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Pensioner Dissatisfied with DFISA Rate (ceased 2022)

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Last amended 
25 February 2022

DFISA was removed 1 January 2022.  This is for historical reference only.

If DFISA rate was less than expected

Some people did not receive any amount of DFISA even though they were eligible for DFISA. Others may have received less than they thought they would receive as a result of the impact of adjusted DP on their income support payment. This may have occurred if the person's notional rate was assets tested or impacted by the notional rate of rent assistance calculation.    

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No decision about DFISA rate

There was no legislative decision made with regard to the rate of DFISA. The calculation of the rate of DFISA flowed directly from decisions made regarding the person's income support payment assessment. Variations and cessations in the rate of DFISA occurred only when a person's income support payment varied or ceased.     

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DFISA and appealing primary income support payment

As a person's rate of DFISA was based on decisions made in relation to their income support payment, a person could indirectly appeal their rate of DFISA by seeking a review of a decision made in relation to their rate of income support payment.

Further avenues

If the person remained dissatisfied with their rate of DFISA following the review of their income support payment assessment, the following options remained available:

  • writing to the Ombudsman, or    More →
  • writing to the Minister.

 


 

 

The information below is for historical reference only.

Defence Force Income Support Allowance (DFISA) ceased on 1 January 2022 because adjusted disability income became exempt income under the Social Security Act 1991.  It was an income support payment paid by DVA to people whose income support payment under Social Security Law was reduced, or not payable, because of the impact of adjusted disability pension. DFISA was the difference between the person's existing entitlement, and what the entitlement would have been had adjusted DP been exempt, but was assessed in the calculation of rent assistance.

 

 

On 1 January 2022, both DFISA and the Disability Income Rent Test were removed.   Thus the term Adjusted Disability Pension was made redundant.  The following is for historical reference only.

Section 118NA of the VEA defined adjusted disability pension as:

  • disability pension (known as disability compensation payment from 2022) paid under Parts II or IV of the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986 (VEA); and
  • permanent impairment payments and special rate disability pension paid under the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004.

Adjusted disability pension did not include war widow's/widower's pension, or payments made by other governments to compensate for war or service related injuries.

 

 

From 1 January 2022, DFISA and the Disability Income Rent Test were removed.  The information below is for historical purposes only.

For DFISA purposes, the notional rate was what the person's daily rate of income support payment would be if the following applied:

Note: This step was only for DFISA calculation purposes and did not change the person's existing social security assessment.

 

 

From 1 January 2022, DFISA and the Disability Income Rent Test were removed.  The information below is for historical purposes only.

For DFISA purposes, if the person was entitled to rent assistance, the adjusted DP was used to calculate a rent assistance reduction amount in order to determine the notional rent assistance rate. Calculation of the rent assistance reduction amount used the same taper rates and income free area as applied to the person's income support payment.

Note: This step was only for DFISA calculation purposes and did not affect the person's actual payment of rent assistance. The notional rent assistance calculation was similar to the former disability income rent test used to calculate rent assistance for service pensioners, income support supplement and veteran payment recipients.