Australian Pension

[Kel]

A good mate of mine is currently in Sydney to renew visa - resident of LOS for past 6 years - married -" owns" residence in the North - aged 61.

In the past 4 months has suffered an illness which necessitated 1 month in hospital and has left him pretty well buggered.

Another operation later this month, but nowhere near as serious as the previous problem.

Whilst here he applied for a disability pension acting on some advice he received wher i was indicated that he could receive a percentage as an overseas resident.

Filed out the paperwork,but was told that the reams of medical reports etc coulud not be used as the Thai medical quallifications could not be recognised ( feel a bit sorry for the Professor or Cardiology )

Was referred to a GP for an asessment who basically said he was totally disabled - never work again etc and admitted the Thai reports as evidence ( so the reports did get into the application)

back to Centrelink - submitted all info - told it would be processed asap as he wanted to get back home.

Letter arrives - knocked back on the basis of overseas residency.

I was wondering if anyone resident in LOS has had similar experience or if there is some apeal process.

I had a look at the website, but could not really get to the bottom of it in the limited time I had.

Any advice would be appreciated and I'll pass it on

All the best

Kel

[astral]

What ba-----ds!

I guess he has paid tax and social security all his life, but now they don't want to know as he lives overseas.

Disgusting.

[Kel]

What ba-----ds!

I guess he has paid tax and social security all his life, but now they don't want to know as he lives overseas.

Disgusting.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Correct

Sad thing is if you go through the BS waste of time /expense - why dont they say it up front.

The YAK went on for ages whilst positions explained.

NO-need the form so you pop up on the radar next time you have a go

Like Bankers - give you the umbrella when the sun shines - take it away when it rains

All the best

Kel

[Pink Mist]

there must be a way of doing it, I knew a bloke in phuket getting a disability pension, from memory he had to go back to Oz every now and again, maybe once a year from memory.

[samran]

Check out the following links.

The problem is that Thailand and Australia don't have a social security arrangement. He can only receive this pension if he lives in one of the 16 countries Australia has an international arrangement with (see : http://www.centrelink.gov.au/internet/inte....htm#agreements )

He will need to claim residence in Australia to be eligible. With this he will have to do 'residency runs' to maintain his eligiblity........ with the new you-beaut computer system run by the government, they know if you are out of the country the second you swipe your passport at immigration.

http://www.centrelink.gov.au/internet/inte...ual_res_dsp.htm

[ProfessorFart]

In the UK it has helped in the past to threaten the authority with legal action.

Faceless authorities often dismiss important matters off hand in the hope that they will be ignored.

My advice is to push it all the way.

[strawberry]

I had the same experience when I applied for a part pension. Would have been about 100 bucks a month. this was back in 2000 when I turned 65. You have to have been living in Aust for the past 10 years. On your 65 birthday you can go to center link and put in an application for an old age pension and give them the name number of a bank account any where in the world, ie. Greece ,Italy. Leave Aust the next day and your pension will be sent to a bank wherever you decide to live the rest of your life.

I worked for the fire dept. in Sydney and was pensioned of in 78 due to an injury sustained at work. My pension is high enough for me to have to pay tax but is low enough for me to also be entitled to a part pension. The problem was i'd been living over here for the pevious 9 years except for a couple of trips back totaling 9 months, to let the wife meet my family and friends. Also to look at us living in aust and we would have done but my wife fretted over her family,and I didn't think it mattered to me where I lived.

In 93 when we were back I approach the center link office in Lismore and told them what I was doing but no mention was made of the 10 year rule. The guy I spoke to there was pretty interested in coming to Thailand after he retired ,perhaps that was Dondi.

In 96 I went back to the same office and again told them what I was doing still no mention of the 10 year rule.

In Febuary of 2000 my son went in to the office and told them I was coming back to apply for a part pension and to question if I really needed to come back. the answer was for me to get back to apply in person and once again no mention was made of the 10 year rule.

So on march of 2000 I march into the center link office and confidently apply.

My Aussie passport is sitting on the desk infront of this bitch and she tells me I'm not even born in Australia. That was just for starters,when she finally told me I wasn't entitled to the pension she actually laughed. Really made her day.

I am entitled to dual citizen ship and when I first came here to Thailand I was travelling on a british passport. I think that had I continued to use a British passport and not got myself an Aussie3 passport until just before I applied for the pension they probably wouldn't have known.

Had I worked up until just before my 65 birthday which was on the 22nd of march I could have left Australia on the 23rd with both my superannuation pension and my old age pension.

I've payed tax to the Australian government since 1952 and I'm still paying tax to them.

Australia is a great country pumpkined up by politicians and beaurocrats.

REgards Joe

[udon]

I was out of Aus for 32 years....... you can imagine the reception I got from Centerlink and Medicare in Sept..

They asked me for my tax ID........ Sorry, what's that?

I now have one.....

Fair play to Centerlink, I have had some help with a small allowance, but Medicare.... a bunch of crunts!

Looks like I might be stuck here for another 4 months and lose a leg

I was told that if I'd arrived on a raft I would have been welcomed with a large cheque and offered free housing...... go figure!

------------------

Dondi, I hope all your chickens turn into emus and knock your dunny down...... whilest you're inside.

[chonburi]

strawberry-As you were born in the UK did you work there at all? If you did you would probably be able to claim a part pension from there.

Dondi- Have to say that your posts are less than supportive, rules are rules we know but applying them without consideration is sometimes a long way from justice!