Financial difficulties
Hi everyone I was diagnosed in August with ILC and have only been able to work a handful of days since my diagnosis. Since I started chemo I've been hospitalised with a blood clot (DVT) in my leg, p...
Forum Discussion
Hi @KezzaG I know exactly how you feel. I was made redundant 6 weeks before my recurrence was diagnosed so couldn't access my income insurance. Because I received a payout, I couldn't get Centrelink benefits for 12 months. About 6 months into that I did some work for Cancer Australia and they paid me some sitting fees, which I declared, which cut me off benefits for a fortnight then it was another 6 months before I could apply for early release of supper due to financial difficulties.
Even once I got to that point it was a terrible experience getting them to release some of my money. They kept changing the conditions; saying I had to be in default of my mortgage, which was not true, saying I had to have unpaid bills, not true, misquoting legislation, telling me all sorts of bullshit. I eventually got a pay out, but it took months.
So, what to do in the interim. Much as you won't want to, you need to go and investigate Centrelink sickness benefits. If your employer agrees your job will still be there when you ''recover' you should be eligible. It's not much, but should mean you will get a healthcare card, they really help with medical costs. Don't try and do it over the phone. Dedicate a day to sitting in their offices.
One of the first things you should ask for is to see or speak to a Centrelink social worker, ask your breast care nurse for a referral. Specify Centrelink, not the ones attached to the hospital. They can get you into the system better than a drone at a desk, though you will still have to suffer the ritual humiliation of the office.
Check to see if you have mortgage protection insurance on your loan. Most of the time they will only pay if you are unable to work at all. If you are ahead with your payments, organise to have your weekly payment dropped back (maybe just enough to cover the interest) for a couple of months. That's not renegotiating your loan , so there shouldn't be any fees.
I lived off my savings for 18 months with no real prospect of getting back into the full time workforce. I'm still only working a couple of days a week. If I factor in lost wages, the whole performance has cost me over $180k in the last two years. It is very, very stressful. Mxx
Even once I got to that point it was a terrible experience getting them to release some of my money. They kept changing the conditions; saying I had to be in default of my mortgage, which was not true, saying I had to have unpaid bills, not true, misquoting legislation, telling me all sorts of bullshit. I eventually got a pay out, but it took months.
So, what to do in the interim. Much as you won't want to, you need to go and investigate Centrelink sickness benefits. If your employer agrees your job will still be there when you ''recover' you should be eligible. It's not much, but should mean you will get a healthcare card, they really help with medical costs. Don't try and do it over the phone. Dedicate a day to sitting in their offices.
One of the first things you should ask for is to see or speak to a Centrelink social worker, ask your breast care nurse for a referral. Specify Centrelink, not the ones attached to the hospital. They can get you into the system better than a drone at a desk, though you will still have to suffer the ritual humiliation of the office.
Check to see if you have mortgage protection insurance on your loan. Most of the time they will only pay if you are unable to work at all. If you are ahead with your payments, organise to have your weekly payment dropped back (maybe just enough to cover the interest) for a couple of months. That's not renegotiating your loan , so there shouldn't be any fees.
I lived off my savings for 18 months with no real prospect of getting back into the full time workforce. I'm still only working a couple of days a week. If I factor in lost wages, the whole performance has cost me over $180k in the last two years. It is very, very stressful. Mxx