DFISA-Like Payments (Ceased 2022)

DFISA-Like Payments ceased 1 January 2022.

The information below is for historical purposes.

Legislative Authority

Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986
Section 118NJ (regulation making power)

Veterans' Entitlements (DFISA-like Payment) Regulations 2015

Part VIIAB, which includes section 118NJ, was repealed by the Veterans' Affairs Legislation Amendment (Exempting Disability Payments from Income Testing and Other Measures) Act 2021 with effect from 1 January 2022.

Stated Current Purpose/Intent

The purpose of DFISA-like payments was to recompense those who were qualified for income support payments other than those paid under social security law.

Adjusted disability pension was counted as income for the purposes of the following income support payments administered by the former Department of Education Science and Training (DEST) and the former Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF):

• ABSTUDY Living Allowance;
• Farm Help Income Support (repealed 1 July 2014);
• Exceptional Circumstances Relief Payment (repealed 1 July 2014);
• Interim Income Support (repealed 1 July 2014)
• Farm Household Allowance.

To extend secondary benefits to recipients of DFISA-like payments, whose income support payments were reduced to nil because of the adjusted disability pension:

• financial payment that was equivalent to any amount that would have been payable to a person if the person had received the primary payment; and
• non-financial benefits such as concession cards that would have been provided to the person if the person had received the primary payment.

Adjusted disability pension meant:

• disability pensions paid under Parts II or IV of the VEA (other than a pension that was payable under section 30 to a dependant of the a deceased veteran);
• dependant pension, which was a small frozen amount paid to dependants of disability pensioners (repealed in 2009);
• temporary incapacity allowance (repealed in 2011); and
• permanent impairment payments and special rate disability pension paid under the MRCA.

The amount of DFISA-like payment was calculated in the same way as the calculation for DFISA.  It was the difference between the person's rate of income support payment and what the rate would be if adjusted disability pension were exempt from the assessment, but included in the calculation of any rent assistance entitlement.

Current Eligibility Criteria

DFISA-like payments were payable to a person who was receiving or was eligible to receive income support payments from DEST if their payment was reduced because of the inclusion of adjusted disability pension in the assessment.

Since 1 July 2014, the former Department of Agriculture’s Farm Household Allowance, paid by DHS/Centrelink, did not include adjusted disability pension in the income test of the Farm Household Allowance and thus there was no DFISA-like payment.

Date of Introduction

20 September 2004