Hi,
I am a single mum with my little boy just about to turn 8. With the current laws, I am expected to return to work for about 15-20 hours a week. That is fine and I have had a plan in place with what I wanted to do. The problem is about 12 months ago I hurt my shoulder and over a couple of months it was pretty bad - to the point where I couldn't even lift it more than a couple of inches. My job search agency told me to get a medical certificate from my GP which I did. I have been trying do do physio but financially it has been hard. I finally managed to see an Orthopaedic surgeon who arranged for me to get a cortisone injection - which I did. The problem is that it has made the shoulder worse, especially the pain. Now Centrelink have told me that although my GP still says that I shouldn't be working, and has given me a medical certificate, I am still required to look for and accept suitable employment. I can hardly manage at home with everyday tasks, how on earth and I supposed to perform in a job?? I try not to take too many pain killers as they send me a bit loopy and I cannot afford to be like that when I am driving my children around. If I don't do what is required, ofcoarse all monies get stopped immediately.. I am so stressed out about all of this that I can't even enjoy my beautiful children! ;-(
Centrelink Misery
Centrelink Misery
Posted in:
Health & Wellbeing, Money
7 Replies
Swim teaching will be prefect for you. It's hard to start as you need to pay about 300-400 dollars to get qualified and do twenty hour volunteer but once your qualified you'll be able to work 5 days a week 9-12 ish.... If you find a good center they may allow you to have your son sit on a table and entertain himself while you so a 330-530 shifts
The impact of your shoulder will be minimal and you don't even have to know how to swim to be a swim teacher you just have to be good with kids and you will learn how to teach swimming .
I'm pretty sure you still have to prove you're 'looking' for a job, but then the medical certificate overwrites that. They just need proof that you're actively 'looking' to continue money. I knew a woman who had a bad back & had the certificate from the doctors to prove it, but so that she still got her payments, she had to still hand in resumes & prove it to Centrelink. Stupid because then if she was offered an interview she'd have to turn it down.
Go to the website and find the complaints section, and type in your problem and specifically ask to speak to a social worker. They usually get back to you relatively quickly. I had a similar issue and it turned out it was as easy as transferring me to a different payment until I recovered!
You maybe eligible for 'special benefit' the details are on the centrelink website :)
I was 7 months pregnant and had to look for work, go to the interviews, which of course never came of anything, i remember my job agency told me that it wasnt them, its centrelink, we are all complying :) so i went to my interviews, they saw my stomach, we had a laugh and i left every interview with them shaking their heads, lol ..................................... dont get me wrong, i want to work and i can now! my baby is now 2 and ive enrolled her into daycare for 4 days to start, tomorrow, Monday, and I am back to actively looking for work.................. in your condition, you may be able to do things/ work like typing? data entry? but if your shoulder is that bad, which it sounds so, you need your gp to explain that you can not work and are physically unable to and then yeh, maybe get on a different payment with centrelink :) good luck ..
Do your drs know how long this injury is likely to continue? Check out your eligibility for the disability pension. Centrelink are terrible about telling you you need to be on a different payment, they did this to me when my son became disabled (multiple severe disabilities) they wanted me to go on unemployment when it was obvious there was no way in hell I could work. I applied for the carer payment and got it, but they would never say that is what you should be on.
Centrelink and the government have an agenda which cares but naught for our suffering. In fact they should receive a medal for increasing suffering with no limit. This is their Acme. Their peak of the mountain. We are less than nothing to them. They will all burn in hell for eternity .They just managed to invent a debt for me when I have always been open and honest (unlike the govt) so now I cannot pay my rent. Create more homeless but the accounting looks good. BASTARDS!!!!