I imagine you would likely lose your dsp under the current rules (at the end of your review). They most definately do allow you the opportunity to provide current information to meet the current criteria via the 21 days, although for most people 21 days is a very short period of time to have to gather this information. Thats why it is a good idea to seek recent up to date reports from the appropriate professionals so that if you are targeted for a review you have the evidence readily available.
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