Forum Discussion
Superannuation
Hi All, Just venting my frustrations, for two days I have emailed the super I have like many of others have about trying to access some of my super to help out with the incoming house hold bills mortgage ect. We all know firstly being diagnosed one tends to go into shock, then the realisation of appts, surgery , all else that comes our way. Then all of a sudden the reality of when one has ceased work for now one wage carrying the burden of which I am lucky as there are others on there own of which I feel for. Anyway I have to be dying or dead of which what good is the mulla then, of which I am alive today and the bills don't go away, I have asked for all superannutions have a policy for people who for unforeseen illness comes out the blue, to have access to there super . I was suggested Centrelink well nothing against Centrelink when you need it and are genuine , I replyed would you stand in line for hours, talk to ten different people of whom know nothing about what you need , then fog you off to the next person so on and on. Telling complete strangers your private business then comes all the forms to go over the same thing all the stupid questions ect. No one should be put through all this no need rigromole of the humiliation , shame, of the red tape. Why can't there be a policy put in place to access ones super , a doctors letter for evidence of the illness. We would like to keep our dignity and be treated with the up most respect , I was told try for Compassionate Leave ect why when the government say we all pay into super then when it's needed why can't we access it atleast that the bills ect are getting paid and we can contstrate on getting through this rocky journey without added stress. Any other suggestions let's try and fight for proper policies put in place for people and families to aleast lessen the burden of some sort. Shazx
77 Replies
- I keep telling myself I have to investigate - seemingly if my husband died it is highly likely that his super will go to my disabled daughter - (so they can reduce or get rid of her centrelink pmts) if they deemed that I did not need it?? May seem fair to some, but what about our other kids - if whoever died to early so it wasn't a pension shouldnt it be part of all their inheritances. And what I've heard is that you have no choice.
- @HIT yes this came up recently in the media, where a man claimed he was living in a defacto for more than 3 months, the girl died as a result of his reckless driving, so was charged with the death but also he claimed her super. The family denied they were living together at all and were fighting for her super. Apparently your nominated beneficiary is not a given and it has to be updated every 3 yrs, they have their own rules of who can claim it. Crazy the story was.
- Not related to BC but I have heard that if a spouse dies, it is not guaranteed that the nominated beneficiary will get the payment. The powers that be in super will give to whoever they deem needs it. Or whomever they feel will benefit them. It seems that once our money goes in, it is not ours anymore??
Hi everyone, thanks for sharing your experience in the online network. I’m sorry to hear you’ve had such a difficult time. Unfortunately from what we have heard amongst our members your experiences are not uncommon and this is backed up by some of the responses you received on you posts. Many have had similar difficulties with accessing their superannuation and government benefits through Centrelink.
I don’t know if you have tried this already, but you can apply through the Department of Human Services to have part of your superannuation released on compassionate grounds. There is some information about this on our website and the number to call at the Department of Human Services for more information is 1300 131 060.
You might be interested to learn that BCNA has recently completed some research into the financial impact of a diagnosis of breast cancer. As part of these study we have made some recommendations, including that Centrelink provides specialist chronic illness liaison officers who would be trained to help people with cancer (and other chronic illnesses) navigate the various entitlements and benefits that are available to assist them. We hope that having additional support and information will help to streamline the process of getting benefits to people who are in need and entitled sooner. In the coming months we will be discussing this recommendation with government to work out how to implement it. We have prepared some financial tips for people who have breast cancer which you might like to look at.
In the meantime, it does sound like some addition support would be helpful to you and or your husband, so can I suggest you contact Cancer Council who offer telephone support for someone to chat with and talk through your concerns and they may be able to support you through a financial hardship program they run. You can contact them on 13 11 20 or visit their website www.cancer.org.au.
- And I forgot to add we have a son who is an apprentice carpenter and he is entitled to a trade support loan to use as he wishes on tools etc to support him during his apprenticeship. Which is fantastic. He can pay it off in instalments and looks like he receives it in instalments too and doesn't have to start paying it back til his income is over 55k. And if he finishes his apprenticeship he gets a 20% discount on the loan and it's interest free. So why can't the govt do something like that for us who need it and can't claim super or Centrelink ?? Or why can't we automatically be entitled to get a DSP pension while we are undertaking treatment and or surgery and then if we got back to work then cease it or if like Brenda who needs it desperately get reviewed and stay on it ?? Let's face it those who get to work full time during chemo would be the minority so at least it would be something. Margie ❤️
- Once I get the response from my super fund and my local member of parliament I'll post on here their response then email ACA and today tonight and let you know. I got a generic email from hesta yesterday saying that they have received my email and will process it as soon as they can but they have 90 days to respond and then I can go to the ombudsman.... fucking 90 days can you believe that!! I bet they take all that time. I'll be sending it to the ombudsman anyway as I want them to be aware of the article I've posted. I've also decided to send my email to the federal minister of health as well so will start a new post about that too and see what other responses I get from the forum to include in it. Margie ❤️
- I'm going to give the ACA thing a crack.... fuck it can't do any harm can it ladies. There are so many issues here that just keep getting harder and harder to solve due to bullshit red tape. Margie ❤️
- As soon as I get a response from my local member and hesta ill email their responses to a current affair and see how we go. I think I have enough support from everyone to back me up and willing to state their opinions and concerns should it be necessary. Margie ❤️
- This is such a big issue for many of us. Our family is still feeling the effects financially, although my diagnosis was now over 5yrs ago. We couldn't access any support through my super or via Centrelink and the ongoing costs related to lymphedema and osteoporosis (both a result of my bc) continue to mount up. The fact that some people can access part of their super for various reasons (such as the story above) just seems so unfair and inconsistent. As others have said, there needs to be an easier, more streamlined way to access support and hopefully BCNA can mount a strong lobbying campaign to get this issue heard. In the meantime, while I'm sure you're already aware of some cost-saving measures, thought I'd put in the link to this tip sheet from BCNA: https://www.bcna.org.au/about-us/advocacy/research-reports/the-financial-impact-of-breast-cancer/tips-to-help-you/ Good luck xx
- I'll check out the a current affair thing and see what's involved. There's enough of us pissed off about it all so maybe that will be what it takes I'll keto you posted x
