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Assessing Age Pension (Blind) claims 065-04020000



This page contains information to help with assessing an Age Pension (Blind) new claim for customers who are not receiving an income support payment.

Initial contact check

For Age Pension claim processing staff only

This table describes the coding and initial contact checks when a customer lodges an Age Pension (Blind) claim.

Step

Action

1

Initial contact + Read more ...

Unless the customer is lodging a claim for Age Pension (Blind) online, only use the Assisted Customer Claim (ACC) to help these customers to submit their claim for Age Pension.

Early claims for Age Pension (Blind) can be lodged up to 13 weeks prior to qualification.

Is the customer already in receipt of another income support payment?

  • Yes, see Transfer to Age Pension (Blind). Procedure ends here
  • No, and the customer receives:
    • either a Service Pension, Veteran Payment or an Income Support Supplement (ISS) from the Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA), tell them that they are precluded from receiving Age Pension (Blind). Procedure ends here
    • a War Widow(er)’s Pension (WWP), they may be precluded from receiving Age Pension (Blind). See Multiple entitlement exclusions
    • None of the above payments, go to Step 2

2

Reports required + Read more ...

Does the customer have a report from either:

3

Permanent blindness criteria satisfied + Read more ...

See if the customer clearly meets the necessary criteria for permanent blindness.

Check if the customer has:

  • visual acuity as measured on the Snellen Scale after correction by suitable lenses of less than 6/60 in both eyes. For information on whether other ratings on the Snellen Scale qualifies the customer as being assessed as permanently blind, see Assessing permanent blindness, or
  • a field of vision constricted to ten degrees or less of arc around central fixation in the better eye, irrespective of corrected visual acuity (equivalent to 1/100 white test object)

Does the customer have a combination of visual defects resulting in the same degree of visual impairment as described in the above 2 points?

4

Permanent blindness criteria not satisfied + Read more ...

Make 2 genuine attempts to contact the customer to talk about the decision about permanent blindness criteria.

Does the customer accept the decision that they do not satisfy the permanent blindness criteria?

  • Yes, talk about possible alternative entitlements by offering the customer the option to supply additional Income and Asset documentation to apply the Income and Assets Tests for Age Pension, go to Step 7
  • No, see Rejecting a claim for Age Pension. Procedure ends here

5

Application of Income and Assets Tests + Read more ...

Customers receiving Age Pension (Blind) are paid free of the income and assets tests unless:

  • they want to claim Rent Assistance (RA), or
  • their partner wants to claim, or is receiving an income tested payment in their own right (and is not also blind)

Do the Income and Assets tests need to be applied?

6

Income and assets tests + Read more ...

For information on applying the Income Test and Assets Test for blind customers see, Income and assets tests for blind customers.

Has the customer provided all the required information for application of the Income and Assets tests for Age Pension (Blind)?

7

Required documentation + Read more ...

Has the customer supplied all the relevant information for assessment of their claim?