DATE OF ISSUE:  14 DECEMBER 1994

INCOME SUPPORT SUPPLEMENT CLAIM FORMS

Introduction

The purpose of this Departmental Instruction (DI) is to provide information on the new claim package created for the use of Income Support Supplement (ISS) claimants.  In addition various other forms have been amended to include questions relevant to the payment of ISS and allowances.  Repatriation Commission approval was obtained on 28 October 1994.

Background

2.The ISS is a new income support payment payable from 30 March 1995 by the Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA), to eligible war widows and widowers.

3.A ceiling (frozen) rate applies which is $120.10, unless the war widow/er was in receipt of income support immediately prior to 1 November 1986 and has been in receipt of income support continuously since that date.

4.To qualify for the ISS a war widow or widower must be in Australia at the time of application, meet the income and assets tests and:

• be a widow at least 55 years old; or

• be a widower at least 60 years old; or

• have a dependent/student child or children; or

• be a carer of a severely handicapped person; or

• be permanently incapacitated.

5.More detailed information concerning ISS will be contained in a separate DI, scheduled for release on 28 February 1995.

Design

6.The new claim package for ISS is largely based on the design principles of the forms used in the Service Pension new claim package and at the Department of Social Security (DSS).

Availability

7.It is planned that forms will be printed and delivered to Branch Offices by

14 November 1994.

Types of forms

8.The forms contained in the ISS new claim package are listed at attachment "A".  Please arrange to pick up forms D529 to D550 from the stationery/forms area in your Branch Office on 14 November 1994.

Compensation and Review (C&R) procedures

9.These procedures apply to non-automatic grants of war widow or widower pension.

10.In order to provide prospective war widows/ers with an opportunity to lodge an initial (informal) claim for ISS and thereby receive ISS from the earliest possible date, a new question has been included in the D2663 form, "Claim for Pension by a Widow, Widower or other Dependant of a Deceased Veteran or Mariner".  New question number 29 asks applicants to indicate whether they wish to make a claim for ISS, pending the success of their claim for war widows/ers pension.  New subsection 45C(2) of the Veterans' Entitlements Act, 1986 (VEA) refers.  Approval for this new question was obtained from the Repatriation Commission on 14 October 1994.

11.Regardless of whether the 'old' version or the 'ISS' version of the D2663 was completed by the applicant, a D529 form should be sent to the war widow/er on grant of war widow/er pension.  C&R staff will not have to ascertain if the applicant meets the eligibility criteria.

12.As part of the advice of grant of war widow/er pension a new D529 form and covering letter should be included.  For covering letter wording see attachment "B".  A disk copy of the letter has been supplied to Branch contact officers, who are listed at paragraph 16.  It should be noted that the amounts listed as the levels at which ISS is no longer payable are subject to indexation of pension, allowances and income and assets free areas.

Income Support procedures

13.The Income Support area will be responsible for processing ISS claims (including manual transfer cases) and reviews.

14.Manual transfer cases are cases that cannot be transferred across from Social Security automatically.  Schedules and procedural guidelines for these cases will be available to Branches on or about 20 January 1995.

15.The usual procedures followed when dealing with Service Pension claims and reviews are to be applied when dealing with ISS claims and manual transfer cases.  As already mentioned, the ISS claim package has been designed using the same principles and should be used in the same manner as the Service Pension claim package.  Closer to implementation new classifications will be available on the Claims Management System (CMS) for registering cases.  Additional classifications are 33, ISS New Claim and 34, ISS Review.  PIPS will remain largely unchanged.  A new personal assessment screen, PP.IS, has been created specifically for ISS claimants.

16.Claims from 'non-DSS' war widows and widowers (ie. new claims) and manual transfer cases should be held until 8 weeks prior to 30 March 1995 (ie. until 2 February 1995).  Data cannot be entered prior to this as the system does not have the capacity to hold the relevant information for more than 8 weeks.

17.Branches need to arrange a filing system for holding new claim forms, until action can be taken on them.  It is recommended that the filing system be organised in alphabetical order so that claims may be readily identified.  A record of the number of new claims (ie. non-DSS clients) must also be kept.

18.Procedural guidelines for dealing with the initial influx of ISS claims prior to  30 March 1995 implementation were circulated separately on 9 November 1994 in Module 2.

19.Branch contact officers are as follows:

NSW — Lyn Firth(02) 213 7172

VIC — Janet Cliff(03) 284 6213

QLD — Stephen Harkin(07) 223 8653

SA — Angelo Corbo(08) 213 2288

WA — Maureen Oulaghan(09) 366 8549

TAS — Doug McLean(002) 216 684

20.Any queries in relation to this Departmental Instruction should be directed to the Project Officer, Fiona Thompson on (02) 213 7770.

DAVID MACKRELL

AS(IS)

"A"

FORM NUMBER	TITLE OF FORM
D529	Claim for Income Support Supplement by a War Widow or Widower
D530	Preliminary Details
D531	Retirement Benefits
D532	Information on your Superannuation Pension
D533	Investment Form A
D534	Investment Form B
D535	Separation from Partner
D536	Real Estate
D537	Details of Business
D538	Farm/Hobby Farm
D539	Carer Form
D540	Investment Form C
D541	Compensation and Damages (this form is a joint ISS and Service Pension form)
D542	Information on your Annuity or Allocated Pension
D543	Invalidity Details
D544	Dependent Student
D545	Rent
D546	Retirement Village
D547	Care Accommodation
D548	Employment Report (Continuing work)
D549	Employment Report (Ceased/ceasing work)
D550	Earnings

In addition, the following forms have been amended to incorporate ISS.  These include the "Claim for Pension by a Widow, Widower or other Dependant of a Deceased Veteran or Mariner", form D2663, "Income Statement", form D2665 and "Income and Assets Statement", form D2589.

"B"

INCOME SUPPORT SUPPLEMENT (ISS)

As a war widow or widower you may be eligible to be paid an Income Support Supplement (ISS) from 30 March 1995, or from the end of the bereavement period, whichever is the latter.

To qualify for the ISS you must meet the income and assets tests and:

• be a widow at least 55 years old; or

• be a widower at least 60 years old; or

• have a dependent child or children; or

• be a carer of a severely handicapped person; or

• be permanently incapacitated.

If you meet the eligibility criteria please complete the enclosed application form and return it in the reply paid envelope provided.  You should lodge your claim as soon as possible.

The maximum rate of ISS payable is $120.10.  The actual rate payable depends on the amount of income and assets you have.

If you are granted ISS, you will also be issued with a Pensioner Concession Card (PCC).

If your income and assets are less than the amounts shown below and you meet the relevant criteria, you should apply for the Income Support Supplement (ISS):

INCOME($ per fortnight)

Basic Pension — Maximum Rent Assistance

Widowed (not remarried)$733.20$871.60

Remarried (combined)$1,228.80$1,359.20

The above amounts increase if you have dependent children

ASSETS

Homeowners — Non Homeowners

Widowed (not remarried)$222,250$304,250

Remarried (combined)$342,500$424,500

If you need more information about the Income Support Supplement, please contact Veterans' Affairs at the office nearest you.

Yours sincerely

Name of Officer

For DEPUTY COMMISSIONER

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