Pension overhaul: thousands to lose out

[Banker]

TWO-THIRDS of people who apply for a disability support pension from January will be rejected when they fail an obstacle course of tough new tests designed to rein in pension numbers, the National Welfare Rights Network has said.

And the welfare rights group said the tens of thousands of people who missed out on the pension were likely to "pose an enormous challenge for employment services".

Using government estimates, the network has calculated the current 41 per cent failure of applications, combined with new measures, will see 96,000 of the 143,000 people applying each year rejected.

The clampdown on the disability support pension comes as the government is also poised to announce a new national disability insurance scheme that will provide new services, support and income for the 360,000 severely disabled.

The Productivity Commission has recommended the $7 billion scheme be funded from general revenue. It would give disabled people the option of receiving money for their care as a lump sum that could be used to purchase services.

More here:
www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/pension-overhaul-thousands-to-lose-out/story-fn59niix-1226110459914

[Banjo]

There's a worrying final few lines in that article.

Welfare Rights says every year 30,000 people already on the pension have their cases reviewed and 11,400 are now expected to lose their pension under this process.

So more than a third of people currently having their DSP reviewed every two years... is that right?... can expect to lose it.

[latindancer]

Probably people under 35. Though you never know....

[spaceyone]

If they apply the new rules where chronic pain and mental illness no longer rate highly, it won't be just those under 35. It will be everyone who is not pretty much severely disabled. All the rest, the sick and injured, will be classed as job seekers, and kicked off or denied DSP.

Then they will start complaining that there is too many people on Newstart, and use that as an excuse to tighten its eligibilities.

[Banker]

spacey I think your right about this. The other thing its going to do is drive the crime rate up and put more home less on the streets.

Great bloody thinking Gillard