Amends DI No: | N/A |
Replaces DI No: | N/A |
Purpose of Instruction | This Departmental Instruction is to provide information about the processing arrangements for the June 2020 Statutory Increase (SI) processing of advice letters with payment summaries, Standalone Payment Summaries (issued without a covering letter), and Medicare Levy Exemption Certificate production and mailout. | ||||||
Overview | |||||||
Introduction | In June each year the Department undertakes a bulk exercise to issue advice letters to persons in receipt of service pension, age pension including those in payment of Defence Force Income Support Allowance (DFISA) only, or income support supplement. The majority of these letters will include payment summaries for the end of the financial year. Standalone Payment Summaries (issued without a covering letter) and Medicare Levy Exemption Certificates will also be issued at this time. The estimated number of mail packs is given at Attachment A. | ||||||
Key Points | The key points of this SI and mail out are:
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Production of Advice Letters | |||||||
Processing Weekend - 15/06/2019 - 16/06/2019 | Processing is scheduled to run from Friday evening, 12 June 2020 to Sunday, 14 June 2020. Any payment variations resulting from this exercise will be effective from 1 July 2020 for payday 16 July 2020. | ||||||
Critical Dates |
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Mail Pack Production | The contracted mail house located in Canberra will print the advice letters, SAPS and MLECs, insert the ATO flyers where applicable, envelope and lodge all mail packs with Australia Post. | ||||||
Lodgment of Mail Packs | Letters will be progressively lodged with Australia Post commencing Monday, 22 June 2020. All letters will be posted by close of business Friday, 26 June 2020. | ||||||
Return Address if not delivered | All mail packs sent from the mail house will be enveloped in a single window-faced envelope with a return address of GPO Box 9998 BRISBANE QLD 4001 | ||||||
DFISA Advices from Centrelink Processing | DVA will be suppressing all Centrelink daily DFISA variation advices with an effective date of 1 July 2020, which are transmitted to DVA following the Centrelink processing run. All other advices will print as part of the normal processing, including Centrelink DFISA cancellation and grant advices. | ||||||
Letter Content | |||||||
Letters and Attachments | Sample copies of the expected advice letter content for this run are reproduced at Attachment B. Samples of the Payment Summary and Medicare Levy Exemption Certificate are reproduced at Attachment C and Attachment D, respectively. | ||||||
Single and Joint Advices | All recipients of SP, ISS and VP couples will receive a joint advice, provided both members of a couple, including the illness separated, have the same IMS postal address recorded or the same CRS postal address for overseas couples.
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Full Obligations & Full Income and Assets for Less Than Maximum Rate Clients | Full Obligations and Full Income and Assets will not be issued to clients receiving income support payment at less than the maximum rate. This is in line with the Repatriation Commission policy that:
Full Obligations and Full Income and Assets were last issued to this group in June 2018 and hence they will be issued again in June 2020. | ||||||
Full Obligations for Maximum Rate Clients | Full Obligations will not be issued to clients receiving the maximum rate of income support payment. Full Income and Assets are not issued to this client group. This is in line with the Repatriation Commission policy that:
Full Obligations were last issued to this client group in June 2018 and the next issue will be in June 2023. | ||||||
Financial Obligations including Prescribed Rates | The Financial Obligations paragraph, which includes prescribed rates information, will be present in all the advices for SP/ISS/AP/VP recipients.
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Payment Information Attachment | Clients who remain on maximum rate following the processing will not have a Payment Information Attachment as part of their advice as they are considered to be continuation cases. Clients whose payment rates have varied following the processing will receive a Payment Information Attachment. | ||||||
Clients with Overseas Postal Address | SI advice letters for all clients with a valid overseas postal address will be printed and posted directly from the mail house. | ||||||
PAYG Payment Summary | Payment summaries will be issued to all clients who received a payment from DVA during the 2019/2020 financial year. Clients will be sent a payment summary listing both taxable and tax exempt (i.e. non-taxable) payments. The tax exempt payment information will be broken into the following categories:
Payment summaries will form part of the advice letter for all SP/ISS/AP/VP recipients. Where a payment summary is sent without a covering letter, it is referred to as a Standalone Payment Summary (SAPS). Payment summaries will not be sent to clients who are under 16 years of age on 30 June 2020 and did not receive a taxable payment in the financial year 2019/2020. A sample of the payment summary can be found at Attachment C. | ||||||
General Information Sheet (GIS) | Each advice letter, except those for clients who are overseas residents, will have a General Information Sheet (GIS). The GIS provides details of payment rates, income and asset thresholds, deeming rates and thresholds, treatment thresholds, rent assistance rates and other payment information. There will be a separate GIS for clients assessed under the transitional rules and for those assessed under the non-transitional rules because different rates and thresholds apply. Some components of the pension supplement (pension supplement non-taxable and pension supplement flexible) are not payable to overseas clients. Therefore, the information provided on the GIS is not applicable to them. For this reason, overseas clients will not be issued with the GIS to avoid confusion. | ||||||
ATO insert – Do you need to lodge a tax return?' | A 'pensioner flyer' produced by the ATO titled “Do you need to lodge a tax return?” will only be included in the advice letters produced for those in payment of less than the maximum rate of income support pension, those being issued a SAPS or a MLEC. The flyer will not be sent to those clients being paid at the maximum rate of income support pension. | ||||||
Clients to Contact ATO with Taxation Questions | It is important for DVA staff to note that clients have been advised in their letters to contact the Australian Taxation Office on 13 28 61 if they have any questions about taxation. Should clients ring DVA offices with questions relating to taxation matters, staff should refer them to the Australian Taxation Office on 13 28 61. IMPORTANT NOTE: DVA staff must not offer advice about taxation liability or the need to lodge a tax return. | ||||||
Information on Tax Thresholds in VIEW | The 'Seniors and Pensioners Tax Offsets' amounts are displayed in the 'Tax Threshold Amounts' folder in the 'Fin Year Certificate' tab in VIEW. The 2019/2020 threshold amounts will be available in VIEW from 1 July 2020. | ||||||
Standalone Payment Summaries (issued without a covering letter) | |||||||
SAPS – sent without a covering letter | SAPS will be produced for the following categories:
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SAPS – posted directly to clients from the Mailing House | All SAPS, with the exception for overseas addressees listed above, are to be printed, enveloped and lodged with Australia Post directly from the mail house. Approx. 75,000 SAPS are sent each year during this excercise. | ||||||
SAPS - Overseas Addressees | SAPS for clients who reside overseas and who are no longer in payment will not be printed. A file of each SAPS category listing the clients who reside overseas and are to receive a SAPS will be e-mailed to each location contact officer. Staff should request a re-print for those overseas clients listed on the report and send their SAPS directly to them.. | ||||||
SAPS - Unknown Addressees | Where a client has an 'unknown address' recorded, a SAPS will not be produced. A list of clients with an 'unknown address' will be provided to each location contact officer. | ||||||
SAPS - For Deceased Clients | SAPS for clients who have died during the financial year will not be printed. Staff will be able to request a re-print of a deceased client's payment summary when required from 1 July 2020. | ||||||
SAPS Reports | A SAPS report is generated for each of the following categories: MRCA Education Allowance; Education Allowance; Other; Group Destination; Overseas; Unknown Address; and Deceased. A report for each category will be e-mailed to the contact officer at each location. | ||||||
Payment Summary Reprint Facility - VIEW Advices Tab | Reprints of the 2019/2020 financial year payment summaries will be available from 1 July 2020 using the 'Payment Summary Reprint' facility located under the Advices Tab in VIEW. | ||||||
Display of Tax File Number on Payment Summary Reprints | The tax file number (TFN) will appear in payment summaries produced from the Payment Summary Reprint facility. The AUstralian Taxation Office has advised is a client has provided a TFN, the TFN must be quoted on the payment summary issued by the Department. | ||||||
Payment Summary Template | The June SI Income Support contact officers will be provided with a 2019/2020 financial year Payment Summary Template for manual re-issue if required. | ||||||
Medicare Levy Exemption Certificates | |||||||
Medicare Levy Exemption Certificates (MLEC) | A MLEC will be issued to those Gold Card beneficiaries who are not in receipt of an income support payment and who do not receive an advice letter, that is:
The number of Medicare Levy exemption days, where applicable, will be stated on the payment summary for all other pensioners. A sample of the Medicare Levy Exemption Certificate to be issued in 2020 can be found at Attachment D. | ||||||
Medicare levy exemption – For Blind Pensioners | Blind pensioners in receipt of SP/ISS/AP are eligible for full or half Medicare Levy exemption. The number of eligible exemption days will be printed on their Payment Summaries. Blind VP recipients are not entitled to a Medicare levy exemption. | ||||||
MLEC Reports | A report of all clients who receive a MLEC will be produced and emailed in a zip file to the nominated contact officer. A MLEC will not be produced where a client has an 'unknown address' recorded. However, a report will be produced and emailed to all contact officers, listing those clients who are eligible to receive a MLEC but have an unknown address recorded. | ||||||
MLEC Template | The June SI location contact officers will be provided with a MLEC Word template for manual re-issuing of MLECs if required. | ||||||
Issues Requiring Staff Action | |||||||
Advice Schedule Reports | A report listing details of all clients who receive an advice will be e-mailed to the nominated contact officer at each location during the week following the processing run. | ||||||
Enclosure (Treatment change) Advice Letters | Enclosure (treatment change) letters will be printed at the nominated printer at each location. The streamed advice letters should be checked for accuracy and reconciled against the reports received at each location to ensure they reflect the correct treatment paragraphs. If any advice with incorrect treatment information is found, please consult with the Income Support System Support Officers (SSOs) to ensure correct information is provided in the manual replacement advice. | ||||||
Reduction to Nil Letters | Reduction to Nil advice letters will be printed at the nominated printer at each location. Staff are required to include a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card (CSHC) claim form and a CSHC fact sheet with the advice mail pack, if these are referred to in the advice letter. | ||||||
Handling of Daily Advices | Daily advices for cases processed after the cutoff date of 12 June 2020 should be held until instructions are received to release such advices following final lodgement of all June 2020 SI advices to ensure clients receive their advices in chronological order. Bereavement advices are exempt from these requirements and therefore they may be released. | ||||||
Reprints of June SI Advices via VIEW Advices Tab | Reprints of individual advice letters produced from the quarterly processing can be requested via VIEW – Advices Tab reprint facility. Quarterly advice reprints are available and can be requested from day one of the next quarter ie. March quarterly advices from 01/04/yyyy, June quarterly advices from 01/07/yyyy and September quarterly advices from 01/10/yyyy. | ||||||
Reprints of Daily Advices – Pre-SI Processing | The 'Reprint' scheduled jobs which produce the requested reprints of daily advices by staff are postponed as part of the SI processing. Any requests for an advice reprint on the day of the commencement of the SI processing will not be actioned until after the SI run when the next 'Reprint' job is submitted. 'Unprinted' advice reprint requests will then print when the next 'Reprint' job is submitted. | ||||||
DVA Income Support Contact Officers | |||||||
Income Support Contact Officers | For the 2020 June SI, all 'streamed' advices will be printed in DVA Sydney Office printer VNSOPR14. Hence contact Officers will not be needed from all states, however staff are still encouraged to contact Business Systems Administration (as below) if anyone has questions. Streamed advices will be printed and checked in Sydney. | ||||||
Contact Details | Any queries regarding this mail out should be referred to: John Eden Ganes Jagadeeswaran |
Janice SIlby
Assistant Secretary
Income Support Branch
3 June 2020
ATTACHMENT A
HOUSEHOLDS TO RECEIVE ADVICE LETTERS WITH PAYMENT SUMMARIES OR STANDALONE PAYMENT SUMMARIES OR MEDICARE LEVY EXEMPTION CERTIFICATES
ESTIMATES BASED ON 2018 STATISTICS
STATE | JOB 1 - Less than Maximum Rate | JOB 2 - Maximum rate | JOB 3 - Overseas | Total no of advice letters (Job 1+2+3) | JOB 4 - Standalone Payment Summary | JOB 5 - Medicare Levy Exemption Certificate |
NSW | 9385 | 22865 | - | 32250 | 23629 | 406 |
VIC | 6250 | 15522 | - | 21772 | 12716 | 234 |
QLD | 10618 | 18008 | - | 28626 | 24697 | 242 |
SA | 3104 | 7004 | - | 10108 | 5581 | 129 |
WA | 3855 | 6958 | - | 10813 | 6860 | 200 |
TAS | 1113 | 2433 | 545 | 4091 | 1930 | 26 |
TOTAL | 34325 | 72790 | 545 | 107660 | 75413 | 1237 |
Please note:
JUNE 2020 SI PARAGRAPH CONTENT
Example 1.
SERVICE PENSION
LESS THAN MAXIMUM RATE – VARIATION (INCREASE)
ASSETS TESTED
JOINT ASSESSMENT
PAYMENT SUMMARIES ENCLOSED
GENERAL INFORMATION SHEET (GIS) ENCLOSED
GPO Box 9998, Brisbane QLD 4001
Telephone: 1800 555 254
Facsimile: (07) 3223 8479
15 June 2020
123 456 789 044
JOHN SMITH
MARY SMITH
22 ACACIA AVE
VILLAGETOWN QLD 4000
YOUR FILE NUMBER IS QX000000
Dear Mr and Mrs SMITH,
This is to advise you that your service pension has been increased. This change will take effect from 1 July 2020.
Payment Information
Details of your fortnightly payments are provided in the Payment Information sheet attached to this letter.
Cost of living changes to the Income and Assets Test
The Consumer Price Index has been applied to address recent increases in the cost of living. The following limits that are used to calculate your service pension have been adjusted:
Income Free Area – this is the amount of gross income you can have before your service pension is reduced below the maximum rate payable;
Assets Value Limit – this is the amount of assets you can have (other than your family home) before your service pension is reduced below the maximum rate payable;
Deeming Thresholds – these are the amounts of financial assets you can have before the higher deemed interest rates are applied to the assessment of service pension.
For details on these changes, please refer to the General Information Sheet which is attached to this letter.
Issue of 2019/2020 Financial Year Payment Summaries
As it is the end of the 2019/2020 financial year, Payment Summaries are being issued. You will need this information if you are required to lodge a tax return.
Payment Summary for JOHN SMITH is enclosed with this letter.
Payment Summary for MARY SMITH is enclosed with this letter.
If you are unsure as to whether you are required to lodge a tax return or if you have any questions about taxation matters you should contact the Australian Taxation Office on 13 28 61. Department of Veterans’ Affairs’ staff are unable to assist with taxation enquiries.
Medicare Levy Exemption
If you have been eligible for full treatment at departmental expense during the past financial year, you are eligible for a full or half exemption from payment of the Medicare levy for that period. The number of days you are eligible for a full or half Medicare levy exemption is shown on your Payment Summary.
Financial Obligations
You need to tell us within 14 days (28 days if you are living overseas or receive remote area allowance) if you gain or dispose of any assets, or the value of your combined existing assets varies, or your combined gross income from all sources increases above $XXX.XX per fortnight.
Other Obligations
We have explained your obligations to you in previous letters and the booklet ‘You and Your Pension’. These obligations still apply.
Changes You Have Already Told Us About
If you have told us recently about a change to your income and assets or your domestic situation, it may not have been processed before this letter was sent. If this is the case, we will send you another letter providing details of your new pension assessment when that change has been finalised. This normally takes no more than 4 weeks.
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. Your application for review may also be lodged online through MyAccount or the DVA website (www.dva.gov.au [3]).
If you have any questions regarding this letter please contact the Department on the telephone number shown at the top of this letter. If you prefer to communicate with us by mail, e-mail or in person, please view our website at www.dva.gov.au [4] for contact details.
Yours sincerely,
JANICE SILBY
Assistant Secretary
as Delegate of the Secretary and Repatriation Commission
ATTACHMENTS
Payment Information Attachment
Payment Summary/s
General Information Sheet
PAYMENT INFORMATION ATTACHMENT
The Department calculates your payments on a daily basis. This means that your fortnightly payment is made up of 14 days of entitlement. Therefore, when there is a change to your circumstances on any particular day in the fortnight - your payment will be adjusted from that day. For that reason your payment may be different for one or two paydays after a reassessment.
Payment for 16 JULY 2020 | Veteran | Partner |
TOTAL FORTNIGHTLY PAYMENT | xxx.xx | xxx.xx |
This is made up of: | ||
- xxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxx | xxx.xx | xxx.xx |
- xxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxx | x.xx | x.xx |
Payment for 30 JULY 2020 | Veteran | Partner |
TOTAL FORTNIGHTLY PAYMENT | xxx.xx | xxx.xx |
This is made up of: | ||
- xxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxx | xxx.xx | xxx.xx |
- xxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxx | x.xx | x.xx |
Please Note: If you have an overpayment or lump sum advance which is currently being recovered (by deductions from your fortnightly pension), the amount paid into your account may be less than the total fortnightly payment shown above.
Example of the General Information Sheet (GIS) for Service Pensioners (non-transitional). There are separate GIS for transitional, income support supplement and age pension recipients. |
GENERAL INFORMATION ON SERVICE PENSION RATES AND LIMITS
(Information current as at 1 July 2020)
MAXIMUM RATES OF SERVICE PENSION (including supplements)
Singles Rate $XXX.XX (per fortnight)
Couples Rate (each) $XXX.XX (per fortnight)
PENSION INCOME LIMIT (per fortnight) Income Free Area Cut Off
Singles Limit $XXX.XX $X,XXX.XX
Couples Limit (combined) $XXX.XX $X,XXX.XX
INCOME TEST : Pension rate is reduced by 50 cents for each dollar of income above the income free area.
PENSION ASSETS LIMIT Assets Free Area Cut Off
Home Owner
Singles Limit $XXX,XXX $XXX,XXX
Couples Limit (combined) $XXX,XXX $X,XXX,XXX
Non Home Owner
Singles Limit $XXX,XXX $XXX,XXX
Couples Limit (combined) $XXX,XXX $X,XXX,XXX
ASSETS TEST : Pension rate is reduced by 75 cents for every $250 of assets above the assets free area.
NOTE:
Income and assets limits do not apply to blinded service pensioners.
Higher income and assets cut off limits may apply if rent assistance is payable.
GOLD CARD INFORMATION
The eligibility of some Gold Card holders is linked to income and assets.
The Gold Card income and assets limits shown in the next section apply if:
NOTE:
GOLD CARD INCOME CUT OFF LIMITS
Singles Limit $XXX.XX (per fortnight)
Couples Limit (combined) $XXX.XX (per fortnight)
GOLD CARD ASSETS CUT OFF LIMITS
Home Owner Non Home Owner
Singles Limit $XXX,XXX $XXX,XXX
Couples Limit (combined) $XXX,XXX $XXX,XXX
DEEMING
Deeming assumes that any money you have invested in financial assets is earning a particular amount of income regardless of the actual amount earned. The deeming rates are:
Singles Low Rate:- 0.25% interest up to the threshold of $XX,XXX
High Rate:- 2.25% interest for the remaining balance
Couples Low Rate:- 0.25% interest up to the threshold of $XX,XXX
High Rate:- 2.25% interest for the remaining balance
ILLNESS SEPARATED COUPLES
Couples separated due to ill health are paid the single rate of service pension but have their income and assets assessed as a couple.
RENT ASSISTANCE
You may be eligible for rent assistance if you pay rent to a non-government body or landlord. Rent assistance is not payable if you reside in a government funded (approved) nursing home, or in government funded housing.
The amount of rent assistance you received depends on the amount of rent you pay and your family circumstances. Rent assistance is paid at the rate of 75 cents in the dollar for every dollar you pay over the set rent limits.
Maximum Amount of Rent Assistance Payable (per fortnight)
Singles Rate $XXX.XX
Couples Rate(combined) $XXX.XX
Rent Limit (per fortnight)
Singles Limit $XXX.XX
Couples Limit (combined) $XXX.XX
GIFTING
A gift is an asset which is given away or disposed of without receiving the market value of that gift in return. A gift may be either a cash amount or non cash assets such as a car or other property.
You must notify us if you give away a total of $10,000 or more in a tax year or $30,000 over a rolling five-year period.
The amount above either limit will continue to be counted as if it were still your asset for a period of 5 years and may therefore continue to affect your pension. We will also deem income on the value of any gift above either limit for 5 years.
Example 2.
AGE PENSION PLUS DFISA
LESS THAN MAXIMUM RATE – VARIATION (INCREASE)
SINGLE ASSESSMENT
TAXABLE
PAYMENT SUMMARY ENCLOSED
GIS ENCLOSED
GPO Box 9998, Brisbane QLD 4001
Telephone: 1800 555 254
Facsimile: (07) 3223 8479
16 June 2020
123 456 789 044
MR ROBERT VETERAN
22 ACACIA AVE
VILLAGETOWN QLD 4000
YOUR FILE NUMBER IS QX000000
Dear Mr VETERAN,
This is to advise you that your:
This change will take affect from 1 July 2020.
Payment Information
Details of your fortnightly payments are provided in the Payment Information sheet attached to this letter.
Cost of living changes to the Income and Assets Test
The Consumer Price Index has been applied to address recent increases in the cost of living. The following limits that are used to calculate your age pension have been adjusted:
Income Free Area - this is the amount of gross income you can have before your age pension is reduced below the maximum rate payable;
Assets Value Limit - this is the amount of assets you can have (other than your family home) before your age pension is reduced below the maximum rate payable;
Deeming Thresholds – these are the amounts of financial assets you can have before the higher deemed interest rates are applied to the assessment of age pension.
For details on these changes, please refer to the General Information Sheet which is attached to this letter.
Issue of 2019/2020 Financial Year Payment Summaries
As it is the end of the 2019/2020 financial year, Payment Summaries are being issued. You will need this information if you are required to lodge a tax return.
Payment Summary for ROBERT VETERAN is enclosed with this letter.
If you are unsure as to whether you are required to lodge a tax return or if you have any questions about taxation matters you should contact the Australian Taxation Office on 13 28 61. Department of Veterans’ Affairs’ staff are unable to assist with taxation enquiries.
Medicare Levy Exemption
If you have been eligible for full treatment at departmental expense during the past financial year, you are eligible for a full or half exemption from payment of the Medicare levy for that period. The number of days you are eligible for a full or half Medicare levy exemption is shown on your Payment Summary.
If you were previously being paid by Centrelink, they will issue a Payment Summary to you separately.
Financial Obligations
You need to tell us within 14 days (28 days if you are living overseas) if your total gross income from all sources is more than $XXX.XX per fortnight or the value of your total assets is more than $XXX,XXX.XX.
Other Obligations
Your obligations as outlined in previous letters to you and in the Booklet ‘You and Your Pension’ still apply.
Changes You Have Already Told Us About
If you have told us recently about a change to your income and assets or your domestic situation, it may not have been processed before this letter was sent. If this is the case, we will send you another letter providing details of your new pension assessment when that change has been finalised. This normally takes no more than 4 weeks.
Your Right of Review
If you do not agree with this decision, you can contact your nearest Veterans' Affairs office and discuss the reasons for the decision. If you remain dissatisfied, you may apply to have the decision reviewed by an Authorised Review Officer, with no prior involvement in the case. If you decide to apply for a review more than 13 weeks from the day this notice is given to you, you can only be paid an adjustment from the date we receive your application. Requests for review may be made in person, by telephone or in writing. Your application for review may also be lodged online through MyAccount or the DVA website (www.dva.gov.au [3]).
The rate of DFISA paid to you is derived from your age pension assessment. You may seek to have your age pension assessment reviewed if you are dissatisfied with your DFISA rate.
If you have any questions regarding this letter please contact the Department on the telephone number shown at the top of this letter. If you prefer to communicate with us by mail, e-mail or in person, please view our website at www.dva.gov.au [4] for contact details.
Yours sincerely,
JANICE SILBY
Assistant Secretary as Delegate of the Secretary
ATTACHMENTS
Payment Information Attachment
Payment Summary
General Information Sheet
Example 3.
INVALIDITY SERVICE PENSION
MAXIMUM RATE
PAYMENT SUMMARY ENCLOSED
GIS ENCLOSED
GPO Box 9998, Brisbane QLD 4001
Telephone: 1800 555 254
Facsimile: (07) 3223 8479
15 June 2020
MR BILL BROWN
123 SERVICE STREET
VILLAGETOWN QLD 4000
YOUR FILE NUMBER IS QX000000
Dear Mr BROWN,
I am writing to you about your service pension payment from Veterans’ Affairs. You currently receive the maximum rate of service pension and this amount remains unchanged.
Cost of living changes to the Income and Assets Test
The Consumer Price Index has been applied to address recent increases in the cost of living. The following limits that are used to calculate your service pension have been adjusted:
Income Free Area – this is the amount of gross income you can have before your service pension is reduced below the maximum rate payable;
Assets Value Limit – this is the amount of assets you can have (other than your family home) before your service pension is reduced below the maximum rate payable;
For details on these changes please refer to the General Information Sheet which is attached to this letter.
Issue of 2019/2020 Financial Year Payment Summaries
As it is the end of the 2019/2020 financial year, Payment Summaries are being issued. You will need this information if you are required to lodge a tax return.
Payment Summary for MR BILL BROWN is enclosed with this letter.
If you are unsure as to whether you are required to lodge a tax return or if you have any questions about taxation matters you should contact the Australian Taxation Office on 13 28 61. Department of Veterans’ Affairs’ staff are unable to assist with taxation enquiries.
Medicare Levy Exemption
If you have been eligible for full treatment at departmental expense during the past financial year, you are eligible for a full or half exemption from payment of the Medicare levy for that period. The number of days you are eligible for a full or half Medicare levy exemption is shown on your Payment Summary.
Financial Obligations
You need to tell us within 14 days (28 days if you are living overseas or receive remote area allowance) if your total income from all sources is more than $XXX.XX per fortnight or the value of your total assets is more than $XXX,XXX.XX.
Other Obligations
We have explained your obligations to you in previous letters and the booklet ‘You and Your Pension’. These obligations still apply.
Changes You Have Already Told Us About
If you have told us recently about a change to your income and assets or your domestic situation, it may not have been processed before this letter was sent. If this is the case, we will send you another letter providing details of your new pension assessment when that change has been finalised. This normally takes no more than 4 weeks.
If you have any questions regarding this letter please contact the Department on the telephone number shown at the top of this letter. If you prefer to communicate with us by mail, e-mail or in person, please view our website at www.dva.gov.au [4] for contact details.
Yours sincerely,
JANICE SILBY
Assistant Secretary
as Delegate of the Secretary and Repatriation Commission
ATTACHMENTS
Payment Summary
General Information Sheet
ATTACHMENT C
GPO Box 9998 in your Capital City
XXXX SMITH
XXXXXXXX STREET
SUBURB STATE POSTCODE
PAYG PAYMENT SUMMARY
INDIVIDUAL NON BUSINESS
Payment Summary for the year ending 30 June 2020
Payee Details
XXXX SMITH
XXXXXXX STREET
SUBURB STATE POSTCODE
DVA file number | QX000000 |
Payee’s tax file number | 123 456 789 |
Total tax withheld | $XXX.XX |
Gross taxable payments | $XXXX.XX |
Total tax exempt payments | $XXXXX.XX |
- Tax-free pensions and benefits | $XXXX.XX |
- Other tax exempt payments
| $XXXX.XX
|
Medicare levy full or half exemption days | XXX |
Remote area allowance | $XXX.XX |
Payer Details
Payer’s ABN or withholding number: 2396 4290 824
Payer’s name: Department of Veterans’ Affairs
Signature of authorised person: JANICE SILBY
Date: 15/06/20
See notes on reverse.
Notes:
Total tax withheld: The amount Veterans’ Affairs has deducted from your payments for tax. If you have an amount in total tax withheld, you should lodge a tax return to ensure that you receive any refund of withheld tax you may be entitled to. If no tax was withheld, you may still have to lodge a tax return.
Gross taxable payments: The amount you should include as income under ‘Australian Government pensions and allowances’ in the Income section if you are completing a tax return.
Total tax exempt payments: The total of the tax exempt payments you were paid for the tax year, including Tax-free pensions and benefits and Other tax exempt payments.
Tax-free pensions and benefits: Tax exempt payments that you should include on your tax return under ‘Tax-free Government Pensions or Benefits’. This amount may also need to be declared on your spouse’s tax return as ‘spouse’s tax exempt pension income’.
Other tax exempt payments: Tax exempt payments that you do not need to show on your tax return.
Medicare levy exemption: A holder of a Veterans’ Affairs Gold Card for medical treatment is eligible for a full or half exemption from paying the Medicare Levy. If you are eligible for an exemption, your number of Medicare Levy exemption days is shown on this payment summary. The number of days shown should be included in the Medicare levy section of your tax return.
Remote area allowance: You will need to include your Remote area allowance separately on your tax return if you are claiming a zone tax offset.
Further assistance: If you have any taxation enquiries, including whether you need to lodge a tax return or whether you qualify for a full or half Medicare Levy exemption, read the Individual tax return instructions for the relevant financial year, call the Australian Taxation Office on 13 28 61 between 8.00 am and 6.00 pm Monday to Friday, or visit www.ato.gov.au [5]. Enquiries about your payments should be directed to the Department of Veterans’ Affairs.
The Australian Taxation Office checks information shown in tax returns against information provided by the Department of Veterans’ Affairs.
ATTACHMENT D
SAMPLE OF MEDICARE LEVY EXEMPTION CERTIFICATE
GPO Box 9998
In Your Capital City
Client name
Client address
Client address
|
Medicare Levy Exemption Certificate
Dear Beneficiary
This is your Medicare Levy Exemption Certificate showing the number of days you were eligible for full or half exemption from payment of the Medicare Levy. This exemption applies because you were eligible for full treatment at the expense of the Department of Veterans' Affairs during those days.
Your File Number is: XXXXXXXX
The number of days you are eligible for a full or half Medicare Levy Exemption during 2019/2020 is: XXX
Please note: If you lodge an income tax return YOU DO NOT NEED TO ATTACH this Certificate to your tax return. However, you should retain this Certificate for your records.
If you need to lodge a tax return, the number of days you were eligible for full or half exemption will need to be stated against the relevant question on your tax return.
If you have any enquiries about the number of days, please contact your nearest DVA office.
If you have any enquiries about whether you are fully or half exempt from the payment of Medicare levy, read Individual tax return instructions 2018 or contact the Australian Taxation Office on 13 28 61.
Yours faithfully
Deputy Commissioner
Amends DI No: | N/A |
Replaces DI No: | N/A |
Purpose of Instruction | The purpose of this Departmental Instruction is to provide information about the Pounds Sterling exchange rate variation exercise. |
Introduction | Following the recent variation in UK – Australian exchange rates, DVA will apply a new exchange rate for the assessment of the rate of income support and disability pensions for those in receipt of all income paid in Pounds Sterling:
|
New Exchange Rate | The exchange rate used to convert Pounds Sterling to Australian dollars for income support assessment purposes has changed: - from one Pound Sterling equals A$1.8169 - to one Pound Sterling equals A$1.7476 (ie A$1 = £0.5722) This rate reflects the average of the “on demand airmail buying rate” for the two weeks to 29 May 2020. |
Date of Effect and Payday | Effective from 2 June 2020 the current exchange rate will change. On pension payday 18 June 2020 pensioners with relevant British income will receive a full instalment at the new assessed rate. |
Automatic Processing | Processing to implement the new exchange rate is scheduled for the evening of Tuesday, 2 June 2020. Amounts recorded as foreign super type non-government British other income (07), British Social Security Pension (08) or British Official Public Service/Forces Pension (09) will be varied by applying the exchange rate to the Pounds Sterling amount recorded, to determine the new rate of pension in Australian dollars. The income support payment will then be reassessed automatically. |
Manual Cases | Cases with actions in submission or determined status will not be processed automatically and will be frozen. These cases will be listed on the manual listing for follow up action, and CMS/PIPS cases will be created automatically for action. Any cases processed through PIPS should be reassessed with effect from 2 June 2020 for payday 18 June 2020. |
Non-Government British Other Income (07) | Previously non-government British other income (07) was refreshed every six months in March and September with other foreign currencies (GROOVER). As a result of a review of British pensions approved by the Repatriation Commission all sterling payments, including British other income (07) are adjusted in uniform exchange rate variations. |
British DP Cases | Income Support recipients who are in receipt of Income Support Supplement (ISS), age pension (AP), service pension with rent assistance (SPRA), or veteran payment with rent assistance (VPRA); and, who also receive disability (war) pension direct from Britain should have that disability pension converted to Australian dollars using this exchange rate. ISS, AP, SPRA and VPRA should be recalculated by doing a PIPS assessment. These cases can be extracted through Adhoc Information System (AIS) by each location.
|
EATS and Composite Cases | EATS and Composite cases are subject to the daily exchange rate variation of plus or minus 2.5%. These cases can be extracted through AIS by each location and recalculated by processing a PIPS assessment. Attachment A shows the amount per fortnight in Australian dollars to be applied for the varying United Kingdom amounts. For further details refer to Departmental Instruction DI 22/2005 issued by Veterans’ Compensation. |
Printing & Lodgement of Letters | Letters will be progressively lodged with Australia Post by our contracted mailing house. All letters will be posted by Wednesday 10 June 2020. An advice letter will only be produced for cases where there is a variation in payment. The letters will be four pages and include the new exchange rate, the amount of income and the new ongoing pension amount. Joint letters will be produced where both members of a couple are in receipt of pension from the British government and their pension varies. Age pensioners will receive separate advices unless joint advices have been requested. |
Estimated Advice Numbers | The estimated number of advices to be produced is 2,500 based on the previous British Retirement Income (BRI) advices mailout. |
Overseas Clients | Advices for all clients with an overseas postal address will be printed, enveloped and sent from the mail house. |
Streamed Advices | The advices of the following types of cases will be streamed for printing to nominated printer VNSOPR14 in NSW location:
|
Contact officers | The contact officer for this exercise is Ganes Jagadeeswaran (ext. 412310). |
Janice Silby
Assistant Secretary
Income Support Processing Branch
29 May 2020
Amends DI No: | N/A |
Replaces DI No: | N/A |
Purpose | The purpose of this Departmental Instruction is to advise of processing arrangements for the automatic indexation of British Official Public Service and Armed Forces pensions (formerly Indexed BRI, code 09). The reason for the change of terminology was explained in DI C04/2004 British Income. |
Increase in Public Service Pensions | The British Government has announced that British Public Service Pensions will rise in April 2020 by 1.7% in line with their Retail Price Index. The pensions affected are listed below and should be recorded on PIPS as foreign superannuation (British Official Public Service/Forces):
|
Date of effect | The date of effect to be used for the variation is Tuesday 7 April 2020, for payday 23 April 2020. |
The conversion factor for this indexation is 1.017 | The new amount of pounds sterling to be recorded will be calculated as follows: The variation percentage (1.7%) ----------------------------- + 1 = Conversion factor 100 The Australian dollar amount will then be reassessed accordingly. The conversion factor for this indexation is 1.017. |
Date of processing run | The processing run for this exercise will take place on 6 April 2020. |
Manual cases | Cases that are in investigation, submission or determination status at the time of the run will be frozen and listed for subsequent manual processing. |
Advice Letters | An advice will be generated for all clients who have a variation to their rate of DVA pension payment because of the indexation exercise. All advices produced from this processing exercise will be printed as batch advices on printers in NSW. |
Indexation of British war pensions | British war pensions (British DP) will also increase by 1.7% on 7 April 2020. A separate Departmental Instruction will be issued about the application of this increase to: |
Indexation of British social security pension | British social security pensions will not be indexed automatically. See Part 10, Chapter 1, Section 5 of the CLIK Policy and Procedure Libraries for more information. |
Contact officers | The Income Support contact officers for this exercise are Jennifer Payne (x470392) and Caitlin Frost (x483374) |
Janice Silby
Assistant Secretary
Income Support
27 March 2020
Indexation of British War Pensions (Disability Pensions)
Purpose | The purpose of this Departmental Instruction is to advise of processing arrangements for the manual indexation of British War Pensions. |
War pensions to increase | The British Government has advised that British War Pensions will rise from 7 April 2020. The British Government has published their rates chart at: |
Effective date and payday | The effective date for the variation will be Tuesday 7 April 2020, for payday 23 April 2020. |
Cases affected | These changes will affect the following cases:
|
Exchange rate for EATS and composite cases | The exchange rate to use for EATS and composite cases (DP paid by Australia on behalf of the UK) is £1 = A$1.8699. These cases are now subject to the daily exchange rate variation of plus or minus 2.5%. For further information refer to DI-04-2020. |
Exchange rate for British DP paid direct from the UK | The exchange rate to use for British DP paid direct from the UK is £1 = A$1.8699. This is the same exchange rate used for British Official Public Service and Armed Forces Pensions. |
Rates charts in Australian dollars and AIS reports | British war pension rates converted to $A at both old and new rates have been e-mailed to the Income Support Management group along with the AIS report. EATS and composite cases have been provided to the Rehabilitation Compensation & Systems Support Group. |
Manual examination | No cases will be processed automatically. All cases will be listed for manual examination and updated in PIPS. |
Contact officer | The Income Support contact officers for this exercise are Jennifer Payne (x470392) and Caitlin Frost (x483374) |
Janice Silby
Assistant Secretary
Income Support Branch
27 March 2020
Purpose of Instruction | The purpose of this Departmental Instruction is to provide information about advice production from the January 2020 Commonwealth Superannuation Corporation (CSC) and Victoria state based superannuation pension reassessment. |
Background | ComSuper was merged into Commonwealth Superannuation Corporation (CSC) in July 2015. CSC includes Commonwealth Superannuation Scheme (CSS), Public Sector Superannuation Scheme (PSS), Defence Force Retirement and Death Benefit Scheme (DFRDB) and Military Superannuation Benefit Scheme (MSBS) Superannuation pensions. It is adjusted bi-annually in January and July. The cost of living increase to be applied to all CSC pensions in January 2020 is 1.10%. The January 2020 CSC reassessment run will also include an update to Victoria state based superannuation pensions namely Vic Vision and Vic Health. The increase to be applied to all the above Victoria state based superannuation pensions in January 2020 is 0.61%. |
Processing Date | Reassessment processing to reflect the January 2018 CPI increases is scheduled to run overnight on Monday, 13 January 2020. Following completion of processing, the advice data files will be transmitted to the mailing house for printing and lodgement. |
Effective Date | The effective date of reassessment will be 14 January 2020. On pension payday 30 January 2020, pensioners will receive a full instalment at the new assessed rate. |
Advice letter target audience | A letter will be produced for income support pensioners in receipt of CSC and/or Victoria state based super pension, whose pension rate is varied by the reassessment run. There will be approximately 16,000 advice letters produced nationally. |
Advices content and presentation | The advice will comprise of a 2 page letter and a Payment Information Attachment. The advice will inform clients of the outcome to their pension reassessment and provide information on gross superannuation income, deductible and/or non-deductible amounts. The information relating to their super payment is presented in a tabular format. 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:
|
Printing and mailing of advice letters | With some exceptions explained below, advice letters will be printed and mailed through the Department's contracted mailing house. All letters will be lodged with Australia Post as a national lodgment by close of business Monday, 20 January 2020. |
Advices for Overseas Addressees | Advice letters produced for Tasmanian State Office clients who have an overseas address will be printed, enveloped and sent from the mailing house. |
Enclosure (Treatment change) Advice Letters | Enclosure (treatment change) letters will be printed separately at nominated state location printers. They are to be mailed by close of business Monday, 20 January 2020. The streamed advice letters should be checked for accuracy, and reconciled against reports received in each location to ensure they reflect the correct treatment paragraphs. If any advice with incorrect treatment information is found, please consult with the Income Support Contact Officers listed below to ensure correct information is provided in the manual replacement advice. |
Reduction to Nil Letters | Any Reduction to Nil advice letters will be printed at the nominated printer in each location. Staff are required to include a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card (CSHC) claim form, a CSHC fact sheet and a reply paid envelope with the advice letter. |
Location of printers | The streamed advices are to be printed at the following printers: SA VADEPR03 TAS VTSOPR03 WA VADEPR03 VIC VBRIPR15 NSW VNSOPR13 QLD VBRIPR18 |
DVA – Income Support Contact Officers | A contact person from each location acts as a liaison point for the Advices Team, and to assist with the handling of streamed advices printed at each nominated location printer. The Income Support Location Contacts for the January 2018 CSC processing exercise are as follows: NSW/ACT Simon Towns QLD/VIC Bryon Kelly SA/NT/WA Maria Nasilowski TAS Craig Conway / Rodney Quinn |
Contacts | For Advice issues – Ganes Jagadeeswaran on extension 412310 or Maria Maneze on extension 417247. |
Janice Silby
Assistant Secretary
Income Support Processing Branch
13 January 2020
GPO Box 9998, Brisbane QLD 4001
Telephone:1800 555 254
Facsimile: (07) 3223 8479
13 January 2020
123 456 789 044
JOHN SMITH
MARY SMITH
123 SAMPLE STREET
MODELTOWN QLD 4010
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 14 January 2020.
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 | Commonwealth Super Corp (CSS & PSS) | $585.95 | $135.50 | $450.45 |
Payment Information
Details of your fortnightly 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 area allowance) if your combined gross income from all sources is more than $xxx.xx per fortnight or the value of your combined assets is more than $xxx,xxx.xx.
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. Your application for review may also be lodged online through MyAccount or the DVA website (www.dva.gov.au [3])
If you have any questions regarding this letter please contact the Department on the telephone number shown at the top of this letter. If you prefer to communicate with us by mail, e-mail or in person, please view our website at www.dva.gov.au [3] for contact details.
Yours sincerely,
JANICE SILBY
Senior Responsible Officer
as Delegate of the Secretary and Repatriation Commission
PAYMENT INFORMATION ATTACHMENT
The Department calculates your payments on a daily basis. This means that your fortnightly payment is made up of 14 days of entitlement. Therefore, when there is a change to your circumstances on any particular day in the fortnight - your payment will be adjusted from that day. For that reason your payment may be different for one or two paydays after a reassessment.
Payment for 30 January 2020 | Veteran | Partner |
TOTAL FORTNIGHTLY PAYMENT | xxx.xx | xxx.xx |
This is made up of: | ||
- xxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxx | xxx.xx | xxx.xx |
- xxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxx | x.xx | x.xx |
Please Note: If you have an overpayment or lump sum advance which is currently being recovered (by deductions from your fortnightly pension), the amount paid into your account may be less than the total fortnightly payment shown above.
GPO Box 9998, Brisbane QLD 4001
Telephone: 1800 555 254
Facsimile: (07) 3223 8479
13 January 2020
123 456 789 044
JOHN SMITH
MARY SMITH
123 SAMPLE STREET
MODELTOWN QLD 4010
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 14 January 2020.
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 |
JOHN SMITH | Commonwealth Super Corp (DFRDB & MSBS) | $450.95 |
MARY SMITH | Commonwealth Super Corp (CSS & PSS) | $265.00 |
Payment Information
Details of your fortnightly 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 area allowance) if your combined gross income from all sources is more than $xxx.xx per fortnight or the value of your combined assets is more than $xxx,xxx.xx.
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. Your application for review may also be lodged online through MyAccount or the DVA website (www.dva.gov.au [3])
If you have any questions regarding this letter please contact the Department on the telephone number shown at the top of this letter. If you prefer to communicate with us by mail, e-mail or in person, please view our website at www.dva.gov.au [3] for contact details.
Yours sincerely,
JANICE SILBY
Senior Responsible Officer
as Delegate of the Secretary and Repatriation Commission
PAYMENT INFORMATION ATTACHMENT
The Department calculates your payments on a daily basis. This means that your fortnightly payment is made up of 14 days of entitlement. Therefore, when there is a change to your circumstances on any particular day in the fortnight - your payment will be adjusted from that day. For that reason your payment may be different for one or two paydays after a reassessment.
Payment for 30 January 2020 | Veteran | Partner |
TOTAL FORTNIGHTLY PAYMENT | xxx.xx | xxx.xx |
This is made up of: | ||
- xxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxx | xxx.xx | xxx.xx |
- xxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxx | x.xx | x.xx |
Please Note: If you have an overpayment or lump sum advance which is currently being recovered (by deductions from your fortnightly pension), the amount paid into your account may be less than the total fortnightly payment shown above.
GPO Box 9998, Brisbane QLD 4001
Telephone: 1800 555 254
Facsimile: (07) 3223 8479
13 Janaury 2020
123 456 789 044
JOHN SMITH
123 SAMPLE STREET
MODELTOWN QLD 4010
YOUR FILE NUMBER IS QX123456
Dear Mr SMITH,
This is to advise that your T-PENSION-SP-ISS-AP has been reduced. This change will take effect from 14 January 2020.
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 | Commonwealth Super Corp (CSS & PSS) | $585.95 | $135.50 | $450.45 |
JOHN SMITH | Commonwealth Super Corp (DFRDB & MSBS) | $846.44 | $0.00 | $846.44 |
Payment Information
Details of your fortnightly 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 area allowance) if your gross income from all sources is more than $xxx.xx per fortnight or the value of your total assets is more than $xxx,xxx.xx.
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. Your application for review may also be lodged online through MyAccount or the DVA website (www.dva.gov.au [3])
If you have any questions regarding this letter please contact the Department on the telephone number shown at the top of this letter. If you prefer to communicate with us by mail, e-mail or in person, please view our website at www.dva.gov.au [3] for contact details.
Yours sincerely,
JANICE SILBY
Senior Responsible Officer
as Delegate of the Secretary and Repatriation Commission
PAYMENT INFORMATION ATTACHMENT
The Department calculates your payments on a daily basis. This means that your fortnightly payment is made up of 14 days of entitlement. Therefore, when there is a change to your circumstances on any particular day in the fortnight - your payment will be adjusted from that day. For that reason your payment may be different for one or two paydays after a reassessment.
Payment for 30 January 2020 | Veteran | Partner |
TOTAL FORTNIGHTLY PAYMENT | xxx.xx | xxx.xx |
This is made up of: | ||
- xxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxx | xxx.xx | xxx.xx |
- xxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxx | x.xx | x.xx |
Please Note: If you have an overpayment or lump sum advance which is currently being recovered (by deductions from your fortnightly pension), the amount paid into your account may be less than the total fortnightly payment shown above.
Links
[1] http://mailto:john.eden@dva.gov.au
[2] mailto:ganes.jagadeeswaran@dva.gov.au
[3] http://www.dva.gov.au/
[4] file:///H:/Documents%20and%20Settings/nwuj/Local%20Settings/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/OLK9/www.dva.gov.au
[5] http://www.ato.gov.au/
[6] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/public-service-pensions-increase-2020
[7] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/war-disablement-pension-2020-rates