Centrelink disability interview.
Centrelink appointment for my disability claim and job
assessment. Only four months of waiting since my application went in. We met
with a psychologist (I think that’s what she said she was) called L...
Forum Discussion
Hi Brenda,
Thanks for sharing your experience in the online network. I’m sorry to hear you’ve had such a difficult time and that it’s continued for months. Unfortunately from what we have heard amongst our members your experience is not uncommon and this is backed up by some of the responses you received on you post. Many have had similar difficulties with lengthy wait times, inconsistencies and difficulties with staff.
You might be interested to learn that BCNA has recently completed some research into both return to work experiences and financial impact following 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. We will be advocating for this to happen in the coming months. 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