Patty Kikos interviews Justin Bott from Services Australia, who explains the difference between a Carer Payment and a Carer Allowance. We discuss the Age Pension, the Disability Payment, as well as other financial supplements that carers might be eligible for. Justin also offers tips on how to apply for payments either online, in person or over the phone. GUEST: Justin Bott - https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/ SOCIAL MEDIA: Follow Patty on Instagram Follow The Benevolent Society on Instagram Follow Carer Gateway on Facebook Follow The Benevolent Society on Facebook CREDITS: Host – Patty Kikos Producers – Patty Kikos and John Hresc Sound Engineer – John Hresc GET IN TOUCH: Carer Gateway is proud to offer emotional and practical services and support for carers with the aim of making your life easier. You can call us on 1800 422 737 to find out more about peer support groups, counselling, coaching, online skills courses, tailored support packages, emergency respite, other government supports, as well as tips and information, or visit our online home at www.carergateway.gov.au Got some questions or thoughts for Patty or the team? Email us at cgconnections@benevolent.org.au and put ‘Attention Patty’ in the subject line. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: The Benevolent Society acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.
Patty Kikos interviews Justin Bott from Services Australia, who explains the difference between a Carer Payment and a Carer Allowance. We discuss the Age Pension, the Disability Payment, as well as other financial supplements that carers might be eligible for. Justin also offers tips on how to apply for payments either online, in person or over the phone.
GUEST:
Justin Bott - https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/
SOCIAL MEDIA:
Follow Patty on Instagram
Follow The Benevolent Society on Instagram
Follow Carer Gateway on Facebook
Follow The Benevolent Society on Facebook
CREDITS:
Host – Patty Kikos
Producers – Patty Kikos and John Hresc
Sound Engineer – John Hresc
GET IN TOUCH:
Carer Gateway is proud to offer emotional and practical services and support for carers with the aim of making your life easier.
You can call us on 1800 422 737 to find out more about peer support groups, counselling, coaching, online skills courses, tailored support packages, emergency respite, other government supports, as well as tips and information, or visit our online home at www.carergateway.gov.au
Got some questions or thoughts for Patty or the team? Email us at cgconnections@benevolent.org.au and put ‘Attention Patty’ in the subject line.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
The Benevolent Society acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.
Billy:
From the Carer Gateway at the Benevolent Society, we welcome you to, Carer Conversations with your host Patty Kikos.
The Carer Gateway is the Australian Government national care hub and provides reliable services, support and advice especially for carers.
This podcast is where we share interviews with guests that have specialized knowledge to help support carers to look after their emotional, mental and physical well-being.
We are recording on Aboriginal country, on lands which were never ceded. We acknowledge the traditional custodians and cultural knowledge holders of these lands and waters. We pay our respects to Aboriginal elders, past and present.
Always was, always will be.
---
Patty:
Welcome, Welcome, my lovely listeners and carers. Have you ever wondered about Carer Payments or any other assistance that Services Australia provides?
Well, my guest today will share some helpful information about how Services Australia is structured. Their purpose is to support Australians by delivering high quality and accessible services and payments.
On behalf of the government, their programs focus on Child Support, the healthcare that is covered by Medicare and the Centrelink, Social Security payments and services for Australians.
There are 6 categories of support in total, and I'll share about them really briefly.
1. is Raising Kids. There are payments and services to help with the cost of raising a child as well as information about childcare and child support and help for teenagers becoming independent.
2. is Living Arrangements. This includes information about moving house, relationship changes and moving to Australia. There is help and support if you're an Australian overseas or affected by natural disasters or family and domestic violence.
3. is Work. There is help when you've been recently unemployed. When you're looking for work. When your income changes, or if you've been impacted by COVID 19 #4 is education. There is support and payments while you study, retrain or complete an apprenticeship.
5. is Health and Disability and this has to do with accessing Medicare and some health services at low or no cost. It's help for people with a disability or if you're caring for someone and knowing what to do when a loved one dies, and...
6. is Ageing. This is where there is help available for people who care for older Australians and includes payments and services for people who are retiring or accessing aged care facilities. Today we get to speak to Justin Bott, who has a variety of roles within the organisation and currently works as a Community Information Officer.
Justin welcome, welcome!!
Justin:
Thank you so much for having me. It's so great to be here.
Patty:
It's great to have you. And I'm actually gonna get straight into it with a direct question, Are you ready?
Justin:
Go for it!
Patty:
OK. Why services Australia?
Justin:
Ohh, that's a funny thing. So, I've been working for the agency for a very, very long time and when I first started, we had to do this thing called the “public servants entrance exam”. We're talking in the 90s sort of concept.
And the “public service entrance exam” is really just an intelligence test. So it's a series of questions about math's and patterns and all that sort of thing.
Patty:
Is it like a psychological assessment as well?
Justin:
Yeah, it's all of that. And you never finish it cause it's too long for anybody to finish.
It's not about actually getting to the end. It's just an assessment of it. How far did you go? How fast did you do it? How well did you do? And you do the exam. They give you a mark and then they give you an offer.
You get a job based on how well you do. So, they rang me up and they said, “look, we want to offer you a job, where do you wanna work?” And I said, “ohh pretty much anywhere apart from Department of Social Security”, which is what is now Services Australia.
And they said, “oh, you don't want to work in the Department of Social Security. Well, we've got a job and it's in the department of Social Security!”
Patty:
So they really listened to you. 😊
Justin:
Well, I was a bit more pragmatic. A job is a job, so I'll take that. So I started working with what was then DSS, which then became Centrelink and is now known as Services Australia.
And the nice thing about working with something like Services Australia is that the organisation is actually so big that I have in effect had 4 different careers in the one agency.
Patty:
So, over 3 or 4 decades?
Justin: {both laugh}
Yes, we'll go 3.
We'll bring it back to that, not quite 3, but get it close to 3, so I started off as a customer service officer. Just the person that you see over the counter that became.
Patty:
Ohh so face to face?
Justin:
Yeah, definitely.
00:03:39 Speaker 1
Of course, back then.
Justin:
Yeah. Yeah. So I was, you know, taking claims and helping people with their payments, I then became a Team leader and then an office manager.
And then from there moved across to what's known as the Financial Information Service.
Patty:
Does it still exist?
Justin:
It definitely does. It's a great service. I mean I did it for 15 or so years. I'm a major fan of it and it's about giving free and impartial information to Australians about a whole range of financial issues, as well as about services from Services Australia.
And the funny thing about moving across to that is that it was all about having financial knowledge and the reality of my situation was that I didn't really have much financial knowledge when I started and my wife was much better qualified to do that.
She was the one that taught me how to do things like budget, manage credit cards, deal with savings.
Patty:
Yeah, you worked in the sector for 15 years.
Justin:
Well, I picked it up pretty quickly outside, so she was the one that helped me get on the right path, but certainly with the agency I was working through them.
And yeah, as I said, a lot of fun. But part of that was also getting a bit of media exposure, so helping people on radio to find out about payments from Services Australia and then moved from doing it every now and then to becoming my new full time job, which has moved into media as a Community Information Officer.
So, I spend my days again doing the same sort of thing, getting out there into the community on radio and in columns and magazines and things like that to tell people about what services Australia has to offer.
Patty:
As someone who has been part of that organisation for so long, what is a common misconception about Services Australia that you'd like to clear up on the podcast today?
Justin:
One of the questions that I would always get more of a statement of expectation from the customers, was the fact that they really didn't need to let us know about any changes in their circumstances, particularly changes in their bank accounts, because they just assumed that we already knew everything that was going on in their bank accounts.
Patty:
So there's an assumption that you have access to their respective bank accounts?
Justin:
Yeah, like I can on my computer, hit Alt / Tab and I'll be able to open up all your St George accounts and all your Westpac or whatever it might be, and we can instantly see all the balances, so, you don't need to tell me because obviously Services Australia already knows and it’s really important to say that that is not the case. We do not have that power.
Patty:
Because of the Privacy Act?
Justin:
Well, that’s part of it, but it’s also making sure that no one government agency has the ability to get all that information at one point.
Now it is fair enough to say that we can exercise that power, but we only use it if you've done something really, really naughty and you're going to be in all sorts of trouble. So you.
Patty:
And then have to be investigated?
Justin:
Yes. So basically, you're committing fraud and we're trying to find out what you're getting up to. But apart from that, for the general public, no, we don't.
Which means that if you don't tell us that your circumstances have changed, we're not gonna know that that's occurred. We don't have the crystal ball that knows that you've been moving money around your accounts or whatever that might be.
So as a person receiving a payment from Services Australia, it is still your responsibility to let us know when things change.
Patty:
Do most people know who Services Australia is?
Justin:
We are working to make sure that that it becomes better known. Most people recognise Centrelink, it's been the brand for a long period of time.
But Services Australia has been around since 2020.
Patty:
The rebrand is fairly newish, and 2020 was when we were quite distracted with COVID.
Justin:
Yes. So a lot of a lot of things happened and the changeover to Services Australia occurred only a couple of months before that actually occurred. So, there was a lot that was going on at the time, but it’s definitely Services Australia. You'll notice that there’s a new look for the place. But in saying that, you know, we still operate and understand and recognise Medicare, Centrelink, Child Support Agency.
Patty:
You mentioned earlier that you've worked with carers when you were a guest speaker for the Northern Beaches support groups and you provided information on the Carer Payment, including who is eligible for it and who is not.
Along with how the payment is determined, could you share that information about the Carer Payment with us today, along with information about the Carer Allowance as well for our listeners?
Justin:
For sure. So there are 2 main payments that a person who is providing care is able to apply through from Services Australia.
So the 1st one is, as we said, the Carer Payment. Now Carer Payment is a pension, the same as an age pension and a disability support pension.
It's a pension, so it's got the pension income and assets test component to it. It's paid at the same rate as a pension and at the moment that's $1064 a fortnight. If you are a single person or $802.00 a fortnight if you're one of a member of a couple.
Patty:
So the Disability Payment, the Carer Payment and the Pension Payment are all the same amount. Is that right?
Justin:
That is exactly right. They are.
So, the same rate of payment, same concession cards that go with them, same income and assets tests that goes with them.
Patty:
Yep. Can you tell us a little bit about the income and asset tests?
Justin:
Yeah, for sure. So, in order for you to have an eligibility for the Carer Payment then you have to have income and assets that are under certain thresholds. If you go over those thresholds, then you're not eligible, so it doesn't matter what care you provide, you're not going to get anything because you don't meet that income and assets test.
Patty:
And are the thresholds different according to different states and territories?
Justin:
They are not. That's the nice thing about being a federal government agency, it's the same across the country, but they do change throughout the year and that means that there's a change that occurs on the 1st of July. So, there'll be a change to the thresholds coming up really soon.
Patty:
Which is the new financial year?
Justin:
Yes. Yep.
So, there are changes that happen automatically on the 20th of March, 1st of July and 20th September every year based on CPI changes.
Patty:
And what are those changes?
Justin:
Well, it depends on what's happening with CPI. So, what I would recommend is that because you know this podcast is going to be around hopefully for a long time, have a look at our website www.servicesaustralia.gov.au
As you said, they've got those life events that you've mentioned.
There's the one that's health and disabilities. If you go into that for carers, you will find what the new income and assets cutoff points are so that you see what they are right at the moment that you're looking.
Patty:
Great. OK. And so when you've done the income and asset test, which you can do online?
Justin:
The whole thing, the whole application can go online. It's all part of the one process.
So that we're something like carer payment, you're going to have to pass 2 types of tests, because you've got your eligibility is based on both:
Do you meet the requirements under the income and assets test? Do you meet all of the medical and support requirements of the carer payment?
Patty:
Right. So, there are the 2 aspects.
Justin:
Yeah, that makes us different from something like the Age Pension, which obviously with an age pension, you've got to meet the requirements of being old enough to qualify, but with the carer payment. You've got to meet both.
“I am providing enough care to qualify and the person that I'm looking after has a condition that warrants me having to provide enough care to qualify, so there's a whole medical side of the application as well”
Part of your process in lodging that application, so with Carer Payment in particular, what you're basically looking at is if I am a carer, it's like this is my job, it's the equivalent of saying this is my work.
And I'm getting a pension as my source of income to reflect the fact that this is my work and the person that I'm looking after, their condition is gonna go for at least six months, so we expect that they're gonna be dealing with this for more than six months. And it is obviously of enough severity if you like, that means that I do need to provide care. And that's me potentially qualifying under that medical side of it.
Patty:
That makes sense.
Justin:
So the other payment that we're talking about is called Carer Allowance. Now Carer Allowance is very often paid with Carer Payment, so it's something that you can apply for at the same time. In order to get that again there's that medical side of it. Am I providing enough care? Does the person that I'm caring for have a condition that warrants it?
It's a little bit different in that you need to have the person that you're caring for, the condition needs to be going for 12 months or more rather than six months or more.
But if it's a long term thing, then yes, you can absolutely apply for Carer Allowance. It's also important to say that you can get Carer Allowance with other payments.
Patty:
Such as?
The age pension is a classic example. So, say I'm 72. My partner is a little bit older they might be 76 and they've unfortunately started to deteriorate, and I need to start providing more and more care.
If I'm on an Age Pension. I don't necessarily think I need to move off the Age Pension, but I can also apply for that Carer Allowance on top of my Age Pension.
And the Carer Allowance is not a pension, so it's not paid at the pension rate, it's about $144 a fortnight.
Patty:
So, it’s a supplement?
Justin:
Yes, in effect it is like saying here is something for you, for the fact that you are providing this care. Here's something to help a little bit with the cost of what you’re doing.
Patty:
Is it also based on an income test?
Justin:
You can apply for the Carer Allowance with having eligibility for no other payments as well. So it's something that you can actually apply on its own.
It does not have an assets test associated with it, which makes it different from pensions. It does have an income test, but the income test is actually pretty simple. Is your income under $250,000?
And that's it. That's as complicated as it.
Patty:
So, theoretically many of our carers who are also working would be eligible for the Carer Allowance. Is that correct?
Justin:
Yeah. So, the issue that I have and more often the reason I'm going out and talking to these groups is not for people to apply for Carer Payment.
Because if you had to make this your full-time job, you need money. You've already come and seen the agency. You can't afford not to, and so you've applied for whatever you can get, and you've applied for the Carer Payment.
But there is absolutely a group of people who would not have in any way thought they'd have any eligibility from anything from Services Australia. Their assets might be too high their income might be way over the top. Why would they even look? Because you know, they didn't think they'd ever be eligible and there's this Carer Allowance with an income test of $250,000 and no assets test eligibility.
Patty:
Right. Which means that you cannot earn more than $250,000 a year in order to be eligible for the Carer Allowance?
Justin:
That's right. But that's a very high figure. So it may be that I am working full time, but my partner is caring full time. My income precludes us from having an eligibility for a pension.
But it doesn't preclude her from having an eligibility for the Carer Allowance. So, if that's you and up until this point you didn't know it exists, then you've now found out about it!
Patty:
Right.
Justin:
It's now it's time to do something about that so.
Patty:
Well, we are here to dispel myths.
Justin:
Yeah, that's absolutely the case. So go to the website, which is a great place to find out information about it. Again, www.servicesaustralia.gov.au and click on that, “health and disabilities, “ Or you can just straight out apply online using the app as well.
Patty:
OK, I'm going to ask you some more questions about online applications versus phone applications and in person applications. But before I do, many carers ask do I stay on the Age Pension or do I remain on the Carers Payment? And if you move, do you lose any supplements to these payments?
Justin:
Yeah, it's a big question and the problem is that there is no right or wrong answer to this one. It's very much on a case-by-case basis. OK. So, if I say I'm not yet age pension age, but I'm now providing care, so I've applied for the Carer Payment and I'm getting the Carer Payment? The Carer Allowance is being paid, and that makes no difference, cause that can keep going through regardless of my choice.
So, if I'm getting Carer Allowance and I choose to go across to the Age Pension, I can still get the Carer Allowance that makes no difference.
But I've turned Age Pension, age. And now I've been asked by Services Australia, “do I want to stay on Carer Payment, or do I want to move across to the Age Pension?
And there are advantages and disadvantages of both.
The big easy reason for going onto the Age Pension the the clearest and the simplest one is that the only requirement is that you’re an Australian resident and you're of Age Pension age, so you no longer have to prove medical requirements.
There’s none of that to keep getting that pension payment.
Patty:
What's the pension age in general for men and for women?
Justin:
Age Pension age at the present time and we're talking in May 2023, is 66.5 years of age and it's the same for men and women.
On the 1st of July 2023, it actually moves up to 67 years of age. So from the 1st of July Age Pension age will become 67 years of age and that's where it's going to stay.
Patty:
Is it a different age for our community that has an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander heritage?
Justin:
No age pension age is the same for everybody at the moment, so when it comes to people with Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander background, most of the payments are the same regardless of whether you do or don't have that heritage. The big one that's different is the Abstudy series of payments if you're actually studying. So, they're very different from that perspective.
Patty:
Ohh, so Austudy study versus Abstudy?
Justin:
Yes. But from a carer's perspective, Carer Payment and Carer Allowance are the same regardless of your background.
Patty:
So that was a little bit of a segue, as I interrupted you. But I'm so excited that I can pick your brain. So back to the pros and cons of transferring from a Carer Payment to an Aged Care payment.
Justin:
Yeah. So, the Age Pension, as I said, is easier to get. Aged Pension is actually easier to travel overseas with if that's something that you think that you're going to be doing quite a bit of, then you might consider if “I'm going to go overseas for long periods of time, the Age Pension might be the way to go”.
But one of the things that does stop, and that's the one that you mentioned, is the Carer Supplement.
Patty:
Oh the allowance?
Justin:
No. The supplement, which is different to the allowance. So, you've got the Carer Allowance and then once you're on the 1st of July, you actually receive a carer supplement.
It's a 1 once a year payment. It's $600.00 and you get it for your Carer Payment and you get it for your Carer Allowance.
So, if you're getting both carer payment and carer allowance, you would actually get 2 lots of $600.
If you're getting Carer Allowance only, you'll get only one lot of $600. You don't get it if you're on the Age Pension.
Patty:
If you are on the Age Pension and you get a Carer Allowance, do you get it then? Do you get 1 lot?
Justin:
Yes. You'll get one lot of $600 because you are getting the Carer Allowance.
But if you choose to move from Carer Payment to the Age Pension, you're going to say goodbye to 1 of those $600 payments. You lose that.
Yeah. So, there's definitely a cash reason to stay, but as I said, there are a lot of other really finicky details about further study and all that sort of thing that might be better for Carer Payment or Age Pension that might not apply to 99% of the population but may apply to you.
OK, so the best thing to do is actually go again to our website which is www.servicesaustralia.gov.au and on that website in the search function all you have to put in that little search box is the word “transfer”.
If you type in “transfer”, then hit search, the first thing you're going to get is an option that says ‘Transfer to Age Pension’.
Click on that one and it will take you through the pros and cons of Carer Payment versus Age Pension, even Disability Support Pension versus Age Pension because that's another question that we're asked.
‘Should I stay on a Disability Support Pension or should I move across to the Age Pension’, so it breaks down all those different advantages and disadvantages.
Now the nice thing about Carer Payment, which does not apply to the Disability Support Pension, is that you can swap from an Age Pension to a Carer Payment if you want to.
Patty:
Right.
Justin:
With a Disability Support Pension, once you turn Age Pension, age, you cannot apply for a Disability Support Pension.
So you can't swap onto it. You'll stay on the Age Pension and that's where you go. So, with Carer Payment, it's a door that you can go through both ways, which means you got more flexibility.
With Disability Support Pension if you choose to move across to the Age Pension, you can't go back.
Patty:
Speaking of the Disability Support Pension, maybe and the Job Seeker Payment as well, many of our carers are advocating for their loved ones to receive a payment that they would be entitled to and eligible for. Can we unpack that a little bit together?
Justin:
Yeah, for sure so what you claim is gonna depend really is what we're sort of indicating beforehand. What you claim depends on what stage of life you're at.
So the first thing is we'll go with the easy one. That is, you're already Age Pension age. Again that scenario we're in our late 70s and then I start to develop a condition which means that I’m really not able to do everything that I was able to do beforehand.
And I meet, meet the medical requirements of a Disability Support Pension because I'm over Age Pension, age, I can't apply for Disability Support Pension. I just keep getting the Age Pension as I was getting beforehand.
There's no medical basis for the payment and the payment, as I said, it's exactly the same rate. There's a Disability Support Pension and the Carer Payment. The concessional benefits are exactly the same. So, the blue pensioner concession card does not say with it, whether you're getting it because you're an Age Pension or Carer Payment or a Disability Support Pension, so nobody's going to know that it's one or the other.
So the concessional benefits that you get from that are the same. So from that perspective it doesn't really make much of a difference that you're on the Disability Support Pension or Age Pension
But you can't apply for it because you're just, you're not legally able to because you're over Age Pension, age.
If you're a child, there's a whole different group of payments for children, so that's a different story as well.
But what we're looking at here is basically we're going from, you know, young adults to about to be Age, Pension, age and what can they apply for.
So, the main one that we talked about is the Disability Support Pension. But that is actually quite specific in its qualification, so it's not universal where everybody can get this.
In order for you to qualify for Disability Support Pension, the condition needs to be at least going for or expected to be going for at least 2 years or more.
You need to not be able to work at least 15 hours a week, so there's restricted ability to work and it needs to be managed and stable.
Patty:
But can you work for 10 or 15 hours a week if you are receiving a Disability Support Pension?
Justin:
Yes, you absolutely can. There will be an income that comes from that, and that income might affect the rate of payment that you're getting, because of course being a pension, it's got the whole income and asset side of it as well.
But yes, absolutely you can. It's just one of those things that you need to be careful of and the same for the Carer Payment as well.
There is the ability for you to work, but at what point does your level of work tell us that you're no longer providing enough care in particular?
So there's that balance of yes, I can work and it's great to get that extra income.But am I actually working too much and so therefore actively demonstrating I can't be providing enough care and therefore potentially put my payment at risk?
Patty:
And so what are the criteria that would need to be shared with Services Australia? Would that be something that would be medical certificates from particular specialists? A GP?
Justin:
For a disability support pension?
Patty:
Yeah.
Justin:
So, you're looking at the whole range of, basically as much medical evidence as you can provide.
Now I'm going to qualify that because there is one other way of getting the Disability Support Pension and it's what we call a manifest condition.
And unfortunately, there's when things are really bad. So, what we're talking about is severe intellectual disability or something like a terminal illness.
You know, if you present with those, then that's really the end of your medical requirements. You don't need to go any further.
Patty:
So, if you've been diagnosed with leukemia or cancer, you automatically qualify?
Justin:
No, because they are potentially treatable. It's gotta be designed that your medical profession would have to be saying this is a terminal case.
Patty:
Right
Justin:
So you've actually got the bad news and therefore you're applying for the payment with that bad news story.
And all those other things hopefully can be manageable. And again, if you're stable, it might mean that you can't work for a long period of time, but it may mean that you could qualify for the payments, but you don't get it automatically. You’ve got to prove that.
Patty:
And then do you have to do a yearly review where you continue to prove that your condition hasn't improved?
Justin:
Yeah. I can't say for sure that it's yearly, but there will definitely be ongoing medical reviews, because this payment is based on the fact that you've got this condition, we need to make sure that that condition is still there and it you're still having to deal with that.
Now that also when we're talking about medical evidence, it may well be that it's not just one thing that makes you eligible for Disability Support Pension.
It may be that I have a combination of conditions and mental health issues or whatever, and so I therefore need a combination of medical reports and specialist reports. Some sort it all together.
Patty:
From a GP, from a psychologist or psychiatrist, etc?
Justin:
Yeah. All to put it together to show that I have the condition that warrants the payment that I, you know, I meet those requirements that we're talking about as well.
Patty:
OK. And then tell us about Job Seeker payments.
Justin:
So, Job Seeker Payment is the main payment for people who are under Age Pension, age who are looking for work.
So normally when you apply for Job Seeker payment, there are gonna be expectations on you. We call them mutual obligations.
You are required to do certain behaviours, you know, look for certain number of jobs get in contact with the job agencies to try and find employment. And making sure that you're updating your skills, that sort.
Patty:
And is the purpose of this payment to get you back into employment, even if it means that you need to retrain?
Justin:
Yes, but not for people not in the ones that we're talking about in this circumstance. So that's the difference.
So, for most Australians that are on Job Seeker payment, the idea is that hopefully they get themselves a job, will help them get themselves a job or the employment agencies will help them get a job and they'll get back to work and they may only be with us, hopefully for a very short period of time.
But it's different if you have a medical condition. So, in one example because the Disability Support Pension is complex, not only do we have to go through the income and assets test, which can be complex for people anyway, then you've got to go through the whole medical side of the story with the different treating doctors' reports and things like that.
It can take a while to be granted.
So what do I do? I've got no pension coming through. I got no money. Where do I go? So what we will often do is actually pay you at the Job Seeker rate, until that's decisions being made about the disability support pension.
Patty:
The evidence can be proven. Yeah, OK.
Justin:
Or you can just apply for the Job Seeker as being unable to work because of a medical condition. So, this is particularly if it's a short-term thing. Maybe a few months where you've just got whatever has knocked you out and you're gonna have to take a little time to recover.
You can get the Job Seeker payment you provide your medical evidences. So it's that it's inappropriate for you to be looking for work right now because you're recovering.
And as long as we've got that medical evidence that we can accept, then we can give you the payment without any of those mutual obligation expectations on you.
Patty:
That's very clear. You mentioned carers can claim these payments online for those that aren't computer literate, can we call a number?
Justin:
You absolutely can! So, if you are a carer, then the first place that you should go is by going online. If at all possible because it's, it's realistically it's great.
And one of the things that I love about it, for carers in particular, is that you're able to do it in your own time in your own home, in your own way, and you can start, save it, come back to it later. And you don't have to send any times asides and you're able to do that.
Most of us have already created a MyGov account. So, to apply online, you have to go through MyGov. Link to your Centrelink record. Most of us already have a MyGov account because we needed it for the proof of vaccinations when COVID was all going on.
So, you've got a MyGov account, if you've linked it to your Centrelink record, you're already ready to roll and you can start that carer application online.
Patty:
OK, but if we want to call that number though?
Justin:
Yes, if you wanna ring that number, then you're absolutely in your ability to do that. It's absolutely there for you.
Patty:
And do we have interpreter services on the phone as well if English is not your first language?
Justin:
Not on that number, but there is another number that you can call if you want to get that assistance from the Interpreter Services.
Patty:
Oh, so you've got a multilingual phone service as well?
Justin:
We do have a multilingual phone service, so the phone number for that one is 131202.
Patty:
131202.
Justin:
That is our multilingual phone service, so if that's your position, call that number first, call the 131202 rather than the carer phone number.
You'll say the language that you want to speak, and then you'll get somebody that can help you from that.
Patty:
Can we go into the office and can we get assistance if we need it with someone that can help us claim?
Justin:
Absolutely. OK, so there's a couple of things that can happen in an office. Yes, they can help you get certainly start the process of applying for the application. They can also help you learn how to do stuff online.
Patty:
OK, so they can teach you?
Justin:
Yes. So, we have digital coaching that's available in all of our Centrelink sites or our Services Australia sites, I should say.
So, if you've got a smartphone in your pocket, then you've got the ability to do a lot of your business with Services Australia online. And if the only thing that's holding you back is you just don't feel comfortable to do that, then you can actually sit down with one of our digital coaches in your local office who can show you.
“Here's the website. Here's the app. Here's how you can use it. Let's actually bring it up so that you can see how to change bank accounts and do that sort of thing”, so you can learn how to do that at home. And again, you from a carer's perspective. Then you don't have to worry about who's looking after the person that I'm caring for while I'm actually visiting a Services Australia site.
If I've learned how to do that stuff over my phone, then I that all that problem's gone. I can just do that when the time is available .
Patty:
This is true. Yep. I've got two last questions for you before you get lucky enough to answer the Rapid Fire Rapid questions. Do you have any tips for claiming?
Justin:
Yeah, a couple. The 1st one's gonna sound really silly, but in all honesty, it's amazing how many people don't do that.
And when I say that I include myself in this and the 1st tip is actually read the forms. There is an awful lot of information that we provide on those forms that will answer a lot of the basic questions that you might have, but people don't read it and they might try and ring up or they go in because they don't understand. It will say, well, the answer to the question is actually right there for you.
The other one is actually; I think potentially more significant for some people, and I know that it has made a difference when I've spoken about this with other people claiming Carers Allowance or Carers Payment in the past and that is to actually think through how you answer the questions about what care do I supply.
When people fill in an application for these sorts of payments, there's gonna be a series of questions that we asked them and they're going to be more like, you know, often, sometimes, rarely, never sort of concepts about the care that you provide.
And the problem is, basically, you're human and you're Australian, and you're gonna downplay it because that's just what we do. But if you downplay your role, we're not gonna second guess you.
If you say, “rarely”, then we're gonna think you rarely do it. And if you rarely do it, then you're not providing care and we won't give you the payment.
The question might be, can the person that you care for shower by themselves and you’ll be thinking things like well, yes, they can stand in the water, they can soak themselves, they can rinse themselves off, they can step out.
So, they do that all by themselves and so am I involved in that. No, I'm. I'm they do that all by themselves. And if you tick ‘no’, we would think that's exactly what you said, that they'd take their care of that whole process by themselves. But what I want you do is actually think through how did that actually occur?
So, first question, did they actually shower? Would they have showered if you didn't tell them it's time to shower?
Can you trust that they can go into the bathroom and get undressed without falling over or losing their way, or whatever it might be? Do you need to be in there to supervise that procedure? Can you trust that they won't scald themselves with the hot water or they won't fall over while they're in the shower? And can you trust that they can actually get out and dry themselves without you having to be there just in case? Because it happened before they could fall over again.
Now, if you're part of that whole process, instead of you can they shower on your own? No. So do you ever help them shower? You say no, the answer is, do you help the shower? Well, yes, all the time because I have to be part of the process and it's thinking through, do they do that completely independently of me or am I required to allow that to happen?
And if I'm required, if I have to be part of that process and part of that behavior, they're not doing it independently, and if I don't say that on the form, we're not gonna know that you're involved, and as a consequence, we'll just say ohh you're not providing any care and not give you the payment.
Patty:
That's a great example.
Justin:
Now if you have applied for the payment in the past, and it might not have been granted, and you find that this podcast might really trigger something for you. Then, apply again!
There's nothing to stop you from doing that. Put an application in through again. Think through how you answer those questions. Think of the entire dynamic of the behavior that's involved and where you fit in that dynamic.
And if you are a lot in there then in answer the questions that you are, and that you involved a lot and then we know the care that you're providing.
Patty:
Yeah. OK. So, it's good to know if you've applied once and got declined. It does not mean that you can't apply again?
Justin:
Absolutely!
Patty:
OK last question. Concession cards for carers.
Am I correct in assuming that there are no concessional benefits for people receiving other allowances, but only for pension recipients?
Justin:
No, that's not actually true, so the carer payment, as we mentioned, is a pension, which means you get your pension, a concession card, same as other pensioner concession cards, which means you receive it from the federal government.
That means reduction in your prescriptions, and it also means you get access to reduced or more money back if you didn't Bulk Bill, but you have to pay doctors and you reach your Medicare levies sooner.
And there's a lot of other concessional benefits that come with the pension concession card, but most of them are actually provided by local and state governments.
So, although it's a federal government issued card, a lot of what you get comes from local state governments. We're talking about things like reductions in council rates, water rates, car registration, drivers' licenses, that sort of stuff.
So, what I will often say, if you were just granted one of our pensions, including care payment, and if you got your pensioner concession card for the first time, go to your pharmacist and show them, and say, “I've got one of these!”. Then go to your local council and say I've got one of these and have a look at your government website.
So, your NSW, Queensland, Victoria, SA, etc what do they say? They provide us concessions for concession card holders.
Also, another tip is to check your electricity bill, because there may be a part on the back that says, ring this phone number. If you're a concession card holder and they make a difference too.
If you're on an allowance like your Job Seeker payment, you actually get a healthcare card. So it's not the same as a pensioner concession card. It does provide the same prescription or benefits and again depending on which state or territory, there may be other benefits they provide that go with that.
One the one that's important for carers is the carer allowance by itself, so.
Patty:
With Carer Allowance. So just receiving that doesn't mean that you get a concession card.
Justin:
Correct. Now it is a little bit tricky because we make these things tricky. If you are providing care for a child, then there are potentially some concessional benefits that come with carer allowance for a child. But apart from that, no, the carer allowance just comes with the $144 or so a fortnight, plus that once a year $600.00 supplement.
That doesn't mean you're not eligible for a concession card, but you would have to apply for the concession card on its own merits.
So yeah, do you qualify and the main one we're thinking about here is for people again who are over age Pension age. It's called the Commonwealth Seniors Health card. It’s got no assets, tests. Same as the fact that the Carer Allowance doesn't have an assets test.
There is an income test. It is lower than the care allowance income test, but to be eligible for that Commonwealth Senior Health care card, you need to apply, so have to lodge an application again. Same we've talked about do it online, ring us up and do it over the phone.
00:40:34 Speaker 2
Find out about it on our website with all the concessions that are there too.
Patty:
This is so good this has just dispelled so many myths.
You've answered so many of our technical questions about Services Australia, it's only fitting that you should be rewarded with some rapid fire wrap up questions, don't you think?
Justin:
Let's go for it!
Patty:
Alright, who do you text the most in the world?
Justin:
The kids, it's all about where are you? What bus are you on? When you gonna be home? What are you doing right now? The kids get a lot of texts, yeah.
Patty:
OK, what word, if any, do you have a hard time pronouncing?
Justin:
It's not pronouncing so much it's spelling. It's how my fingers do it wrong and considering for 15 or so years I was a financial information service officer, it is weird to know that I could almost never spell the word financial correctly.
Patty:
Is it typing or is it writing it?
Justin:
Both. It's how I type it. When I have to I type it. I will often do the ‘a’ at the end. It's the LA instead of AL. And so it's, I don't know, it's 20 to 30 times a day. Spell check. Go back AL. 'Coz you know it's just the word I use all the time and I spell it wrong all the time.
Patty:
Alright, is your bed made right now?
Long pause and giggle Justin:
Can I plead the 5th?
Patty:
We're not in America haha
Justin:
No, no, the bed is not presently made. I hope that my wife is not listening to this.
Patty:
My last question is what do you wish you had learned sooner in life or earlier in life?
Justin:
I wish I'd learned how to do money better earlier, and so I know about it, and I learned how to do it when I was doing the role, but to have done it better in my 20’s.
Patty:
You've mentioned your wife was better at budgeting.
Justin:
Yeah, she had the skill set, so when we got married, she brought all the income. I brought all the debt.
So yeah, to have learned those sorts of things, to put money aside. It's even with the we keep talking about when we talk financial circles, you talk about the benefits of compounding interest.
Just letting the money sit there and grow all by itself in, in that in itself can make a massive difference as you even going through stages, looking houses and all that sort of stuff.
So having to learn first of all how to manage a credit card so you don't end up paying horrendous interest, that's a massive thing to learn, but also how to take advantage of investing how to budget a little bit to just save a little bit of money. Yeah, even little bits of money every fortnight when your wage comes through. To put that aside into something will make a difference into the future. So yes, we would loved to have been able to pick up that much sooner.
Patty:
Ditto! That is actually probably my favourite response from you all day. I think there's a philosophy that suggests we teach best what we most need to learn. Maybe I should become a yoga meditation teacher.
Justin:
Hahaha
Patty:
Justin, thank you for enlightening us on the intricacies of Services Australia, but mostly for sharing some of your personal quirks with us as well.
Justin:
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, that's fine. It is a great pleasure to be here.
Patty:
And that is actually all from us today, folks. I hope this episode has been insightful for you, or possibly a loved one. If there's anyone you know that could benefit from this information, please do share it with them.
And of course, liking subscribing and leaving us as a 5 star review helps us to get to the right listening ears.
Now I know that this information and this episode was very information heavy, and we were very lucky to have someone as fun and gregarious like Justin come along and break it down for us.
The website for Services Australia again is www.servicesaustralia.gov.au and the help desk can be contacted between 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM Monday to Friday on 1800 941 126.
If you listen to this episode on the Simplecast app, there's an option to read all of our transcripts as well as this one. Until we meet again. Be well, schedule fun things for yourself, and take extra care of you today.
Billy:
If you are caring for a relative or a friend who has a disability, a mental health condition, a life limiting health or medical condition.
Or they are frail because they're getting older. Please contact us at Carer Gateway on 1800 422 737, or look us up on www.carergateway.gov.au
And if you are a carer, you're allowed to take time to look after yourself. You are just as important as the person you take care of.