Lost Australian disability pension in Thailand

[caller]

I have no problem with any govt detecting people fraudulently claiming benefits, but I'm quite shocked to see that Aussie OAPs lose their pension if they live abroad - is that correct? Shocking. Not likely to happen in the UK, I hope?

Somebody mentioned UK civil service pensions - what's the score there, Margaret?

I think its the same issue as for the UK, the pension is frozen once you declare you have moved abroad - you just don't get the annual increases.

I don't know what happened in Spain last year, but what I understood was that they offered a free hotline from Spain to report scammers?

It could all be easily stopped if they considered what reporting was needed? Most benefits are now paid by BACS and unless you are signing on as unemployed, everyhting is done either on-line or by post.

I'm sure that the planned design of the new 'universal credit' which is scheduled to replace current benefits for new claims for various tax credits, sickness and disability things, job seekers allowance and Housing Benefit, from 2013 and all current claimants by 2017, will cover this. So there's only a short shelf-life for what folk are currently doing to rip off the system. Well, that will be the theory anyway!

[lindosfan1]

Your UK pension is not frozen if you are resident in the EU. Your civil service pension is not affected no matter where you live, you are taxed on that as if resident in thee UK.

[caller]

Your UK pension is not frozen if you are resident in the EU.

Yes, thanks for clarifying that. Its the same for certain other Countries as well, but not Thailand.

[bapak]

I have no problem with any govt detecting people fraudulently claiming benefits, but I'm quite shocked to see that Aussie OAPs lose their pension if they live abroad - is that correct? Shocking. Not likely to happen in the UK, I hope?

Somebody mentioned UK civil service pensions - what's the score there, Margaret?

Australian Old Age Pensioners do not lose their pension if living abroad. In fact there is a CentreLink department that just takes care of such people with toll free number. You only lose your pharmaceutical benefits if out of Australia for more than 6 months but immediately restored on return.

[Nereus]

I have no problem with any govt detecting people fraudulently claiming benefits, but I'm quite shocked to see that Aussie OAPs lose their pension if they live abroad - is that correct? Shocking. Not likely to happen in the UK, I hope?

Somebody mentioned UK civil service pensions - what's the score there, Margaret?

Australian Old Age Pensioners do not lose their pension if living abroad. In fact there is a CentreLink department that just takes care of such people with toll free number. You only lose your pharmaceutical benefits if out of Australia for more than 6 months but immediately restored on return.

Do you receive the pension? Sorry, unless it has changed in the last few months you are completely wrong. Try and claim it and see what happens!

[bapak]

I have no problem with any govt detecting people fraudulently claiming benefits, but I'm quite shocked to see that Aussie OAPs lose their pension if they live abroad - is that correct? Shocking. Not likely to happen in the UK, I hope?

Somebody mentioned UK civil service pensions - what's the score there, Margaret?

Australian Old Age Pensioners do not lose their pension if living abroad. In fact there is a CentreLink department that just takes care of such people with toll free number. You only lose your pharmaceutical benefits if out of Australia for more than 6 months but immediately restored on return.

Do you receive the pension? Sorry, unless it has changed in the last few months you are completely wrong. Try and claim it and see what happens!

I have been in receipt of the AOP for over13 years... 9 of which while living in Thailand, so I think that I can speak with some authority

[dtaai-maai]

Your civil service pension is not affected no matter where you live, you are taxed on that as if resident in thee UK.

Thanks for that reassurance, lindosfan. I was having a little trouble breathing for a while yesterday...!

[Nereus]

I have been in receipt of the AOP for over13 years... 9 of which while living in Thailand, so I think that I can speak with some authority

Then you are breaking the law, and if caught up with you will have to pay it back.

http://www.centrelink.gov.au/internet/i ... m#claimaus

How do I claim an Australian pension while outside Australia
If you are living in an agreement country, you can claim an Australian pension by:
· visiting the relevant offices of the social security authority in any agreement country
· telephoning Centrelink International Services on our International numbers[13], or
· downloading our International claim forms[14].
You cannot claim an Australian pension unless you are residing in Australia OR an agreement country.
Note: If you are claiming certain Australian payments, including Age Pension[6], you (and your partner if applicable) must take steps to get a pension from the country you lived in, or provide a reason why a claim would be unsuccessful.

Current International Social Security Agreements
Australia currently has 26 bilateral international social security agreements.

Austria | Belgium | Canada | Chile | Croatia | Cyprus | Czech |Denmark | Finland | Germany | Greece | Ireland | Italy | Japan | Korea | Malta | Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia | The Netherlands | New Zealand | Norway | Poland | Portugal | Slovenia | Spain | Switzerland | United States of America
All these agreements are based on the concept of shared responsibility. Shared responsibility agreements are reciprocal. Partner countries under each agreement make concessions against their social security qualification rules so that people covered by the agreement may access payments for which they might otherwise fail to qualify. In this way, responsibility for social security is shared between the countries where a person has lived during their working years and the person is able to unlock potential entitlements. Generally, a pension from one country can be accessed in the second country, although the paying country maintains some discretion in the currency and delivery mechanisms used.

Under these agreements, Australia equates social insurance periods/residence in those countries with periods of Australian residence in order to meet the minimum qualifying periods for Australian pensions. The other countries generally count periods of Australian working life residence as periods of social insurance in order to meet their minimum qualifying periods for payment. Usually, each country will pay a part pension to a person who has lived in both countries.

And as usual, we get posters that know nothing about it, are not Australians, have no knowledge of the Australian law, posting their assumptions. This thread is NOT about the UK, try and read the caption.

[bapak]

I have been in receipt of the AOP for over13 years... 9 of which while living in Thailand, so I think that I can speak with some authority

Then you are breaking the law, and if caught up with you will have to pay it back.

http://www.centrelink.gov.au/internet/i ... m#claimaus

How do I http://www.centrelink.gov.au/internet/i ... m#claimaus

If you are living in an agreement country, you can claim an Australian pension by:
· visiting the relevant offices of the social security authority in any agreement country
· telephoning Centrelink International Services on our International numbers[13], or
· downloading our International claim forms[14].
You cannot claim an Australian pension unless you are residing in Australia OR an agreement country.
Note: If you are claiming certain Australian payments, including Age Pension[6], you (and your partner if applicable) must take steps to get a pension from the country you lived in, or provide a reason why a claim would be unsuccessful.

Current International Social Security Agreements
Australia currently has 26 bilateral international social security agreements.

Austria | Belgium | Canada | Chile | Croatia | Cyprus | Czech |Denmark | Finland | Germany | Greece | Ireland | Italy | Japan | Korea | Malta | Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia | The Netherlands | New Zealand | Norway | Poland | Portugal | Slovenia | Spain | Switzerland | United States of America
All these agreements are based on the concept of shared responsibility. Shared responsibility agreements are reciprocal. Partner countries under each agreement make concessions against their social security qualification rules so that people covered by the agreement may access payments for which they might otherwise fail to qualify. In this way, responsibility for social security is shared between the countries where a person has lived during their working years and the person is able to unlock potential entitlements. Generally, a pension from one country can be accessed in the second country, although the paying country maintains some discretion in the currency and delivery mechanisms used.

Under these agreements, Australia equates social insurance periods/residence in those countries with periods of Australian residence in order to meet the minimum qualifying periods for Australian pensions. The other countries generally count periods of Australian working life residence as periods of social insurance in order to meet their minimum qualifying periods for payment. Usually, each country will pay a part pension to a person who has lived in both countries.

And as usual, we get posters that know nothing about it, are not Australians, have no knowledge of the Australian law, posting their assumptions. This thread is NOT about the UK, try and read the caption.

If you think that I am breaking the law, then as a good citizen, you should report me...CentreLink have a free number.

http://www.centrelink.gov.au/internet/i ... m#claimaus has no relevance to me as I applied whilst living in Australia.. It relates to an application made whilst out of Australia.

[Nereus]

If you think that I am breaking the law, then as a good citizen, you should report me...CentreLink have a free number.

http://www.centrelink.gov.au/internet/i ... m#claimaus has no relevance to me as I applied whilst living in Australia.. It relates to an application made whilst out of Australia.

I am not going to "report" you, although there are disgruntled people who will.

You are also claiming to run a business as well! Maybe you should teach English comprehension. READ what it says. It has nothing to do with WHERE you made the original application.

It is exactly because of people like you that the rules and regulations have been implemented.

Want to get your nose out of the sand? Go to that other big Website in Thailand and have a read, or get somebody to read it for you!

[margaretcarnes]

I have no problem with any govt detecting people fraudulently claiming benefits, but I'm quite shocked to see that Aussie OAPs lose their pension if they live abroad - is that correct? Shocking. Not likely to happen in the UK, I hope?

Somebody mentioned UK civil service pensions - what's the score there, Margaret?

We were as Richard says talking about Disability benefits - but FYI UK Civil Service pensions are perfectly safe wherever the pensioner lives, and still get the annual increase abroad (for what its worth!)
UK State Pensions aren't lost, but a frozen at the amount being payed when the pensioner moves to SOME other countries, of which Oz, NZ and Thailand are a few. But that rule only applies if the pensioner gives up UK residency - ie sells up with the intent of living permanently abroad. If the pensioner retains property/interests in the UK and spends 6 months there a year they are in a grey area. A woman in NZ won a case to keep full UK State Pension rights because she split her time 50/50 between NZ and the UK and owned property in both countries, but it remains a dodgy area of law.

[ozuncle]

A very short look at the Centrelink website revealed that the disability pension will only be paid for 13 weeks, except for certain cases such as terminally ill.

You should have checked that out before heading overseas.

Your only option is to return to Australia and reapply.

The old age pension is entirely different and I think it is worth a seperate thread.
I have not looked into it fully but I do know that a lot depends on the length of time you have resided in Aus, and that after 26 weeks overseas they will reduce the amount.
I THINK that if you return every 6 months for a short time you will continue being paid.

[Big Boy]

Rather than hijack this thread to talk about UK pensions, I've moved the UK pensions element here viewtopic.php?f=9&t=18929

[Nereus]

Rather than hijack this thread to talk about UK pensions, I've moved the UK pensions element here viewtopic.php?f=9&t=18929

Thank you Big Boy, can rely on you to show some sense.

[bapak]

If you think that I am breaking the law, then as a good citizen, you should report me...CentreLink have a free number.

http://www.centrelink.gov.au/internet/i ... m#claimaus has no relevance to me as I applied whilst living in Australia.. It relates to an application made whilst out of Australia.

I am not going to "report" you, although there are disgruntled people who will.

You are also claiming to run a business as well! Maybe you should teach English comprehension. READ what it says. It has nothing to do with WHERE you made the original application.

It is exactly because of people like you that the rules and regulations have been implemented.

Want to get your nose out of the sand? Go to that other big Website in Thailand and have a read, or get somebody to read it for you!

I dislike having to keep on the defensive about this but I would welcome you to prove that I am receiving the OAP illegally. Also, for your information.. where did I claim to run a business. I am 79 years of age, married to a lovely Thai/Australian, who happens to own a school.... and said lady asks me from time to time to make some entries on the Forum on behalf of her school.