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4.5 Obligation Advice Table
4.5.1 — The table below shows significant changes relating to the issue of obligation notices, the legislative basis and the dates of introduction.
When introduced |
Section of the Act |
Changes |
1976 |
Section 96 in the Repatriation Act 1920 (Repat Act) |
Income test introduced obligations regarding income. |
1977 |
Section 98A in the Repat Act |
Supplementary assistance (rent assistance) |
27 October 1983 |
Section 96 in the Repat Act |
Pensioners over 70 no longer free from obligation to advise of change of circumstances. |
14 March 1985 |
Section 121 in the Repat Act carried over in the Transitional provisions |
Assets test introduced. |
22 May 1986 to 1 July 1991 |
Section 127 VEA |
Pensioners obliged to advise DVA within a specified period of any changes in circumstances. |
1 December 1986 |
Section 127 VEA |
Bulk exercise to issue half of recorded service pensioners with obligation advices. These were not issued to pensioners residing overseas. |
1 November 1987 |
Section 127 VEA |
Bulk exercise to issue remaining half of pensioner population with obligation advices. These were not issued to pensioners residing overseas. Capital growth letter also included as insert. |
21 March 1991 |
Section 127 VEA |
Computer generated advice letters for Consumer Price Index (CPI) increases. |
1 July 1991 |
Section 54 VEA |
Replaces Section 127 of the VEA. Full advice to pensioners on less than maximum rate service pension. |
September 1991 |
Section 54 VEA |
Full advice to all service pensioners. |
March 1992 |
Section 54 VEA |
Shortened advice issued to all service pensioners. |
1 July 1992 |
Section 54 VEA |
Start of quarterly advice issue for payday 9 July 1992. Service pensioners advised of full obligations once each year. |
1 July 1996 |
Section 54 VEA |
Deemed income rules extended to the full range of financial assets. This resulted in changes to both daily and quarterly advices to pensioners. For less-than-maximum rate pensioners, the June 1996 quarterly advice included details of the new deemed income rules, including: an explanation of the changes to the income test, a list of the pensioner's financial assets and an information sheet explaining how the new rules work. Affected pensioners also received an explanation of the saving of their eligibility for treatment benefits. A FREECALL 1800 hotline was established to deal with pensioner queries arising from receipt of the quarterly advice. The daily advices system was modified to incorporate the changes to the deemed income rules. |
15 April 1997 |
Section 54 VEA |
The previous policy of a minimum period of providing full obligations and assessment information every 12 months, has been extended to: 5 years for maximum rate pensioners; and 2 years for reduced rate pensioners. Full obligations to be provided via the June mailout. |
26 March 1998 |
Sections 67 & 68 in the SSA |
Age pensioners not issued with You and Your Pension (Y&YP), but were issued with full obligations on transfer from the then Department of Social Security and were reminded that previous obligations issued continued to apply. |
June 1998 |
Section 54 VEA |
Y&YP distributed to all service pensioners and ISS recipients with the annual mailout of group certificates and Medicare Levy exemption certificates. Since that date a copy of the booklet is sent to all new grants of service pension or income support supplement with their grant advice. Full obligations provided if Y&YP not available. |
13 July 1999 |
Section 54 VEA |
June quarterly advice to all income support pensioners advising that section 54 obligations have changed from 21 days to no more than 14 days. This was due to the introduction of the 1997/98 Date of Effect Budget initiative. Also refer Clause 22, Part 3, Schedule 5 VEA. |
23 July 2001 |
Section 54 VEA Sections 67 & 68 in the SSA |
2 — nd Edition of Y&YP issued to all new grants of service pension, income support supplement and social security age pension (paid by DVA). Booklet considered legal notification of obligations under sections 67 & 68 in the SSA. Full obligations provided if Y&YP not available. |
1 July 2002 |
Section 54 VEA Sections 67 & 68 in the SSA |
Full obligations issued to all less than maximum rate service pensioners, income support supplement recipients and age pensioners via June 2002 Statutory Increase (SI) advice letter, Payment Summary (formerly named Group Certificate), and Medicare Levy Exemption Certificate mailout. |
1 July 2002 |
Section 54 VEA |
Disposal of assets rule changes – DI 28/2002. Paragraph inserted into full obligations that pensioners must inform the Department if they give away $10,000 in a tax year or $30,000 in a rolling five year period. |
30 June 2003 |
Section 54 VEA |
Full obligations issued to all maximum rate pensioners maximum rate pensioners in line with the Repatriation Commission policy that pensioners receiving maximum rate of pension be provided with their full obligations at a minimum interval of once every five years. |
1 September 2003 |
Section 54 VEA |
Y&YP provided to all pensioners in payment following End of Bereavement (EOB) processing. Stateline 31 July 2003. |
6 October 2003 |
Section 54 VEA Sections 67 & 68 in the SSA |
3 — rd Edition of Y&YP issued to all new grants of service pension, income support supplement and social security age pension (paid by DVA). Also provided to all pensioners in payment following EOB processing. |
7 October 2003 |
Sections 67 & 68 in the SSA |
Y&YP not considered a legal notice of obligations for age pensioners receiving payment from DVA. Full obligations to be provided to all grants of age pension with Y&YP issued as an information booklet (DI 26/2003). |
Note:In June 2000 full obligations were not issued to less than maximum rate service pension, and income support supplement recipients. Full Obligations were withdrawn at the last minute as it was thought that they were inadvertently sent in 1999. Reprints of less than maximum rate pensioners showed they were not issued with FULL OBLIGATIONS.