Applying for the Disability Support Pension

I have decided to bite the bullet and apply for the Disability Support Pension. (DSP)

I've always thought I was too healthy to get it, but given that I've just accomplished the near impossible by getting a portion of my Superannuation released to pay off credit card and personal loan debts on compassionate grounds, it's sort of made me wonder that I might actually be  sick enough to get it. Will never know if I don't apply.

So yesterday I looked up the Centrelink site for the relevant forms that need to be filled out for it, and thought "fuck, I'm not printing all that shit out here", and proceeded up to the local Centrelink office to pick them up there. What followed was a classic BBB (Blundering Bureaucratic Buffoon) performance.

I went and waited in the line at the front desk. I've spent quite some time in this line over the years, however this time they had a bloke there seeing what people needed and organising appts behind the front desk via a microphone strapped to his head. It was a bit bizarre. 

He got to me and I told him "I've just been made redundant, but as I've had so many problems with my health I wanted to apply for the DSP, and is there any interim payment I could get whilst the DSP claim is being processed?" He directed me over to an empty desk with a phone on it, and told me to talk to the person about what I'd just told him. Then he rang the number and gave me the receiver. He went back to dealing with more people in the line.

I sat there at the desk, a bit bewildered but not at all surprised. This had happened to me before at this office. Yes, I was at the Centrelink office, on hold to the Centrelink call centre, thinking "FFS I could've done this at home". Shortly a lady answered (not a very nice one but at least I wasn't talking to a bloody Indian call centre), an Australian in Australia. Fuck, things were looking up!

She then told me that what the guy with the mike (in the line) had just told me was incorrect, and that if I was going to apply for a DSP then I should just do that and not worry about any interim payment. She was pretty surprised that I was calling from inside Centrelink too I might add. So I summarised to clarify, that all I needed was just to pick up the DSP application forms? She replied yes and thanked me for the call, and I hung up.

Walked back over to the line and waited for the bloke to finish his present rave to his latest victims, and told him "the lady on the phone said for me to just pick up the application forms for the DSP". He, looking only slightly confused, went behind the front counter to a big shelf of various forms, and got the pack I needed. That was it, about 20 minutes to pick up a form. Why am I not surprised?

I've filled out most of it. There are 4 books/forms in the pack, the main one being a 30 pager with 171 questions, but many of them I don't have to answer as it's not relevant to me. I have to get a medical form filled out by my GP (8 page book with 15 questions), as well as filling out an income and assets test form (16 pages with 50 questions). And just for good measure, the 4th book is an information one on how to fill out the other 3 (28 page book). These all came in a plastic wrapped pack.

I was surprised that the main DSP form is also the same one I filled out last year to get the Sickness Allowance. Ah what memories..... I was also surprised that I would have to have assets totalling a massive $332,000 before the DSP would start to get reduced. 

Wow, I've got nothing like that. No car, and home contents would be lucky to be worth even $10,000.

All in all it looks pretty straight forward, believe it or not. I've dealt with Centrelink a lot in the past. After going through the 8 month debacle with the Dept of Human Services Early Release of Superannuation Benefits, this looks easy. Dunno if I'll get it, but looks promising. Think I have to have an interview with one of Centrelink's assessors as well. My that will be fun. Hope they've got a bit of time if they want to know my medical history.