For those that got approved...

Sorry, I don't follow.

Leaving out the surgery - don't as release money tonpay back loans???

Yeah she's a keeper ;-) In all seriousness, she's very supportive and great.

How sweet is your mum?

Maybe just resubmit a completely new application, omit the savings and now note that the money is borrowed from a relative and requires repayment? (or just leave that bit out and see what comes of a straight forward application without the savings noted on it first?) Maybe it might be enough 'changed circumstances' for them and might even land on the desk of a decent assessor....

What ever happens I hope that you manage to get hold of your money somehow. At least your mum is a possible backup. That is lovely of her.

Firie75 - aww you didn't offend me at all. It was a rushed reply on my behalf bc I was getting my son ready for school :) And yep, you're absolutely right that that's where the problem is coming from. I remember actually saying to them "would I have been better off not being honest and NOT declaring that 5K?" and they couldn't give me a straight answer.

Asimov - I was under the impression I could apply again, BUT, I just got the official "denied" letter today and it says that "if you feel your circumstances change in the future you may apply again" but that "this particular application has now been exhausted".

briohne - "I believe - like most govt departments it boils down to who serves you - and then no one wants to disagree with the first person... " I'm REALLY starting to believe that!

So back up plan... (and nope we can;t do a personal loan because we can't afford the repayments :( )...my mum has just now sent me an email saying that she was saving some NRMA shares for my sons (I suppose as part of a future inheritance) but she realises now that the best gift she could give them is a healthy and happy mum so she's offered to sell them and pay for my surgery. I don't think I've done as much crying as I've done in the past few days! I'm still going to pursue APRA in the hope of paying her back (and her getting the money still isn't final - it's an offer and a suggestion at this stage).

Suzy, apologies if my previous post was offensive to you, It was not intended that way. It would be my first line of advice to anyone putting thier first application in.

Correct me if I am wrong, but from what you are saying, you have declared $5K in 'savings' that is already budgeted for outgoing expenses and refills when your husband and bills get paid. Therefore it really isn't savings if it is already budgeted out in advance and does not remain. If this is the case, I think then that I would not have declared it on my form as savings. Is this where the problem is coming from? Is it possible to start over and not declare savings?

Suzyhomemaker,
Why can't you apply again? Surely APRA can't discriminate against you like that? I had a hell of a time getting $7110 out of them, my application went for assessment three times (with additional information added each time) and I got to the point where it was humiliating and felt like I was grovelling for access to my own money. I cried over the phone on more than one occasion and I did tell them that I felt like I was being forced to beg. It's awful and I can really appreciate where you're coming from. I'm sure that I read somewhere that you can try again, but I don't remember where I read it (so many forms and pieces of paper). Is it possible to take out a small personal loan? Don't give up!
Sarah

I believe - like most govt departments it boils down to who serves you - and then no one wants to disagree with the first person...

Sure is unfair Susie homemaker!!

Whats your back up plan?

Firie75 - when people mention providing stat decs it's because their first application has been denied and the next assessor has asked for it. In my case, the second assessor also denied my application and the independant reviewer asked for bank statements. Like you, I provided the forms and appropriate letters initially.

All I did was fill out my form and provide my GP and Surgeons letters. Nothing else. We also have mortgage and other smaller loans (car loan and credit card) that I added into the expenses. I guess basically I was able to show that our incomes pay everything that is required, but not enough to save for the op on a short space of time.

I think my main advice to anyone applying for release of super is to keep it simple. I think sometimes when we add more and more 'evidence' and stat decs etc to our applications than necessary we can sometimes complicate and confuse things. the form stated that I was to send the letter from my GP and Surgeon so that is all I sent with it. I think keeping it as simple as possible sometimes helps to make the processing quicker by reducing the amount of information they need to wade through, add up and get confused.

I know :(



The stupid thing is that it DOES get depleted. I declared that we had 5k at the time bc at the time of filling in the form that's how much we had. I then explained that this depletes down to next to nothing and then refills again as bills get paid and my husband gets paid.

That's terrible!!! Can you deplete the funds on your expenses and then reapply,? It just seems ridiculous when that money is ear marked for something else???

Thanks J. Sounds like a similar situation to us. We have enough money for a mortgage etc but not enough to pay for surgery AND uphold payment of our bills. I did the stat dec. Didn't work for me :(

I know myself personally when I applied provided them with numerous things I'd paid off in the 6 months prior to applying.. Such as a 8k credit card from spending 11 months in the UK, phone bills, sleep study payments, cpap hire and all the other tests of which I wasn't covered for under my PHI. So I sent in copies of my bank statements along with copies of my bills and pretty much proving everything I could to them that I was trying to do the right thing financially but I couldn't do both save and pay off my debts at the time.

I then had to write out a stat dec explaining my situation because even though I have a really well paying job there was just no way I could of saved the money I needed in the time I had before the surgery.

Fucking hell :'( I rang and was told the independant reviewer denied the application. That's it. It's over. I can't apply again. The asshole said he would CALL me (this was 5 weeks ago) to discuss my application.

They've "assured" me I'll get a call from a supervisor within 48 hours. I said I didn't believe that would happen given their track record or not returning calls.

I don't know what to do :(

Would you mind briefly explaining your claim to me? I'm seeing other people get approved and I'm confused why I'm not.

I claimed that I have 5K in the bank (but that it's dedicated to budgeted expenses - which I outlined). I claimed that our expenses are greater than our incomings (which has meant our bank account has decreased a lot over the last years and bounces down to almost nothing to just enough) - again I've provided evidence of this. I'm asking for $4950 and they've declined me twice and it's now in the hands of an independant reviewer who has not returned my calls for FIVE WEEKS. Myself and my husband have spoken to supervisors on two different occasions who have assured us the reviewer will call that day and its never happened.

I don't want to piss anyone off (at APRA) but will be calling today for a supervisor and telling them I'm going to put in a formal complaint if this isn't dealt with. Ironic thing is the complaint would probably be processed faster than my claim.



/end rant