Applying for DSP as a carer

[irfos88]

Am i allowed to apply for DSP while im currently being on a carer payment? I want to apply for DSP if i get approved My plan is to apply for the UP in the future

[tasjo]

It would be risky in my opinion...

If you currently receive carers payment the work restriction is because your caring role is basically full time.

You could easily trigger a review of your carers payment, and I suspect it would be difficult to show that you are unable to work 15 hrs a week or more when you are caring for longer than this each week.

If approved DSP would replace carers payment. I believe you can still receive carers allowance on top of DSP but not of you need a carer yourself.

Depending how long you are planning to spend overseas on UP you may be better off with the portability of Carers Payment (multiple 6 week stays away as long as you return to Oz in between) plus the ability to use any unused respite days while away.

[irfos88]

Thx tasjo, my wife is on DSP i am her carer, she wants to apply for UP, we want to stay overseas for 4-5 months a year to be closer to her family , as a carer i am only payed 6 weeks i believe then whats gonna happen for the remaining 3-4 months will they cancel my carer payment? Thanks

[tasjo]

You can also claim any unused respite days each year, I think it is 9 weeks/63 days a year. Particularly when you are staying with family and therefore have 'informal' care for your wife.

The alternative would be to return to Australia and 'reset' the 6 weeks, but it could be an expensive option as you would still use the respite days while travelling if you went without your wife.

It's one of the anomolies that I'm planning to look into more at some point as we are in the same situation (except me on DSP).

[highlander4000]

I thought it was 28 days per year. Is it a different rule for carers. Id hate for this person to book a 6 week flight and be left out of pocket overseas 28 days in. But you"e an administrator so you probably know the ins and outs of it all.

[tasjo]

Aug 12, 2019 22:13:12 GMT 7 highlander4000 said:

I thought it was 28 days per year. Is it a different rule for carers. Id hate for this person to book a 6 week flight and be left out of pocket overseas 28 days in. But you"e an administrator so you probably know the ins and outs of it all.

Carers have different portability to DSP highlander... It's one of the anomalies of Centrelink but as not everyone who is on DSP has a carer or the other way round they have different criteria.

[Deleted]

Aug 12, 2019 22:13:12 GMT 7 highlander4000 said:

I thought it was 28 days per year. Is it a different rule for carers. Id hate for this person to book a 6 week flight and be left out of pocket overseas 28 days in. But you"e an administrator so you probably know the ins and outs of it all.

If you travel with the person getting care
If you leave Australia temporarily, we can keep paying you for the first 6 weeks of your trip.

If you travel without the person getting care
If you leave Australia temporarily, we can either keep paying you:

for the first 6 weeks of your trip
until you run out of breaks from caring.
We will pay you for whichever option happens first.

www.humanservices.gov.au/individuals/services/centrelink/carer-payment/managing/if-you-travel-outside-australia

[Deleted]

The above is quite ambiguous isn't it tasjo. It appears to me if a carer travels alone and only has two weeks respite left, they'll only get two weeks paid.

However, if they have all of their respite,(63 days) they'll only get six weeks. Curiouser and curiouser! Cheers bear

[nomadic]

Not curious at all bear. Centrelink only. Utter illogical madness and torture of those affected. Just trying to figure it out is torture alone. GROWL!

[Deleted]

Aug 13, 2019 6:48:22 GMT 7 nomadic said:

Not curious at all bear. Centrelink only. Utter illogical madness and torture of those affected. Just trying to figure it out is torture alone. GROWL!

We here said at the time, how crazy it was nomadic. A carer travelling with their DSP dependent caree can do what? Just put them on a plane home after 28 days or have the most vulnerable one's pension suspended till you both get home in two weeks time. Or just play the portability game i.e. my six weeks isn't meant to be six weeks at all, it's only 28 days; really. 

"Utter illogical madness and torture of those affected.", sums it up quite nicely I'd say! Cheers bear

[irfos88]

If you travel with the person getting care
If you leave Australia temporarily, we can keep paying you for the first 6 weeks of your trip?

Is that 6 weeks once a year or every time i go overseas i get another 6 weeks? Will it reset a new 6 weeks or do i have to wait 12 months to reset, same like being on dsp 28 days payed overseas travel every 12 months? Thanks

[Deleted]

Aug 13, 2019 8:01:14 GMT 7 irfos88 said:

If you travel with the person getting care
If you leave Australia temporarily, we can keep paying you for the first 6 weeks of your trip?

Is that 6 weeks once a year or every time i go overseas i get another 6 weeks? Will it reset a new 6 weeks or do i have to wait 12 months to reset, same like being on dsp 28 days payed overseas travel every 12 months? Thanks

irfos88 whether it's one trip or multiple trips of six weeks I'm unsure. tasjo will be more up to speed with that I think.

Here is a more detailed explanation, which may only serve to confuse matters more.

guides.dss.gov.au/guide-social-security-law/3/6/4/80

A call to CIS (Centrelink International Services) on 131673 will give you up to the minute advice. Cheers bear

[tasjo]

According to Centrelink international it is multiple trips as long as you either return to Australia or have unused respite days.

My understanding of the use of unused respite days is that they can be used in addition as long as there are either formal or informal care arrangements made. But it may suspend after 9 weeks either way.