Recent incredible dealings with Centrelink in regards to my application for a DSP

[Hope4tomorrow]

I've applied for a disability support pension after recently being diagnosed (unoficially), two of them by the main hospital in my city, and one by my Clinical Psychologist. It's been a 20 year wait for me to be stable enough to trust the mental health profession (I've been seeing my C psych for three years now).

I was told I'd get a phone call at 2pm for my appointment for my JCA today, and at 2:07pm I get a call that's ended before I'd even known that it rang. So naturally I'm perplexed; I call Centrelink who advise me that the interview was conducted and that the results are that I need counselling (and something else that I misheard due to the stress and confusion). I'm thinking at the time "but how is this possible, I didn't get to speak to someone. Then put on hold whilst she investigated... 15 minutes later I get hung up on whilst on hold.

I then make an official complaint using the term "corruption in My DSP application process" ( too much back info to post about why I believe there's more bias (then usual) and the content is probably not appropriate). I'm told that in some circumstances, they can do the JCA assessment WITHOUT SPEAKING TO THE CONSUMER. How is that legal let alone possible. So I then said, if they were planning on doing my JCA assessment without my input (not sure how it's legal as I've already said), then why crank call me for a split second at 2:07pm... she was speechless for a bit. She clearly didn't know what to say. She then said "I'm sorry you've been treated like this", and I could tell that she was close to tears in what I'd shared with her about myself and my issues throughout this bureaucratic nonsense in applying for a DSP, when they've been collecting a paper trail of my life for their records since I was 18. The call ended with her raising the complaint officially, which was nice at least.

Centrelink and the department of human services have lowered their bar of transparency, and respect for their consumers as they preach we do the same in return... to an all time low. They conducted the interview with me locked out so to speak which is the complete opposite of what they advised me they would do. why tell me about my upcoming assessment appointment if they had no intentions of actually giving me the interview.

what an utterly broken system. luckily I have an advocate who'll also fight for me as soon as I get the official rejection confirmation.

it's left me feeling pretty gutted to be honest. 3 wasn't enough? lmao.

[BOC64]

Hi Hope

If you have not done so already I recommend calling your local federal member of parliaments electoral office and brief them on the experience you have just had.

Best wishes

BOC

[Hope4tomorrow]

Thank you for your reply BOC64. It means a lot.

The truth is that the Government really hates me right now. This is because I'm standing up for my rights on several fronts.

Truth be told, I'm not even sure I can ring any federal members at this time. I was barred a couple of months ago. I can go in, in person though.

What I might do is actually, is get a mate to ring up on my behalf. I'm fighting evils right now in our country that not many would be brave enough to fight.

I know I sound hypermanic, and probably delusional, but with a post like mine, I hope whoever reads this, takes the post and reply(ies) from me seriously.

They're not happy that I have hard evidence of malpractice at a hospital down South in my City. Of them lying on my discharge papers (for medicating a serious drug withdrawal for me, when they DID NO SUCH THING). Even left a question mark on my discharge papes under diagnosis. They did however give me medication that only made things worse, resulting to a visit to the the central hospital in my city.

And that's just one thing. I've got an even more macabre bit of information from my hospital stay down South, but this forum isn't the place for it.

Thank you for the suggestion though, it's helped. Good help is barely possible to find these days. I'd know better than most sadly. I wish this wasn't so.

[Hope4tomorrow]

An update is that I've just been able to call the Federal member for my electorate (thank God), who are going to speak to the Department of Social Services and try to work out, has there been anything unlawful about what I've described and if not, to assist me with my dealings with them from now on.

I don't even want to deal with them anymore; they're sicker than I am and this speaks volumes to me, it really does.