5.9.5 Bereavement Payments and DFISA (ceased 2022)

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  This is for historical reference only.   

Bereavement payments and impact of DFISA

The bereavement payment provisions of both the Social Security Act 1991 and the VEA had been amended to take account of DFISA.    

There were no bereavement payments payable to recipients of DFISA-like payment.

DFISA payable prior to death

If DFISA was payable to the deceased just prior to death, any bereavement payment payable in respect of that person was increased to take account of the amount of DFISA that person was receiving.

DFISA bereavement payment arrangements

There was no legislated DFISA bereavement payment, because the amount of DFISA was taken into account in calculating the VEA or SSA bereavement payment required. This occurred whether the bereavement payment was:

• made under the SSA or the VEA, and
• made in respect of a single or partnered person.

Bereavement payment may have been paid by two instalments

In some circumstances, DVA delivered a component of the SSA bereavement payment. This was an administrative arrangement under which DVA paid part of the social security bereavement payment on behalf of Centrelink. This arrangement enabled DVA to recover any outstanding overpayments and minimises intrusion on the bereaved. This occurred for both partnered and single bereavement payments.

Partnered bereavement payments

Where the surviving partner was eligible for a bereavement payment, the calculation of that payment was based on the amount of pension or benefit the deceased was receiving just prior to death. This calculation included any amount of DFISA the deceased was receiving.     

Single bereavement payment

Where the deceased was receiving DFISA immediately before death and was either single or had a partner who was not receiving an income support payment, a social security bereavement payment was payable. It is payable under the SSA because the deceased was receiving a social security payment at the time of death. For the purpose of calculating the bereavement payment, the amount of DFISA the deceased would have received on the payday after death was included.