refusing medical certs

[petainnt]

I have a problem with Obesity being a disbility... yes when you are at the top of your weight it maybe not healthy to join the work force - so if the out of trade are sent off for refresher courses wouldn't it be cheaper for the government to sponser jenny craig and weight loss centres as vocational training other than keep sending them back to the GP that bashes their head against the wall telling someone that "no you do not have a disease you just eat crap and don't exercise" and handing over the certificate to say "yes they are still too fat.

I am having a problem with this at the moment - it may be isolated but "to fat to go to work???" they spend 12 hours in front of the computer but won't take an IT course? They have disability parking but can get down the street in record time to replace the hard drive. Thay can't sit for too long (only at work as these people are known to game for 17 hours straight) Ahhh RANT OVER

[Thing]

You know you can have centrelinks decision reveiwed.

[bibby671]

I have had my "Centrelink Medical Certificate" rejected by Centrelink and have been told I still have to work 8 hours a week even though my Doctor say's I need 3 months off work and reduce my stress levels which makes my condition worse.. My Doctor and Disability job network want me on the Disability pension.. Centrelink says I am capeable of working 25 hours a week!Yet the mother of a friend with the same condition is on the DSP! Why is it the honest people get screwed over and others get a free ride????

[Iseveryonehappy]

Centerlink have their own staff ,anyone one really who decides if they will accept the doctors certificate, thereby allowing you time out to attened to medical problems.....And the really funny part of this is centrelink staff aren`t require to supply a doctors certificate.

[G00GS]

Mada wrote,
"In the case of the woman suffering anxiety, that is a tough one to prove or disprove, although instead of having desk clerks do the checking, i'm sure Centrelink COULD find a Dr they did trust. If the system involved using a trusted, but independant Dr to assess suspect cases, then i would have less issue."

Thats a good point, the ATO do exactly that, they employ people from all trades to have a better understanding of the ways people try to hide tax within certain trades.

The same would apply with Centrelink one would imagine...

Though I daresay you are cutting the actual process down some. I am sure there are other avenues for these people to prove their cases without too much drama if their illnesses are for real...

My own dealings with Centrelink have been far from difficult and my only complaint would be their lack of internal talk leading to different departments not having the same information.

[shillard]

I think pretty much every area has at least one Doctor "known" as a generous provider of certificates for all manner of nonsense.

As one of the 23 able-bodied people in NSW who don't require some sort of disabled parking permit, disability allowance, etc I'm glad to see my taxpayer dollars finally being dished out with at least some scrutiny.

Welfare State = entitlement mentality.

[Caliope]

I am an employer and have employed an employee who was on constant morphine patches after a car accident. There were some days when her meds caused her problems and she had time off but all in all she was an excellent employee and if she had required time off for surgery or recovery we would have been happy to accomodate it.

[sxc999]

I can understand the frustration in regards to this, my husband has suffered since birth with a birth mark which causes abnormally high blood flow to the face and has constant operations for this, and doctors have filled out the Centrelink medical cetificate (treating doctors report) and has gotten all of his certificates and medical records to show that he is unable to work to try and gain access to a disability payment due to constant operations and trial treatments, as because of this an employer is not wanting to take on a worker who has to work for 3 weeks and then take 2 months off the recover from major facial surgery and also has constant pain requiring morphine daily. they want to know when he has pain like it is a timetable and they don't understand that pain doesn't come and go like clockwork and even having the appointment for a job capacity assesment they decided that he was able to work or study a minimum of 15 hours per week!!!

If someone can find the logic of this then please tell me, because we are at our wits end in regards to this

[delilah]

Your gripe does not make sense. Centrelink would not be responsible for the things you are talking about.


If a person with limited capacity to work has her payments cut because of the inability to take up a position as a waitress, then it is the job network member's fault. A 'receptionist' at centrelink would have no such power nor opportunity to make the decision to cease payments for non-compliance.

She should have had a job capacity assessment and a referral to a specialist job network member (disability employment for instance). These employment agencies are contracted to DEEWR - again, nothing to do with centrelink.


There are very few people in the world who do not have the capacity to work at all. Certainly a physical disability (like being 'crippled' - thats not a very PC word, is it?) does not proclude from appropriate employment. My mother had polio and it has left her with considerable impairment, including problems walking & back pain... But she has worked full time from the age of 15 (albeit at a desk rather than restaurant)!

[Danny_b]

Mada, in both the original incidents though, the people are wanting to claim Centrelink because of their disability. Therefore Centrelink need more than a medical certificate. Centrelink has a different type of Medical Certificate that they have doctors complete when people are wanting to claim extenuating circumstances in the short term (say, if they are going in for surgery, and need 4 weeks to recover after). This is what you may be referring to?

But to qualify for a disability payment (or to continue on payment at the time of review), Centrelink need far more than this, often reviewed by one of their specialists.

I'm definitely not agreeing that a person with polio should be forced to take a physically demanding job (such as waitressing), but personally I don't think the issue is with the Medical Certificates. If that's how your friend has been approaching the issue with Centrelink, perhaps she should try another avenue.

[mada_3083]

Wisewoman, these are the official centrelink medical certificates, with the additional information on them that are being refused. not just the standard ones.

H2O, i understand your point of view, but i seriously hope you don't ever require welfare, because your attitude would change. It isn't "some frauduent" certificates being cracked down on, by people cheating the system, it is multi dr - lifelong history of disability, easily verified cases, which are being refused, not by centrelink dr's, but your front end staff. people with as little medical training as your average Mcdonalds fry cook.

In the case of the woman suffering anxiety, that is a tough one to prove or disprove, although instead of having desk clerks do the checking, i'm sure Centrelink COULD find a Dr they did trust. If the system involved using a trusted, but independant Dr to assess suspect cases, then i would have less issue.

The case of the woman with polio, it is easily assessed by anyone with half decent eyesight that she is disabled. multiple Drs, and a patient history spanning over 30 years, with multiple scans showing the skeleto-muscular damage, should be adequate one would think, for the welfare system to be satisfied that she isn't "defrauding the system" for $200 a week (ever tried living on that amount?).

So it's your position that Drs aren't to be trusted because there are some who fraudulently ordered tests to proffeteer? what about the numerous cases of centrelink workers "getting it wrong", abusing their powers, or simply breaking the law? the Dr has no gain to be made by fraudelently filling out these certs. they make no money from them.

however, Centrelink does have money to be saved by refusing them... even IF the person genuinely is unhealthy. do you, H20, think it fair that a woman with legs crippled by polio, be refused welfare payments because she couldn't cope as a waitress?

and it's not the union that is protecting these Drs any more than the huge shortage of dr's, partially because of the obstacles placed in the way of people from lower socio - economic backgrounds studying for 7 years.

and according to the australian constitution, it is the responsibility of the government of the day to give welfare to those in need.

[h2o]

The fact that so many doctors are being investigated for fraud at the moment (usually over servicing and ordering excessive tests) suggests that their word may not not be worth what it once was.

Of course if a patient doctor shops it is very easy to find a doctor who will prescribe any medication you want and/or give you a certificate for the maximum permitted time for nearly any illness you care to tell the doctor to write.

It helps that they have a strong and militant union to protect these ersatz health care providers.

If Centrelink is cracking down on some doctors certificates them good on them for protecting the public revenue. Welfare is a privilege and must not be abused.

[WiseWoman]

Centrelink only accept special Centrelink medical certificates which contain a bit more information than "So and so suffered from a medical conditions from ____ to ____". They have a few more questions to tick like, is this likely to be ongoing and that sort of thing.

I think it's crap that Centrelink doesn't accept normal medical certificates, but if there is a problem, it should be just a matter of a phone call to your doctor asking him/her to write out a Centrelink medical certificate.

[mada_3083]

this information is in SA.

she is one of my friends who doesn't have net access. it doesn't seem right because it ISN'T right. but it happens.

[McBip]

If Centrelink don't accept medical certificates just make sure you have copies of the medical certificate and show them to relevant job search agency, employers and work for dole agents when fulfilling job search and interview requirements. Does an unqualified Centrelink flunky over ride the medical degree qualifications and reccomendations of a medical practitioner ???...I doubt it.More advice may be obtained from centreflunk.com