Recovering payments because of Centrelink Error.

[welfarerites]

hi GASRB8,
if you're still in need of good advice, go to the welfare rights unit in your state.
Welfare Rights are independant of flubberment org's, have highly trained staff specialising in social insecurity issues. free too. find them online.

i was told the same stupid thing by centrelink - then later someone said i could get payments - i'm still confused. meanwhile i lived on yuk food from the salvos and walked everywhere. i had no heating and used candles. i couldn't even afford to travel to melbourne to sit on the doorstep of my pathetic union (SDA) and beg for professional assistance.

my sympathies and understanding for your situation. how infuriating. some one at C/L is paid to do a job, and they give you incorrect advice. You - the client/taxpayer - lose financially etc, and C/L get away without bearing any responsibility. i bet it took 100's of hours of phone calls and letters and visits to c/l to sort it out.
The ombudsman should hear about this. maybe after they receive enough case studies of C/L errors, and c/l's unfair legilation and policies, they might change the rules.

it should be of significance that a gov't dp't and its servants are contributing to further social problems and costs to the gov't/taxpayers - ie, by someone in this kind of situation having no income for 6 - 12 months. it means they can't make mortgage payments, perhaps can't run a car, has no income - the beginning of the slippery slope to long term unemployment and homelessness and welfare dependancy.
this is structural poverty.
add to this the stress of the injury, no job, no money.
there are 1000's of people in the same boat - where they can't work due to injury - they get no workcover payments - no C/L payments - no wages - no other insurance payments because none of those organisations wants to pay out because it doesn't look good on the books.
the employer doesn't want the injured worker back and tells their insurer (who advise workcover) to reject the injured workers claim. thereby forcing the employee to take a forced "voluntary" redundancy just so they can get a separation certificate for C/L payments.

one difficulting in following up on C/L's
(1 million serious admin errors per year) mistakes and incorrect advice is getting evidence in writing. if you don't have any evidence, bad luck.

ask your lawyer, but maybe the rule about making complaints 'out of time' ie after the '13 weeks' is negated if you have a medical certificate stating you were unwell and unable to pursue bureaocracy within the 13 weeks.
or - another idea - would a reasonable person be reasonably expected to understand and follow mysterious C/L policies?
but i can understand how it can just get beyond the point of exhausting. I just hope you got your workcover and that payment covered the period you were not at work and not receiving wages.

ok. time to get out in the sun
p.s. after 3 years i've got ongoing casual work.

[GASRB6]

In regard to the star rating system above, expectations should be a 1 not a 5.
Centrelink are like a brick wall and my heads getting sore.

[GASRB6]

After being injured at work in February 07 I contacted Centrelink in early April to claim benefits until my Workcover claim was finalised. I was told that I would have to provide a seperation certificate to claim benefits and in doing so abandon my Workcover claim.
I couldn't do this so didn't receive benefits. Due to this defective advice I had to borrow money from family and friends to survive for the next 11 months.
In Feb 08 after discussing with my lawyer what income i have he advised me there was a mistake made and to contact Centrelink immediately.
At this point I was entitled to benefits until the case settled and applied for a review of the advice i was given in April 07.
Centrlink reviewed it twice, then the SSAT and also the AAT. It has now gone to the Legal Services and Procurement Branch in Canberra and they have denied me whats called a CDDA payment(Compensation for detriment caused by defective administration).
Centrlink have acknowledged that the advice was wrong but under the law because I did not appeal their defective advice (I am not an expert in Centrelink Procedures and assumed they would know their jobs) within the 13 weeks period, it is my fault and refusing to backpay me for the 11 months.
My only hope to recover these fund now is by lodging whats called an Act of Grace Claim and this could take as long as 90 days.
I am absolutely amazed. I thought when someone makes a mistake they would be held accountable.
Everyone but Centrelink.
So after 6 months of chasing my tail and being told it is all my fault I have had enough.
Not Good Enough Centrelink.