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C35/2008 January 2009 - Reassessment of Comsuper (CSS & PSS) and ((DFRDB & MSBS) Superannuation Pensions

Document

DATE OF ISSUE:  22 December 2008

January 2009 – Reassessment of Comsuper (CSS & PSS) and ((DFRDB & MSBS) Superannuation Pensions

Purpose of instruction

The purpose of this Departmental Instruction is to provide information about the January 2009 reassessment of ComSuper ((CSS & PSS) and (DFRDB & MSBS)) superannuation pensions.

Background

ComSuper superannuation pensions are adjusted bi-annually in January and July.  The CPI increase to be applied to the January 2009 adjustment is 2.7%.

Processing date

Reassessment processing to reflect the January 2009 CPI increases to ComSuper and DFRDB superannuation pensions will be conducted over two evenings - NSW, TAS & VIC on Monday, 5 January 2009 and QLD, SA & WA on Tuesday, 6 January 2009.  Following the completion of the processing, a national data file will be transmitted to the mailing house for printing and lodgment of the advices with Australia Post.

Effective date

The effective date of the reassessment will be 30 December 2008.

On pension payday 15 January 2009, pensioners will receive a full installment at the new assessed rate.

Advice letter target audience

A letter will be produced for Income Support pensioners in receipt of ComSuper ((CSS & PSS) and (DFRDB & MSBS)) superannuation and whose pension has been varied by the reassessment run.  There will be approximately 21,000 advice letters produced nationally.

Comsuper Advices Content and Presentation

The ComSuper advice will comprise 2 pages – a letter and a Payment Information Attachment.  The advice will advise clients of the outcome to their pension whether their payment has been increased or reduced and provide information on Deductible and/or Non-deductible amounts of ComSuper paid.  The information relating to their ComSuper payment is presented in a tabular format – it was previously shown as a dot point and sentence.

The advice will also provide the client with their Financial Obligations (prescribed rates) and a right of review.

Please see Attachment A which shows a sample of:

  • A ComSuper advice for clients with a deductible amount; and
  • A ComSuper advice for clients without a deductible amount
  • A ComSuper advice for clients with both a deductible and non-deductible amount.

DFISA Payments - Impact on Advices

All DVA Age pensioners who are eligible to commence payment of Defence Force Income Support Allowance (DFISA) or whose DFISA payment is varied, continued or cancelled will receive an advice letter following the processing run.

Printing and mailing of advice letters

The advice letters will be printed and mailed through the Department's contracted mailing house, SALMAT.  All letters will be lodged with Australia Post as a national lodgment by COB Friday, 9 January 2009.

Letters for Tasmanian State Office Overseas Addressees

The advice letters produced for Hobart Office clients who have an overseas address will be printed, enveloped and sent from the mailing house.

Streamed advices requiring action

The following advices will be streamed and printed by IBMGSA at the IBM Printhub, and sent via courier to the Income Support System Support Officer in each Office for checking and dispatch:

  • Reductions to nil (please note Reduction to Nil advice letters will also have a General Information Sheet printed as part of the advice);
  • Overseas for all states apart from Tasmania; and
  • Enclosures (treatment changes).

'Held' advices to be forced

As part of the batch processing run any advices in 'held' status will be forced to print.  Forced 'held' advices will print at the nominated printer in each Office.

Contacts

For Advice issues – Anissa Lam ext 27169

For Systems issues - Kevin Chapman ext 16749

John Sadeik

National Manager

Income Support

18 December 2008


ATTACHMENT A

COMSUPER ADVICES FOR CLIENT WHO HAS A DEFINED BENEFIT WITH A 'DEDUCTIBLE AMOUNT'

GPO Box 651, Brisbane  QLD  4001

Contact:              Brisbane Office

Telephone: Macarthur Tower

              259 Queen Street

              Brisbane Qld 4000

1!!11 IIIll l 111 1I!! (Barcode?)              Postal Address:

JOHN SMITH              GPO Box 651 Brisbane Qld 4001

MARY SMITH

29 MARGARET STREET              Telephone:

IPSWICH   QLD   4010              Capital city callers: 133 254

              Non-Capital city callers: 1800 555 254

              Facsimile: (07) 3223 8479

              6 January 2009

              YOUR FILE NUMBER IS QX123456

Dear Mr and Mrs SMITH,

This is to advise that your T-PENSION-SP-ISS-AP has been reduced.  This change will take effect from 30 December 2008.

Superannuation Pension Reassessment

Your superannuation fund has notified Veterans' Affairs of the new income details for your superannuation pension.  The new income details are shown in the table below.  This income is used to work out the rate of your T-PENSION-SP-ISS-AP.

Name

Description

Gross Income

Deductible Amount

(tax free component)

Assessed Income

JOHN SMITH

ComSuper (CSS & PSS)

$585.95

$135.50

$450.95

Payment Information

Details of your payments are provided in the Payment Information Attachment.

Financial Obligations

You need to tell us within 14 days (28 days if you are living overseas or receive remote are allowance) if your combined gross income from all sources is more than $969.95 per fortnight or the value of your combined assets is more than $326,000.00.

Your Right of Review

If you do not agree with this variation to your pension, you may apply to have it reviewed by a Review Officer at this office.  If you do decide to apply, you must do so within three months of being advised of this decision.  Such a request for review must be in writing, and must set out your reasons for seeking this review.

If you have any questions about any of the above matters please contact this office at the address or telephone number shown at the top of this letter.

Yours sincerely,

ALISON STANLEY

Deputy Commissioner

As Delegate of the Secretary and Repatriation Commission


PAYMENT INFORMATION ATTACHMENT

The Department now calculates service pension payments on a daily basis.  This means that your fortnightly pension payment is made up of 14 days of entitlement of pension.  Therefore, when there is a change to your circumstances on any particular day in the fortnight - your pension will be adjusted from that day.  For that reason your pension payment may be different for one or two paydays after a reassessment.

Payment for 15 JANUARY 2009Veteran Partner

TOTAL FORTNIGHTLY PAYMENTxxx.xx         xxx.xx

This is made up of:

- xxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xx          xxx.xx              xxx.xx          xxx.xx

- xxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxx    x.xx              x.xx


CLIENT DOES NOT HAVE A 'DEDUCTIBLE AMOUNT'  - BOTH VET AND SPOUSE HAVE INCOME FROM SUPER

GPO Box 651, Brisbane  QLD  4001

Contact:              Brisbane Office

Telephone: Macarthur Tower

              259 Queen Street

              Brisbane Qld 4000

1!!11 IIIll l 111 1I!! (Barcode?)              Postal Address:

JEFFREY LYONS              GPO Box 651 Brisbane Qld 4001

LUCY LYONS

30 ELIZABETH STREET              Telephone:

TOOWOOMBA   QLD   4010              Capital city callers: 133 254

              Non-Capital city callers: 1800 555 254

              Facsimile: (07) 3223 8479

              6 January 2009

              YOUR FILE NUMBER IS QX123456

Dear Mr and Mrs LYONS,

This is to advise that your service pension has been reduced.  This change will take effect from 30 December 2008.

Superannuation Pension Reassessment

Your superannuation fund has notified Veterans' Affairs of the new income details for your superannuation pension.  The new income details are shown in the table below.  This income is used to work out the rate of your T-PENSION-SP-ISS-AP.

Name

Description

Assessed Income

JEFFREY LYONS

ComSuper (DFRDB & MSBS)

$450.95

LUCY LYONS

ComSuper (CSS & PSS)

$265.00

Payment Information

Details of your payments are provided in the Payment Information Attachment.

Financial Obligations

You need to tell us within 14 days (28 days if you are living overseas or receive remote are allowance) if your combined gross income from all sources is more than $969.95 per fortnight or the value of your combined assets is more than $326,000.00.

Your Right of Review

If you do not agree with this variation to your pension, you may apply to have it reviewed by a Review Officer at this office.  If you do decide to apply, you must do so within three months of being advised of this decision.  Such a request for review must be in writing, and must set out your reasons for seeking this review.

If you have any questions about any of the above matters please contact this office at the address or telephone number shown at the top of this letter.

Yours sincerely,

ALISON STANLEY

Deputy Commissioner

As Delegate of the Secretary and Repatriation Commission


PAYMENT INFORMATION ATTACHMENT

The Department now calculates service pension payments on a daily basis.  This means that your fortnightly pension payment is made up of 14 days of entitlement of pension.  Therefore, when there is a change to your circumstances on any particular day in the fortnight - your pension will be adjusted from that day.  For that reason your pension payment may be different for one or two paydays after a reassessment.

Payment for 15 JANUARY 2009 Veteran Partner

TOTAL FORTNIGHTLY PAYMENTxxx.xx         xxx.xx

This is made up of:

- xxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xx          xxx.xx              xxx.xx          xxx.xx

- xxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxx    x.xx              x.xx


CLIENT HAS A DEFINED BENEFIT WITH A  'DEDUCTIBLE AMOUNT' AND A DEFINED BENEFIT WITHOUT A DEDUCTIBLE AMOUNT

GPO Box 651, Brisbane  QLD  4001

Contact:              Brisbane Office

Telephone: Macarthur Tower

              259 Queen Street

              Brisbane Qld 4000

1!!11 IIIll l 111 1I!! (Barcode?)              Postal Address:

PETER CLARK              GPO Box 651 Brisbane Qld 4001

11 LONSDALE STREE

BRISBANE   QLD  4000              Telephone:

              Capital city callers: 133 254

              Non-Capital city callers: 1800 555 254

              Facsimile: (07) 3223 8479

              6 January 2009

              YOUR FILE NUMBER IS QX123456

Dear Mr CLARK,

This is to advise that your service pension has been reduced.  This change will take effect from 30 December 2008.

Superannuation Pension Reassessment

Your superannuation fund has notified Veterans' Affairs of the new income details for your superannuation pension.  The new income details are shown in the table below.  This income is used to work out the rate of your T-PENSION-SP-ISS-AP.


Name

Description

Gross Income

Deductible Amount

(tax free component)

Assessed Income

JOHN SMITH

ComSuper (CSS & PSS)

$585.95

$135.50

$450.95

JOHN SMITH

ComSuper (DFRDB & MSBS)

$846.44

$0.00

$846.44

Payment Information

Details of your payments are provided in the Payment Information Attachment.

Financial Obligations

You need to tell us within 14 days (28 days if you are living overseas or receive remote are allowance) if your combined gross income from all sources is more than $969.95 per fortnight or the value of your combined assets is more than $326,000.00.

Your Right of Review

If you do not agree with this variation to your pension, you may apply to have it reviewed by a Review Officer at this office.  If you do decide to apply, you must do so within three months of being advised of this decision.  Such a request for review must be in writing, and must set out your reasons for seeking this review.

If you have any questions about any of the above matters please contact this office at the address or telephone number shown at the top of this letter.

Yours sincerely,

ALISON STANLEY

Deputy Commissioner

As Delegate of the Secretary and Repatriation Commission


PAYMENT INFORMATION ATTACHMENT

The Department now calculates service pension payments on a daily basis.  This means that your fortnightly pension payment is made up of 14 days of entitlement of pension.  Therefore, when there is a change to your circumstances on any particular day in the fortnight - your pension will be adjusted from that day.  For that reason your pension payment may be different for one or two paydays after a reassessment.

Payment for 15 JANUARY 2009Veteran

TOTAL FORTNIGHTLY PAYMENT xxx.xx

This is made up of:

- xxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxx xxx.xx

- xxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxx        x.xx