Centrelink Bereavement Statement 099-02030010

The name of a deceased person who is of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander descent, is generally extremely sensitive information.

Staff must only ask for the Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander deceased person’s name when it is essential for the agency's purposes. In some cases, in Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities, it is important that close relatives are not asked to discuss, write down, or see written, the name of the Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander deceased person.

If such information becomes relevant, when a close relative is being interviewed, or asked to complete a form, consent must be requested to collect the information from another source, (for example, community council and/or hospital/clinic records).

For more details, see:

• Indigenous naming conventions
• Cultural considerations when someone dies

A Bereavement Statement is issued if a surviving partner is receiving a pension. The exception is if their pension is due to cease at the end of the bereavement period.

The deceased partner does not have to have been receiving an allowance or payment. The Bereavement Statement is issued:

• 8 weeks after the deceased partner's date of death, or
• the date of coding the death action, when it’s more than 8 weeks from date of death notification

The Bereavement Statement provides

• a summary of the income and assets held in the surviving partner's name at the date of issue
• a summary of the income and assets held in the deceased customer's name at their date of death.
• the executor or administrator with information to help with grant of probate and finalisation of the estate.

The Bereavement Statement helps the surviving partner:

• compare their actual circumstances to the details Services Australia has recorded, taking into account any recently acquired assets from their partner's estate
• notify Services Australia of their current income and asset details to make sure they get the correct rate of payment.

If the surviving partner updates their income and asset details after receiving the Bereavement Statement, they will not need to complete the bereavement review.