Dr. Devesh Singh:

There is probably a perception that a disproportionate number of disability allowance applications are turned down. To some extent, the disability allowance scheme may have a higher proportion of claimants who are not deemed eligible when they initially apply than the other schemes. This could relate to the issue with information. If we get all the information in the initial claim, perhaps those figures could improve. Senator Moran raised the example of the 16 year olds who are coming off the domiciliary care allowance and being turned down for disability allowance. The disability allowance application relies on a GP report, whereas the domiciliary care allowance application contains a huge amount of information. It is more exhaustive and there is more medical information. This does not transfer to the disability allowance application. They are two separate schemes. Perhaps we could try to harmonise the information for those schemes.

The Senator also asked whether we engage with GPs. In the last seven years, especially with the new certification process, we have been engaging much more with general practitioners, both formally and informally. It is a helpful exercise because I can see some of the issues that general practitioners are facing. It is up to us to engage with each other and get that message across because they are the ones we are depending on for the information.

Senator Craughwell made a very relevant suggestion about the perception that there is a lack of trust. That was his experience, but it is not that we mistrust GPs or any medical certifier or doctor. We look for information on both the severity and the duration of the condition, which is important. General practitioners and certifiers do not seem to be aware of the Department's various schemes, so maybe they do not realise that information is essential for us to give an opinion. The Senator gave the example of back pain, asking how a medical assessor can decide how severe the back pain is. Again, I return to the composite form. It not only has the diagnosis but also information regarding who provides the medical care, what investigations are done, what treatment is given and whether any other treatment is ongoing. When I get a diagnosis of back pain, I do not look only at the back pain, but also at the treatment and the investigations. If the claimant has had an MRI scan, I would be interested to see the result of this and whether it shows significant pathology. Regarding treatment, I am interested in whether it includes several different types of strong medications or pain specialist involvement. There is enough information in the form to extract how severe the back pain is, how long it will last and how it would affect the applicant.

The Senator also asked why so much general information is required every time an application is made. That is relevant as the process of application is onerous and time-consuming. It relates to the administrative side of the Department, but I know the Department has made huge attempts to modernise its processes over the last few years. We have had the illness and disability scheme enhancement, which is a way to improve the services. Technology was a major area for improvements. Efforts have been made to streamline the information. The Department has a huge amount of information and the aim is to make it easier to access. The name of the project is BOMi4. Hopefully it will be implemented shortly and we will get that information.