“With access to inclusive education still very limited, discrimination in hiring practices, and disability employment services that often fail to meet individual needs, young people are disadvantaged on many fronts when it comes to finding work, and some genuinely can’t work at all.
The Determination 2023 sets out the rules decision-makers must use when assessing a person’s work-related impairment for the Disability Support Pension (DSP) under the Social Security Act 1991. A number of changes were made to the DSP assessment that apply to claims for the DSP made on or after 1 April 2023. The number of tables have been reduced from 22 to 15. The new tables adopt a functional-based assessment of a person’s ability to work, instead of the previous diagnosis-based assessment. This instrument replaces the 2011 Determination.
Julie* has been with her partner Simon* for nearly four years. She loves that he is well-read and smart, and that they share an appreciation for art and science. She loves that he brags about her to his friends, and randomly tells her that he loves her. “We love each other, we’re good for each … Continued
Disability advocate and lawyer Natalie Wade says Australia’s Social Security Act must be changed “to reflect the human rights of people with disability”. “The process in which they must go through to be able to access the Disability Support Pension, albeit quite often unsuccessfully, is quite a severe and not inclusive approach,” she said.
Given his physical struggles, Mr Patterson said he was shocked when his application for a disability support pension (DSP) – backed up with doctor’s letters – was rejected by Centrelink in October last year because his impairment did not meet the 20 assessment points required.
An inquiry into the Disability Support Pension (DSP) continues to receive submissions from advocacy groups and individuals about how the system is failing people with disability or chronic illness.
Senate inquiry told Australia’s disability payment rules need to be ‘rewritten’ as people struggle for months before receiving support
A Senate committee looking into the purpose, intent and adequacy of the DSP on Monday heard a range of longstanding concerns from people with disability and advocacy groups that the system is failing those who need it the most. Speakers said people who should be eligible for the DSP are often shunted onto much lower payments with job-seeking requirements, applicants have to “jump through hoops” to get support, the process does not “understand” certain conditions, and eligibility requirements are too bureaucratic and focused on the medical model of disability.
The adequacy of the disability pension will be put under the microscope thanks to the Greens. A Senate committee will look at the purpose, intent and adequacy of the Disability Support Pension, with the expectation of reporting back by the end of November.
Mary Sayers, the Cyda chief executive, said the figures had “exploded” for a number of reasons, including that governments had tightened access to the disability support pension, which is paid at a higher rate. “The other is the absolute entrenched disadvantage that young people face in the labour market,” she said. “So we’ve got a whole range of these really intractable problems that need attention.
Meredith said her experience with having her welfare payment suspended for not meeting her mutual obligations while undergoing cancer treatment kept her “up all night with panic attacks”and worried about how she’d pay her bills and feed her child. ‘You people are going to be the death of me and many others,’ she told her WISE Employment job consultant via email.
Applications for the DSP are too often rejected due to the lack of sufficient medical evidence. DSP Help has a medical evidence bot that helps you to get the best supportive documentation from your medical specialist which gives you the best chance of having your application approved. Dermott Williams is a Community Lawyer at Social Security Rights Victoria who has been involved with the development of DSP Help and he introduces you to the bot and many other features of this exciting new online resource.
People without a specific severe impairment who want to access disability payment are being forced to first do 1.5 years of job search
Applying for a government payment can be daunting. And the task can be even harder if you don’t understand the types of doctors’ reports and information that you’re required to collect. A new online tool has been designed to help make it easier for people to navigate the application process for the Disability Support Pension.
Access to stable, adequate income support can represent a significant improvement to the quality of life of vulnerable Australians. The DSP provides income support for people who cannot work due to permanent illness, injury, or disability, but getting it is challenging. DSP eligibility criteria is complex and success often depends on the quality of supporting medical evidence.
The DSP Help resource aims to help DSP applicants and the people who support them understand what is required, how to get suitable medical evidence, and how to approach an application.