29. Centrelink Saga

On Friday Dr Man gave me the medical certificate for Centrelink so I could apply for Jobseeker as I am not allowed to work while I am going through chemo and other treatments. When I got home from the appointment I went to MyGov and then to my Centrelink account. Not quite easy to find WHERE to apply for jobseeker but figured it out after a few minutes. As I had been on AuStudy for the last three years I didn't have to upload all my identity documents and there were just some extra questions to confirm some details. Was I still single? Did I have another name? Was I living in the same place? Was my phone number the same?

Some of the questions were ambiguous or confusing. "Do you own a house?" No. Then later on "Have you sold your house in the last year?" ummmmmm, no! I am employed but not currently working. I have worked and so had to put in details of last shift worked, average pay....that was weird as my first payslip was for 1 shift and my second was for 4 shifts but I drove up to Narrabri so had extra claim added. Anyway, I put in what I thought might be considered average. Lots of questions. Where was I living? Who was I living with? Status of who owns where I live. Am I paying rent? Am I getting any income other than work? Can I work? No. Why? I had to choose 'other' and then added why. I just wrote the details on the medical certificate. So....many....questions.....!!!

I eventually got to the end of it all and confirmed that to the best of my knowledge the answers were correct. Next comes the uploading of my medical certificate. But...there was also a request for a SU001 employer separation form. I look this up and it is if you have left your employment and the employer has to fill it out. Didn't I say I was still employed? Maybe I put in something that indicated that I wasn't? There was a questions asking if my job would be held for me (as far as I know it will be - I haven't heard from anyone from Whiddon since the start of January). Maybe I had ticked no. Anyway, there was a section that said if you need help filling out the form then to call Centrelink.

Enter stupidity!!! I called the number, a computer voice tells me to read out my CRN which I did. "I'm sorry, I did not get that, please repeat." I do again, enunciating more. "I'm sorry but this session has been suspended". WHAT!!!! Are you kidding me?!?! I try again, same thing. I try a third time, same thing. GAAAAHHHHHHH! Centrelink at Sutherland closes at 4.30pm. It was now 4.44pm. Bloody hell. I look at my calendar for Monday. Blood test, ultrasound, massage. Busy!. Centrelink opens at 8.30am. Maybe if I go straight away I might not have to wait long and can still make it to the blood test. I remember that the blood clinic opens at 7am so I could go do that and then come back. If I can get out of bed that early....probably not likely.

Monday comes along. I have decided to try Centrelink first. I get up to Sutherland just after 8.30am. I go in the front door and a man uses a sweeping gesture and almost bows at me to go to reception. That's rather sweet. The lady at the desk - not so much. She was rude and snooty. "Do you have an appointment?' she huffs out. No. "What's your CRN number?" (Mentally I think CRN means Centrelink Records Number so she just said number twice. I file that away to counteract the sneeringness of her tone of voice.). I tell her what it is, hoping that she at least will understand what I am saying. She does.

Looking down at her computer she says "What do you want from Centrelink today?" Should it have been "How may we help you at Centrelink today?" Anyway, let's not make her even grumpier. I tell her that I have been applying online for Jobseeker. She butts in "You have to do that online." Yes, I - know - that - did you not just hear what I was saying before you rudely interrupted me? Humphf. I start again. "I have applied online and came to the section where I have to upload documents. I have a medical certificate to say I can not work but I am unsure about the SU001 employer separation form as I am currently employed. She gets a little less snooty and says I need to write out of declaration and sign it and add it to the dropbox instead of the SU001 form. Ok, that's simple enough. I hope she is right. I thank her and she doesn't reply. Wow, it's the morning, what is she going to be like by the end of the day? Maybe she didn't sleep well. Maybe she has some other issue. Who knows. Everyone has their own shit to handle. Just not quite so good for a person working reception at Centrelink.

I made it to my blood test and then ultrasound. It was the same lady who had done my mammogram and ultrasound before. She recognised me and asked how I was doing and what had happened. When I gave her the run down she said it was nice to hear as most of the time she never knows the outcome. She said she could tell from my scans that it was a high possibility it was cancer and felt sad for me when I left. For this scan though she thinks it probably is just a fatty lump. I shall call it Felicity. I'll get final results from my GP next Monday.

I get home and write my declaration and upload it to my profile. Next I have to make a phone appointment. Thank goodness that isn't me calling them again, I can choose a date and time online. I choose Tuesday (as in tomorrow) from between 3pm and 4pm. I figure I should be done chemo by then and hope I'm not feeling to rat shit for the phone interview.

Rona from Centrelink calls around 3.30pm. She is nice. We go through certain details to confirm that I am me. Then she says that she has to go through a bunch of the questions I have filled out so that they can get a recording declaration that it is true. After a few questions it gets to a point where I figure she hasn't read through it yet or read my medical certificate. I tell her about it and so she puts me on hold and goes and reads it. She comes back and says she is very sorry about the cancer diagnosis and was hoping I was feeling ok and was I well enough to continue the phone call. Nice of her to ask. My head was aching and I was getting very tired but I wanted to finish. There was a whole bunch of other generic questions she had to answer about work and looking for work etc but they didn't really apply to me. Being medically exempt.

She says that I have been approved for Jobseeker and I won't have to do the seeking part, so no applying for 20 jobs a month or doing 100 points worth of training a month. I've been approved for the maximum $668 a fortnight pay and my first pay will be Feb 6th. I'd just missed out by one day for this current pay period. So my first pay will be $561. She then said she had to code everything and could she ring me back in about 15 mins. Yep, that was fine. She did and said it was all done and I would get an alert on my Centrelink app and to confirm it when I did. Then I would get something in the mail as well with all the details. She again thanked me for my time and said she hoped my treatment goes well. I was very happy to get a nice person after grumpy pants reception lady.

I did get an alert in about 5 mins. I confirmed everything and a few days before my pay date I need to report any income I have made even if it is zero so that I get my pay. I've added that to my calendar so I don't forget that one. I hope that there is an alert notification on the app too. On jobseeker you can work up to $150 a fortnight without losing any of your full amount. Up from $150-$250 you lose 50c on each dollar over the $150 and then after that it gets more complicated.

So the saga wasn't quite as annoying as I thought it might turn out to be and I am very happy and relieved that it is done and I don't have to think about my finances much until Nov 1st, or maybe a bit beforehand in case it needs to be extended. I thought I was done with Centrelink after graduating and having a job but I am glad that it is again an option that will help me concentrate on my health as much as I can with limited financial stress.