Thread: Centrelink, claiming the Aged Pension. Grrrrrrrrr!

I assisted in the initial application, my advice, which was taken, was to put NO in that box, assuming that they were looking for large sums.

The form was handed into a bricks and mortar Centrelink office, (frowned upon) where everything was double checked. It was revealed that there had been a minor compensation claim over twenty years prior, but that was just a few days of wages coverage.
That brings into play a new form to be filled out.

Fortunately my friend had one employer for the last thirty years, a State Government department. After the usual run around and numerous phone calls, a couple of hours later, the person with the information is finally reached and told of the situation. This person states that Centrelink need to make the request and email the appropriate form, it will then be filled out and returned.

Centrelink are then told of the situation, after waiting over an hour on hold. They further state that they have no email facilities and it is the claimant's responsibility to furnish the information, not theirs to acquire it.

An appointment has been made with the local Member of Parliament.

Think I will work until I die!

That will be shortly the way work has been going!

Let SWMBO worry about the pension.

Jonesfam

Working til death seems the easier option .

Yep..

Is an absolute disgrace the way aged pensioners are treated with complete contempt these days

About time those with their nose in the trough are made accountable IMHO

I must have struck it lucky ,when i applied a few years ago i arrived with all the paper work as requested and forms i was given completed had an interview with a nice lady and all done . in a few weeks the concession card along with the relevant info was given and that,s it .

I dont bother trying to ring i just update the relevant info in change of circumstances etc and post off reply paid , since i finally made it to the full Pension i don,t even hear from them anymore .

Originally Posted by Fatso

I must have struck it lucky ,when i applied a few years ago i arrived with all the paper work as requested and forms i was given completed had an interview with a nice lady and all done . in a few weeks the concession card along with the relevant info was given and that,s it .

I dont bother trying to ring i just update the relevant info in change of circumstances etc and post off reply paid , since i finally made it to the full Pension i don,t even hear from them anymore .

Unfortunately fats, applicants are not treated that way anymore, and the staff who were good at their work back then (public servants) have mostly been cashiered.

I don't think it will be long until our northern neighbours with fictitious first names like Nathan and Bruce will be answering the centrelink phones

For those of you approaching this time of life, you can apply for the pension thirteen weeks before you are eligible, minimizing the waiting time. Most people are, as my friend and I were, unaware of this.

The rules hoops etc will change more often than my socks before I am able to legally retire . But in my misguided Uni days the talk was 55 as the golden age. How I was suckered