Who is or more to the point, are you entitled to the Government Bonus of $250.???
And why are these dollars being distributed to certain members of our population.???
It will be a great Christmas gesture from the Government of the day.
God bless Australia.
Jay&Dee
-- Edited by JayDee on Sunday 29th of November 2020 09:06:58 AM
rgren2 said
09:15 AM Nov 29, 2020
Yes. We will get it.
Mobi Condo said
09:23 AM Nov 29, 2020
Thankfully I think my wife and I are able to get this.
But I genuinely feel greatly for those who worked hard and were successful in life without disruptions to employment through health, unforeseen multiple redundancies, ruling party changes of policies etc and so on putting them on or even well below the poverty line at times, before chance came their way to start again.
After all the successful ones also paid taxes and in some cases heaps of it.
We had massive changes through life due to illnesses, redundancies as above etc., and at age 48 obtained a 4th chance at a new career which lasted until retirement and provided four income streams (all minimal) which combined give us a reasonable life now.
A couple of relatives are self funded and as such miss out on heaps of stuff, which now renders them in the live off an oily rag category.
A very old British song has words like - " the government, promise you everything, give you nothing and take it away before you get it", may be we are going that way or gone that way now.
Possum3 said
10:39 AM Nov 29, 2020
When I did my financial planning back in early sixties the rules were to means test for pensions after age 65, no means test for persons over 70 - Buggar me they didn't expect so many of us to pass 70, so they changed the Rules in the final quarter of the game.
Radar said
12:14 PM Nov 29, 2020
we will probably get it.
Now I did have this explain to me once, I hope I am on the mark with this comment.
First off they give this bonus to people in a certain financial bracket because the government knows these people will almost rush out and spent the bonus thus spiking the financial market.
Guess what, I will not be one of them, the older I get the less I need and want. Of cause I would like a new sports car but be real I have enough trouble getting down or up from the floor alone getting into a sports car and bonus will not pay for that.
BAZZA44 said
12:51 PM Nov 29, 2020
I hope everyone knows that you can be self funded like I am and still get a health/pension card. You will not get a pension payment but will get same discounts as someone who gets Govt. pension.
Barry
erad said
01:30 PM Nov 29, 2020
"I hope everyone knows that you can be self funded like I am and still get a health/pension card. You will not get a pension payment but will get same discounts as someone who gets Govt. pension."
Wrong! I am a self funded retiree, and yes I get the medical benefits - cheaper pharmacies etc, but for the more advanced procedures eg CT scans, MRIs etc, not all the places providing these services offer discounts. Also council rates are full fare, as fare, as are driver's licences, telstra bills and quite a few other items which we miss out on. I am not complaining - I get my medicine for my respiratory condition for $6.80 and the full price is around $3000 per shot.
Tony LEE said
03:14 PM Nov 29, 2020
We got the pension card as part of the trade-off when they dropped the asset limit to half of what it was. So my pension dropped from $6.50 a fortnight to zero, but we kept all the other stuff that NSW generously gives us - Except the country energy card
BAZZA44 said
05:27 PM Nov 29, 2020
erad wrote:
Wrong! I am a self funded retiree, and yes I get the medical benefits -
I do not agree. A pension card is a pension card, does not matter what assets you have or have not. When you show that card somewhere you get whatever discounts that place gives. It will be the same for self funded and a person receiving a govt. pension.
Obviously if that place charges over the bulk billing rate you will have to pay the difference. Self funded or on a govt. pension.
MRI's, I have had one plus a couple of other tests, bulk billed, cost me nothing.
You mentioned Telstra, centrelink gives you what is called a utility allowance every year, put that towards your telstra bill
That is all Federal, now for state, that is a bit different in all states.
Here in my council area in Qld i receive discounts for -- elect, gas, water rego on one car. Council rates the same as you but we get a "state gov" allowance of $200 per year discount from our rates.
Yes I am happy with what I am getting as you are, better than nothing.
Barry
bilbo said
10:39 AM Nov 30, 2020
Barry wrote
"I do not agree. A pension card is a pension card, does not matter what assets you have or have not."
Sorry mate .......there are 2 pension cards issued by the Feds
You have the same card as me.........scripts only
There is a 2nd (diff) card for people who receive at least $1 of pension. This card gives "a lot" more than scripts eg hearing aids etc etc etc
cheers Bilbo
JeffRae said
12:36 PM Nov 30, 2020
These are the 2 cards
Under the threshold you get the PCC and a pension, over the threshold of assets (around $870,000 for a home owning couple) , you get the CSHC
I hope this thread keeps going because myself and others may find new info.
In previous posts I was referring to the pension card shown on the right of Jeff & Rae's post Now to take this further I can tell you this.
I am self funded, over in the assets, get not even $1 as a govt. pension yet I have both those cards shown. I have never been asked for or shown the CSHC on the left in Jeff & Rae's answer. I have absolutely no idea what it is for
I have free hearing aids from the govt. but not by using the CSHC.
Bilbo are you referring to the other card shown, CSHC, or something else that I do not know about.
If I am wrong then I have learnt something new.
Barry
JeffRae said
02:52 PM Nov 30, 2020
BAZZA44, at some stage you must have applied for the cards as they don't just send them if you are over pension age. The cards also have an expiry date.
If you have used the cards at doctors etc, when they are current, you are rarely asked to show them again
In WA if you have CSHC and WA Seniors Card, you get the same benefits as the PCC card. (not quite but close)
BAZZA44 said
03:00 PM Nov 30, 2020
Ok I have spent the last couple of hours trawling through Aust. Gov. websites.
I found -- There is only one PCC. It is the same for self funded retirees and someone receiving the gov. pension
I found a comparison table for the PCC AND CSHC. I don't know how to get it up here so you will have to find it yourselves.
CSHC gives you --- Reduced cost medicines under pharmaceutical benefits scheme
Bulk billing for doctors appointments.
Reduced out-of-hospital medical expenses above the concessional threshold of the Medicare Safety Net
All that plus every thing else is on the PCC -- Hearing, aust post, water, elect, etc, rego, rail,
I still do not know why I have both as all I need is the PCC. I hope this helps someone.
Barry
Tony LEE said
03:09 PM Nov 30, 2020
"Under the threshold you get the PCC and a pension, over the threshold of assets (around $870,000 for a home owning couple) , you get the CSHC"
Not entirely true because it depends on timing. If you had aged pension and lost it because of changes to the assets test, you retain the pensioner card and all its perks. It was grandfathered in an attempt to stop civil insurrection by those affected. For a while I had both cards as they tried to sort it all out.
BAZZA44 said
03:16 PM Nov 30, 2020
Thanks Tony, that works for me.
Barry
JeffRae said
02:07 PM Dec 1, 2020
Here is some relevant info from a financial advisor
Who is or more to the point, are you entitled to the Government Bonus of $250.???
And why are these dollars being distributed to certain members of our population.???
It will be a great Christmas gesture from the Government of the day.
God bless Australia.
Jay&Dee
-- Edited by JayDee on Sunday 29th of November 2020 09:06:58 AM
But I genuinely feel greatly for those who worked hard and were successful in life without disruptions to employment through health, unforeseen multiple redundancies, ruling party changes of policies etc and so on putting them on or even well below the poverty line at times, before chance came their way to start again.
After all the successful ones also paid taxes and in some cases heaps of it.
We had massive changes through life due to illnesses, redundancies as above etc., and at age 48 obtained a 4th chance at a new career which lasted until retirement and provided four income streams (all minimal) which combined give us a reasonable life now.
A couple of relatives are self funded and as such miss out on heaps of stuff, which now renders them in the live off an oily rag category.
A very old British song has words like - " the government, promise you everything, give you nothing and take it away before you get it", may be we are going that way or gone that way now.
we will probably get it.
Now I did have this explain to me once, I hope I am on the mark with this comment.
First off they give this bonus to people in a certain financial bracket because the government knows these people will almost rush out and spent the bonus thus spiking the financial market.
Guess what, I will not be one of them, the older I get the less I need and want. Of cause I would like a new sports car but be real I have enough trouble getting down or up from the floor alone getting into a sports car and bonus will not pay for that.
Barry
Wrong! I am a self funded retiree, and yes I get the medical benefits - cheaper pharmacies etc, but for the more advanced procedures eg CT scans, MRIs etc, not all the places providing these services offer discounts. Also council rates are full fare, as fare, as are driver's licences, telstra bills and quite a few other items which we miss out on. I am not complaining - I get my medicine for my respiratory condition for $6.80 and the full price is around $3000 per shot.
I do not agree. A pension card is a pension card, does not matter what assets you have or have not. When you show that card somewhere you get whatever discounts that place gives. It will be the same for self funded and a person receiving a govt. pension.
Obviously if that place charges over the bulk billing rate you will have to pay the difference. Self funded or on a govt. pension.
MRI's, I have had one plus a couple of other tests, bulk billed, cost me nothing.
You mentioned Telstra, centrelink gives you what is called a utility allowance every year, put that towards your telstra bill
That is all Federal, now for state, that is a bit different in all states.
Here in my council area in Qld i receive discounts for -- elect, gas, water rego on one car. Council rates the same as you but we get a "state gov" allowance of $200 per year discount from our rates.
Yes I am happy with what I am getting as you are, better than nothing.
Barry
Barry wrote
"I do not agree. A pension card is a pension card, does not matter what assets you have or have not."
Sorry mate .......there are 2 pension cards issued by the Feds
You have the same card as me.........scripts only
There is a 2nd (diff) card for people who receive at least $1 of pension. This card gives "a lot" more than scripts eg hearing aids etc etc etc
cheers Bilbo
These are the 2 cards
Under the threshold you get the PCC and a pension, over the threshold of assets (around $870,000 for a home owning couple) , you get the CSHC
In previous posts I was referring to the pension card shown on the right of Jeff & Rae's post Now to take this further I can tell you this.
I am self funded, over in the assets, get not even $1 as a govt. pension yet I have both those cards shown. I have never been asked for or shown the CSHC on the left in Jeff & Rae's answer. I have absolutely no idea what it is for
I have free hearing aids from the govt. but not by using the CSHC.
Bilbo are you referring to the other card shown, CSHC, or something else that I do not know about.
If I am wrong then I have learnt something new.
Barry
If you have used the cards at doctors etc, when they are current, you are rarely asked to show them again
In WA if you have CSHC and WA Seniors Card, you get the same benefits as the PCC card. (not quite but close)
I found -- There is only one PCC. It is the same for self funded retirees and someone receiving the gov. pension
I found a comparison table for the PCC AND CSHC. I don't know how to get it up here so you will have to find it yourselves.
CSHC gives you --- Reduced cost medicines under pharmaceutical benefits scheme
Bulk billing for doctors appointments.
Reduced out-of-hospital medical expenses above the concessional threshold of the Medicare Safety Net
All that plus every thing else is on the PCC -- Hearing, aust post, water, elect, etc, rego, rail,
I still do not know why I have both as all I need is the PCC. I hope this helps someone.
Barry
Barry
Here is some relevant info from a financial advisor
Iza
Ive had all the previous bonus from the good Govt so would I now miss out, because I wont