49CPayments during rehabilitation programs

49C Payments during rehabilitation programs

(1) While a disabled person is undertaking a rehabilitation program under Part III of the Disability Services Act, he shall be paid a rehabilitation allowance at a rate determined in accordance with subsection (2). (2) A disabled person’s rehabilitation allowance rate is the rate equal to the sum of:

(a) the rate at which disability support pension would be payable to the disabled person under the Social Security Act if the disabled person were receiving a disability support pension under that Act; and

(b) the rate at which any wife pension would be payable under that Act to another person if the disabled person were receiving a disability support pension under that Act.

Note: these rates will be worked out using the following Rate Calculators in the Social Security Act 1991:

Pension Rate Calculator A for a person who is not permanently blind;
Pension Rate Calculator B for a person who is permanently blind.

(2A) For the purposes of subsection (1):

(a) the disabled person’s ordinary income (within the meaning of the Social Security Act) is to be taken to be nil; and

(b) the other person’s ordinary income (within the meaning of the Social Security Act) is to be taken to be nil.

(3) While a disabled person is undertaking a rehabilitation program under Part III of the Disability Services Act (being a rehabilitation program that consists of, or includes, employment or vocational training), or any follow‑up program under that Part to such a rehabilitation program (being a follow‑up program in relation to which the Secretary has directed, in writing, that this section applies), he shall be paid, in addition to any rehabilitation allowance:

(a) a training allowance at the rate that would be applicable to the person if section 24 of the Disability Services Act applied in relation to the person; and

(b) where the Secretary is satisfied that it is necessary for the disabled person to live away from his usual place of abode for the purpose of undertaking the program—a living away from home allowance at the rate that would be applicable to the person if subsection 24(4) of that Act applied in relation to the person.

(5) While a disabled person is receiving a rehabilitation allowance under this Part, any social security pension or benefit (within the meaning of the Social Security Act) that would otherwise be payable to the disabled person is to be suspended.