Chapter 43 Pensioner Status

This chapter covers details of the criteria required for a student to qualify for the Pensioner Education Supplement, along with entitlements and allowances.
 

Chapter content

This chapter contains the following topics:

Pension types and allowances

Pensioner education supplement

Entitlement

Acceptable income support for PES

Change of Status

43.1 Pension types and allowances

A pensioner student is a student receiving a pension under the Social Security Law or the Veterans' Entitlement Act 1991.

43.1.1 Orphan's pension

Students receiving orphan pensions are not regarded as pensioner students for the purposes of ABSTUDY. They are eligible to apply as independent students.

43.1.2 Allowances included as pensions

Some allowances are also considered pensions for the purpose of ABSTUDY Pensioner Education Supplement entitlements (see 43.4).

43.2 Pensioner Education Supplement

A pensioner student studying a full-time or concessional workload may be entitled to receive a Pensioner Education Supplement (no Living Allowance),

Allowances are as follows:

$62.40 a fortnight if you are:

• an approved student with a t least a 50% study load; or
• an approved student and you are either a Disability Support Pensioner or Invalidity Service Pensioner; or
• an approved student with a War Widow/er Pension receiving an invalidity income support supplement and have a dependant child.

$31.20 a fortnight if you are:

• an approved student, other than those listed above, with at least a 25 per cent work load

a sole parent or carer and you have a study load of at least 25 per cent but less than 50 per cent.

43.2.1 PES/CDEP

Parenting Payment (single) recipients on CDEP (and other pensioners joining CDEP) will lose $1 of Parenting Payment for every dollar that they earn on CDEP.

43.2.2 Part-time pensioner student

A pensioner student studying part-time may be entitled to receive the same benefits as other students on the Part-time Award if s/he is not eligible for the pensioner study load concession.

43.3 Entitlement

The types of entitlements listed below may be available to pensioner students if they meet the relevant criteria:

• Pensioner Education Supplement
• Incidentals Allowance
• Fares Allowance, and
• Away-from-base assistance.

43.4 Acceptable income support for PES

For the purposes of ABSTUDY Pensioner Education Supplement, the entitlement is available to customers receiving the following income support payments:

• FaCS Disability Support Pension
• DVA Invalidity Service Pension
• DVA carer service pension
• in the case of a person whose partner is receiving a FaCS disability support pension - a wife pension;
• a carer payment
• a parenting payment (single)
• a widow B pension
• a widow allowance
• in the case of a person who is a sole parent - a special benefit
• defence/war widow pension
• in the case of a person whose partner is receiving an DVA invalidity service pension - a partner service pension.

43.5 Change of Status

If students cease or commence to be a pensioner, their student status will vary with effect from the date on which they cease to be or become entitled to receive the pension.