Eligibility rules for the Disability Support Pension have been updated, effective from 1 April 2023. Under the new legislation, people with mental health conditions will be able to provide evidence from a registered psychologist, rather than just a clinical psychologist, and the language around diagnosis, treatment and stabilisation of a condition has been updated to remove the word ‘permanent’ and replace ‘fully’ with ‘reasonably’. Mental Health Australia welcomes these changes in line with advice from the sector, which address some barriers for people with mental health conditions applying for the DSP. To read the explanation of proposed changes, please see the attached document.
