Assessing Age Pension (Blind) claims 065-04020000

A customer who is currently on an income support payment and wishes to transfer to Age Pension (Blind) may not need to complete a claim form. For more information on eligibility and procedures required for the transfer, see Transfer to Age Pension (Blind).

Age Pension (Blind) claims can be lodged up to 13 weeks prior to qualification for Age Pension, where customers are yet to reach Age Pension age. The start date for payment will be the date the person qualifies.

If a customer is qualified for Age Pension (Blind) but not payable on the date they lodged their claim:

• early claim provisions do not apply
• start day rules may apply a later start if a change of circumstances applies within 13 weeks of claim lodgement

See Calculating the start day general rule.

Age Pension (Blind) customers who are Age Pension age and permanently blind do not need to disclose their income and assets unless they wish to claim Rent Assistance (RA) or their partner is in receipt of or wishes to claim an income support payment in their own right, for example Carer Payment (CP), (and is not also blind).

Income and asset test free pensioners will receive the basic rate of pension and may be entitled to the Pension Supplement as well as other additional products and services.

If a customer is granted Age Pension (Blind) under a provision of an International Social Security Agreement then the direct deduction rules will apply, this includes any customer granted a New Zealand Government payment as these will also have the direct deduction rules applied.

Although foreign income would not usually affect the customer's rate of payment (if paid free of the income and assets test), Age Pension (Blind) customers are still required to pursue their comparable foreign payment entitlements.

The compensation provisions impact on Age Pension (Blind) in the same way they affect Age Pension - a direct deduction or a preclusion period may apply.

Self-Employment Allowance affects Age Pension (Blind) in the same way it affects Age Pension. Self-Employment Allowance is not assessed as income, however it is are a direct deduction.

A customer cannot receive Age Pension (Blind) and either a Service Pension, Veteran Payment, or an Income Support Supplement (ISS) from the Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA). If a customer receives a War Widow(er)'s Pension (WWP), the date of grant of the WWP will determine if they are precluded from receiving Age Pension.

If the customer receives any of the following DVA payments, they are not entitled to receive the Pension Supplement:

• War Widow(er)'s Pension
• Disability Compensation Payment at Special Rate (Totally Permanently Incapacitated (TPI))
• Extreme Disablement Adjustment
• DVA Telephone Allowance
• DVA Veteran Supplement at the Telephone Allowance (VST) or high rate (VSH)
• An increased rate of Disability Compensation Payment because of being an amputee
• Prior to 20 September 2009 - the person's partner is a World War 1 veteran. These veterans will receive a full refund of their telephone rental from DVA. In these cases a low rate of TAL is payable to the partners of these customers. This will occur unless the partner fails to qualify in their own right or the couple are illness separated. From 20 September 2009 TAL is no longer payable by DVA, it was replaced by Veterans Supplement

Customers in receipt of Age Pension (Blind) can choose to receive their Centrelink letters in an accessible format.