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Advice Letters Produced by the Document Generation System
How the advice letters are produced
Advices are created as the end result of either an action processed by a user, or by automated batch runs. Document Generation (DOCGEN) is the system responsible for processing the data and producing the advice. The paragraphs are stored in the Document Generation – Maintain Advices System (DOGMA) with the advice letters being made up of a combination of these paragraphs selected according to an individual's circumstances/case issues.
Types of advice letters produced
Advice letters are produced on a daily basis as output from the Pensions Information Processing System (PIPS). Some of the information contained in the letters, which are referred to as daily advices, is selected automatically by the DOCGEN system and some of the information is selected manually via a PIPS worksheet when updating a pension record.
Advice letters are also produced automatically by DOCGEN on a periodic basis and in specified circumstances. These are referred to as automatic periodic batch advices. There is no override function to enable the manual selection of specific paragraphs, as the business rules in the DOCGEN system automatically select text according to Commission's policy.
Daily advices
The following table summarises the Commission's current policy for the types of obligations and attachments to be manually selected via PIPS for daily advices.
Types of Daily Advice | Types of Obligations Issued | Types of Income and Assets Attachments Issued | Advice Issued or Suppressed |
New Claim |
|
|
|
| suppressed (issue You & Your Pension) | full | yes |
| full | full | yes |
Pensioner Initiated Review (PIR) |
|
|
|
| partial | partial | yes |
| suppressed | full | yes |
| suppressed | suppressed | yes |
| partial | suppressed | yes |
Departmental Initiated Action (DIA) |
|
|
|
| partial | partial | yes |
| suppressed | full | yes |
| suppressed | suppressed | no – should be suppressed |
| partial | suppressed | yes |
Fortnightly Manual |
|
|
|
| suppressed | partial | yes |
| suppressed | full | yes |
| suppressed | suppressed | no – should be suppressed |
Full Departmental Review |
|
|
|
| full | *full | yes |
| suppressed | *full | yes |
| full | *full | yes |
* Selection of 'full income & assets' on the PIPS advice screen results in the production of either a complete or a tailored (except for grants which are always full) income and assets statement depending on the circumstances of the pensioner:
- assets tested pensioners and income tested pensioners who are within $10,000 of their assets threshold receive a complete list detailing all income and assets in the assessment,
- income tested pensioners who are more than $10,000 below their assets threshold are sent a tailored income and assets list which excludes miscellaneous assets, such as vehicles, that do not affect the pension rate, and
- blinded clients will have obligations and income and assets defaulted to suppress but can be overridden if required, such as when they are in aged care or have rent assistance. (their advices will not be tailored).
Automatic periodic batch advices
The following table summarises the Commission's current policy for the types of obligations and attachments selected by the DOCGEN system for automatic periodic batch advices.
Types of Periodic Batch Advice | Types of Obligations Issued | Types of Income and Assets Attachments Issued | Frequency of Issue |
Automatic Fortnightly Processing |
|
|
|
| suppressed | partial | following review |
| suppressed | partial | following review |
| N/A | N/A | advice suppressed |
Global Advices - managed investment (MI)/share refresh |
|
|
|
| suppressed | MIs & shares only | March & Sept |
| suppressed | MIs & shares only | March & Sept |
| N/A | N/A | advice suppressed |
Note: Blinded pensioners only get letter if they have rent assistance as well. |
|
|
|
Foreign Pension Variation Advices |
|
|
|
| suppressed | suppressed | March & Sept |
| suppressed | suppressed | March & Sept |
| N/A | N/A | advice suppressed |
British Pension & Super Variation Advices |
|
|
|
| suppressed | suppressed | following review |
| suppressed | suppressed | following review |
| N/A | N/A | advice suppressed |
Death Processing System (DPS) Advices |
|
|
|
| *suppressed | suppressed | overnight |
| suppressed | suppressed | overnight |
| suppressed | suppressed | overnight |
End of Bereavement (EOB) Advices |
|
|
|
|
| suppressed | every 2 — nd Friday |
|
| ** suppressed | every 2 — nd Friday |
| *** suppressed | full | every 2 — nd Friday |
June Statutory Increase Advices |
|
|
|
| **** full every 5 years, otherwise suppressed (given in 2003) | suppressed | June |
| full every 2 years, otherwise suppressed (given in 2006) | full every 2 years, otherwise suppressed (given in 2006) | June |
* if granted war widow(er)'s pension (WWP) by DPS, issue WWP obligations
** send statement of circumstances
*** if Disability Compensation Payment (DCP) only, issue DCP only obligations
**** if blinded, then only told previous obligations still apply
Note 1: With the exception of grants and DPS advices, prescribed rates financial obligations will appear if obligations are suppressed, client is in receipt of income support pension and not blinded.
Note 2: With the foreign pension, British pension and super variation advices, although the income and assets attachment is suppressed, the income from the relevant income stream is shown in the body of the advice.
PIPS is a system used to process many Income Support and Veterans' Compensation cases.
According to Section 179 of the VEA, the Commission is a body corporate under the name of Repatriation Commission.
A service pension is an income support payment broadly equivalent to the social security age and disability support pensions. It may be paid once a veteran or partner has reached the nominated age or is incapacitated for work.
ISS is an income support payment that may be paid to eligible war widows and widowers under the VEA and persons receiving wholly dependent partners' compensation under the MRCA, and who satisfy the means tests. It is an indexed rate, increased twice-yearly in March and September in line with changes to the cost of living and/or average wages. Income Support Supplement (ISS) legislation commenced on 20 March 1995. It is a payment created to replace the ceiling rate income support age, carer, wife and disability support pensions, paid to war widows/widowers by Centrelink.
An age pension is a means tested income support payment paid by Centrelink or DVA on behalf of the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs. The majority of age pensions are paid through Centrelink. However, eligible veterans who have an accepted disability or receive a Disability Compensation Payment from DVA, but do not have qualifying service, may be paid their age pension by DVA. Their partner may also receive their age pension from DVA, if eligible.
One element of the means test for income support pensions whereby the rate of pension payable to a pensioner reduces progressively as their assets increase above a certain threshold known as the assets value limit (AVL).
One element of the means test for income support pensions whereby the rate of pension payable to a pensioner reduces progressively as their income increases above a certain threshold known as the income free area (IFA).
A person may be regarded as permanently blind in both eyes where:
- there is a total loss of sight; or
- visual acuity after correction with suitable lenses is less than 6/60 in both eyes on the Snellen Scale; or
- where, in the written opinion of an ophthalmologist, the visual field deficits and/or combination of deficits results in a visual impairment which is the equivalent of a corrected visual acuity measure of less than 6/60 in both eyes.
The Commission Guideline CM5829: Determining 'permanently blind', 'no useful sight' and 'blinded in both eyes' may be instructive in making a blinded/blindness determination.
Rent Assistance is an allowance which may be paid to a service pensioner, income support supplement (ISS) or veteran payment recipient to assist in meeting the cost of rental accommodation.
To receive rent assistance a pensioner must be paying rent (other than Government rent) for accommodation in Australia, and the amount paid must exceed a certain threshold.
The Death Processing System (DPS) is a system used to process death-related cases for DVA clients.
A form of pension that is paid to the partner of a veteran where the veteran has died as a result of war service or eligible Defence Service. War widow's/widower's pension is also paid to the partner of a veteran whose death was not war caused if the veteran was a ex-prisoner of war or if the veteran was receiving Extreme Disablement Adjustment (EDA) Rate, Special Rate (T&PI) or a rate increased in respect of certain war-caused injury or disease.
Disability compensation payment (known before 2022 as disability pension), for the purposes of service pension, income support supplement and veteran payment, means:
- a pension paid by way of compenstion for incapacity from war caused conditions, or peacetime, peacekeeping or hazardous service caused conditions (other than a war widow's or orphan's pension); or
- temporary incapacity allowance; or
- any other payment in respect of incapacity or death resulting from war or war-like operations in which the Crown has been engaged (usually paid by another Commonwealth country).
Please note that the Disability Compensation Payment is legally a pension by way of compensation under the VEA so that concessional benefits under state, territory and local government legislation to pensioners/pensions under the VEA are not denied.
Income support pension is:
- a social security pension
- a service pension;
- an income support supplement.
According to subsection 5J(1) of the VEA, an income stream includes:
- an income stream arising under arrangements that are regulated by the Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Act 1993; or
- an income stream arising under a public sector scheme (within the meaning of that Act); or
- an income stream arising under a retirement savings account; or
- an income stream provided as life insurance business by a life company registered under section 21 of the Life Insurance Act 1995; or
- an income stream provided by a friendly society (within the meaning of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1996); or
- an income stream designated in writing by the Commission for the purposes of this definition, having regard to the guidelines determined under subsection 5J(1F) of the VEA;
but does not include any of the following:
- available money;
- deposit money;
- a managed investment;
- an investment in a public unit trust;
- an investment in an insurance bond;
- an investment with a friendly society;
- an investment in a superannuation fund;
- an investment in an approved deposit fund;
- an investment in an ATO small superannuation account;
- a listed security;
- a loan that has not been repaid in full;
- an unlisted public security;
- gold, silver or platinum bullion; or
- a payment of compensation in relation to a person's:
- inability to earn, derive or receive income from remunerative work; or
- total and permanent disability or incapacity.