Mobility Allowance is provided to help with transport expenses and may be paid to people with a disability who are required to travel to and from their home in order to undertake gainful employment, vocational training, job search activities or voluntary work. To receive Mobility Allowance, a person must be unable to use public transport without substantial assistance due to their disability (physical, psychiatric or intellectual), either permanently or for an extended period. In addition, they must be either:
“Gainful employment” can be any paid work whether it is a paid job, sheltered employment, self-employment, carrying on a profession, trade or business or an employment programme funded by the Department of Health and Aged Care. Centrelink should accept that a person is gainfully employed when they are undertaking an average of eight hours per week (work or training) in a four week period.
Training is regarded as “vocational training” if it would assist the person in obtaining paid (or voluntary) work as long as the person has the ability to undertake, and an intention to obtain, work. There is a broad definition of “vocational training” so that undertaking a course teaching independent living skills or life skills training may qualify the person for Mobility Allowance. Programs funded by the Commonwealth Rehabilitation Service are not accepted as vocational training for this purpose.
The person must need “substantial assistance” to use public transport. This requirement will be satisfied when, for example, the person is blind, uses a walking frame or wheelchair or needs some other special arrangement (eg a person with an intellectual disability needing a support person) to use public transport. A report by the person’s treating doctor will be used to make the assessment whether “substantial assistance” is required. The “substantial assistance” must be required for at least a year.
Actual use of public transport or the cost of travel are irrelevant in deciding whether a person qualifies for Mobility Allowance.
The person's treating doctor must complete a questionnaire which contains questions to determine the scale of a person’s “functional disability". These questions can be misunderstood by doctors and should not be used as the final determinant in deciding whether Mobility Allowance should be paid.
It is essential that the claimant provide as much information and medical evidence as is available to show that substantial assistance is needed to use public transport. Centrelink can refer these matters for assessment by a Job Capacity Assessor. Claimants and their advisers are encouraged to discuss claims with Centrelink and have the decision reviewed by an Authorised Review Officer if necessary (see Chapter 48).
A person who is qualified to receive Mobility Allowance can obtain a 26 week advance of their entitlement once in each twelve month period. Where the person ceases to be eligible for Mobility Allowance during the period represented by the advance, recovery of the amount is not sought.
Mobility Allowance was previously paid at a single, "standard" rate but since 1 July 2006 there have been two rates payable.
There are no income or assets tests for Mobility Allowance, whether or not the person receives an income support payment. Payment may be made in advance, for a period of 26 weeks.
People who receive Disability Support Pension, and people with a disability who receive Newstart Allowance or Youth Allowance (who are 16 or over and are not “New Apprentices” or undertaking full-time study), may qualify for the higher rate of $104 per fortnight where:
Centrelink requires Disability Support Pensioners to enter into an Activity Agreement in order to receive the higher rate of Mobility Allowance.
In certain circumstances a Mobility Allowance recipient receiving the higher rate may continue to receive the higher rate for a further period of 12 weeks after the cancellation of their Disability Support Pension. For the higher rate to continue, the person's Disability Support Pension must have ceased due to the person having commenced work. Whether the higher rate remains payable is also subject to further criteria which differ according whether their pension was paid under the "new" (post 1 July 2006) rules, or the "old" rules (see Chapter 37), and the number of hours of work undertaken.
In certain circumstances, Mobility Allowance may also continue to be paid at the higher rate for a further period of 12 weeks where a person's Newstart Allowance or Youth Allowance ceases to be payable because of employment.
Where a person does not qualify for the higher rate, Mobility Allowance is payable at the lower "standard" rate of $74.30 per fortnight.
Full reviews of ongoing qualification for Mobility Allowance are undertaken by Centrelink annually.
