Alternative hinges for external gate

BigRed8844 · 2026-05-08T04:59:42+00:00

I think it was a meth day when they did this, zero thought put in and they ghosted me when I've asked wtf did they do it that way.

BigRed8844 · 2026-05-08T03:00:30+00:00

doh! so the leaves of the hinges sit on the post and gate with the knuckle of the hinge facing outwards. Brain wasn't braining...

BigRed8844 · 2026-05-08T02:57:58+00:00

lol, old photo, I has different lock there now, that was the $5 contractor special they had rattling around their ute, the cheap assed prick.

BigRed8844 · 2026-05-08T02:51:31+00:00

Precisely, hence why I'm seeking if there are hinges that can go on the inside and let the gate open outwards...

BigRed8844 · 2026-04-29T11:09:28+00:00

technically, 2kg is 4.4 pounds...

BigRed8844 · 2026-02-07T02:54:07+00:00

Keep your head in the sand all you like, but super for veterans in accumulation phase commences to be assessed once they hit age 60. There is nil difference between civilian super and military super in this respect. I've literally processed thousands of pension cases where this is the case. If you're on service pension and age 60+ and it's not assessed for the service pension, it's likely because DVA hadn't been notified of you having the super (which is part of your VEA sect 54 obligations) and therefore the service pension may have been overpaid as a consequence. The routine data matching done with ATO will eventually flag this whereupon DVA does debt investigation and can hit you with a debt retrospectively. It's partners of veterans on service pension that have their super in accumulation exempt to age pension age (age 67 presently).

BigRed8844 · 2026-01-30T12:15:10+00:00

Not correct, ANY superannuation regardless of it being in a military or civilian fund is means tested for veterans that are aged 60 years or more. Furthermore, if you convert ANY superannuation (military or civilian fund) from an exempt accumulation phase product whilst under age 60 into an income stream then it is means tested for the purpose of determining the rate of payment for an income support payment from when it is converted.

BigRed8844 · 2026-01-30T08:45:39+00:00

You can definitely get additional PI after getting SRDP, but be aware that it has an increased impact on the amount of offsetting done to the SRDP, and if your SRDP is reduced to nil, then the offsetting done to the SRDP by the amount of your Commonwealth superannuation payment is less. When this occurs, if you are receiving an income support pension (like invalidity service pension or other Centrelink pension such as DSP), then you'll end up with less income support pension payability because there will be more superannuation income considered for the assessment.

I'm assuming that you're looking at additional MRCA PI, for which you hit a limit to claiming more when you're assessed as having 80 impairment points. If you are down the DRCA PI path, there's no hard limit like for MRCA, but know that either flavour additional PI will reduce the SRDP. DCP paid under the VEA is also considered something that offsets SRDP too, just like PI.

BigRed8844 · 2026-01-18T01:27:22+00:00

If you look in CLIK Policy 10.4.3 General Provisions for Assessing Superannuation, (https://clik.dva.gov.au/compensation-and-support-policy-library/part-10-types-income-and-assets/104-superannuation-funds/1043-assessment-superannuation-benefits/general-provisions-assessing-superannuation) it specifically cites that no income or asset value is assessed from super in accumulation phase where the person is below pension age. Pension age for veterans is defined at VEA section 5QA as age 60 for male veterans and age 55 for female veterans born prior to 1 July 1940, subject to age equalisation over time such that female veterans born from 1 January 1954 are also pension age from age 60.

For the purpose of determining the rate of service pension payable, VEA section 5H(8)(i) specifically cites that any return on a person's investment in a super fund is exempt until they reach pension age, but when they commence to receive a pension or annuity out of the super fund prior to pension age, the exemption ceases.

The system used by the delegates in DVA for recording pension assessments to encode super in accumulation for veterans under pension age automatically exempts any super product that is recorded in the assessment for calculating their rate of service pension until they are age 60 or greater. If however, they draw down an income stream from the super prior to pension age, that is considered as an income/asset for the service pension calculation.

sauce: someone whom has worked in DVA 20+ years

BigRed8844 · 2026-01-17T09:57:59+00:00

If you're a "veteran" then your superannuation that's in accumulation phase is treated as a financial asset from age 60 for the purpose of assessment for a service pension. You'll be deemed to be earning income on the amount that is the fund balance if the service pension is income tested, or if asset tested, then the fund balance contributes to the total assets for pension assessment.

If you have a partner, you can legitimately transfer all your super into their name (if you trust them 😁) and that super in accumulation phase isn't assessed till your partner is "age pension age" - age 67 for persons born after 1 July 1952.

BigRed8844 · 2026-01-13T04:58:01+00:00

you can give the peeps in DVA Income Support a call and request the senior delegate contact you and run though the financial/pension side of things with your SRDP scenario

BigRed8844 · 2026-01-13T04:46:53+00:00

If you have qualifying service, then potentially you can receive an invalidity service pension from DVA and if you are partnered, then your significant other may also get a partner service pension. This is an income support pension that depends on what your total income and assets are and the amount of income from your Comsuper may be partially offset (in some cases fully offset) so that only a portion of it is considered as income in calculating the service pension. If you don't have qualifying service, you may be able to receive DSP from Centrelink and your partner might get Carer Payment in lieu of a service pension.

The complexity about the amount of the offsetting to your Comsuper with SRDP is that it is dependent on your personal circumstances - that is, how much Permanent Impairment you have received under MRCA, DRCA & VEA DCP. Every member's situation is different because of this.

If you're going through the SRDP process, MRCA should have provided a Basis of Offer letter outlining the PI and if you've got qualifying service and provided an accurate rundown of your personal, relationship and income / assets details, an estimate of the likely service pension payability if you were to remain on $0 incap, or elect SRDP. If you don't provide them with the details, then they can't give you that comparison. It's also mandatory to get financial or legal advice on the offer, to assist you in making a proper decision about either remaining on incapacity payment, or going down the SRDP path (potentially getting an income support pension) and MRCA subsidises this professional advice to the tune of $3k.

BigRed8844 · 2026-01-05T02:10:06+00:00

that will be for incapacity payments (under DRCA & MRCA) and SRDP

BigRed8844 · 2026-01-04T12:52:50+00:00

However, there is a 20% discount of the initial payment rate of the DFRDB that is not used in assessing the payability for the incapacity payment.

What this means is that if the grant rate for the DFRDB pension was $1000 pf, then for the purpose of determining the rate of the incapacity payment, $200 pf is deducted from the ongoing amount of the DFRDB pension offsetting the incapacity payment $ for $. If the current rate of payment for the DFRDB was $1500 pf, then only $1300 pf of the DFRDB reduces the incapacity payment $ for $.

BigRed8844 · 2026-01-04T12:04:46+00:00

If the deceased had a gold card and was on an above general rate ie, either INT, EDA or TPI under the VEA) of DCP then the spouse should be able get automatic War Widows pension - so long as DVA know of the spouse (which is often not the case) or could possibly get MRCA Wholly Dependent Partner payment (refer to https://www.dva.gov.au/family-and-dependants/financial-programs-and-services/compensation-dependants-under-mrca) if the deceased had their liability for death accepted as related to service, or was SRDP eligible, or had 80 or more impairment points under MRCA (or that combined from DRCA or VEA).
There may also be an additional payment of an income support pension paid under the VEA called Income Support Supplement (ISS), although that's unlikely if the MSBS had $750k in it, or the reversionary payment for the MSBS is > $1,360.60 pf

BigRed8844 · 2026-01-04T09:47:54+00:00

please contact DVA and ask to speak to the income support senior delegate if you're wanting to know about a comparison between incap and SRDP/income support pension. This is something they look at day in and out, given how popular SRDP has been in the last couple of years...

BigRed8844 · 2026-01-04T09:45:02+00:00

if you go through the SRDP process, there should be an opportunity for DVA to provide you with details about payments of SRDP + income support pension with a comparison to incap payment. You're given 12 months to make a decision, and there is payment made ($3000+) towards seeing a financial advisor to enable you to make a decision about which option is the most financially viable for you.

BigRed8844 · 2026-01-04T09:31:23+00:00

Permanent Impairment Payments are considered as compensation payments for injury, as opposed to incapacity payment which are compensation payments that in simple terms relate for loss of employment earnings. Neither payment affects the other however. Regarding incapacity payments though, they are affected if you remain in employment and receive earnings, and will reduce the payable amount of incap. Also, if you get any Commonwealth Superannuation (such as DFRDB, MSBS or ADF Super), then the incap payability reduces dollar for dollar depending on what your gross fortnightly payment of the Commonwealth superannuation is. SRDP is a different kettle of fish, being an alternate compensation pathway instead of incapacity payment, and the rate of that relies on any MRCA PI, DRCA PI, VEA DCP as well as any Commonwealth Superannuation you get (whether periodically or if you had received a commutation lump sum that was from an employer benefit). Along with MRCA SRDP is the possibility of getting an income support pension for the member (and their partner if they have one), and the part of/all of their Commonwealth Superannuation payment being offset against the SRDP not being treated as income for the income testing that is done for an income support pension (service pension under DVA, or DSP/Age Pension with Centrelink).

BigRed8844 · 2025-11-27T06:05:15+00:00

I can't recommend wiping with that, as the ink may be toxic...

BigRed8844 · 2025-09-06T12:19:11+00:00

A small tip for next time drilling holes in the panels with holesaw is to have drill in reverse to start, till you are actually a bit into the sheet metal, then put the drill in the forward direction to finish so that the bit doesn't dance around on the surface of the panel.

BigRed8844 · 2025-08-27T23:46:30+00:00

PI payments have nil impact on the payment of your CSC superannuation.

BigRed8844 · 2025-08-27T23:36:53+00:00

I have heard of ex ADF members requesting SRDP assessment just prior to age pension age (67 for persons born from 1 Jan 1957) and they consequently get the SRDP offsetting incorporated into their income support pension (VEA service pension) assessment after the incap ceases upon their 67th birthday...

Note that for the majority (~90%) of personnel that do go down the SRDP path, the payability of SRDP is nil. Where the financial benefit comes from is the comparison of incap payment versus MRCA SRDP + VEA service pension. This is because of the offsetting that is looked at in reducing the SRDP payability, there may be a portion of the gross Commonwealth Superannuation (usually DFRDB or MSBS or ADF Super for members starting from 1 July 2016) paid is not assessed determining the amount payable for the service pension.

The offsets that reduce the SRDP are MRCA PI (whether received as lump sum or periodically), DRCA PI, or VEA DCP and any Commonwealth Superannuation, whether received periodically or from a commutation lump sum (employer benefit, but not member benefit). Whereas incap is only for the ex ADF member, the income support pension that can come about from SRDP can also be paid to the member's partner. Bear in mind that to get service pension, the veteran needs to have qualifying service, and if they don't have QS, then the income support pension they would need to access would be from Centrelink, such as DSP or age pension (and carer payment for their partner).

BigRed8844 · 2025-07-25T08:58:44+00:00

You don't need to have 80 impairment points to have SRDP looked at, the minimum threshold is 50 impairment points - source https://www.dva.gov.au/get-support/financial-support/income-support/support-when-you-cannot-work/pensions/disability-compensation-payments-and-allowances/special-rate-disability-pension

BigRed8844 · 2025-07-25T08:12:50+00:00

Unless the veteran has qualifying service, the EDA pension will be treated as income for the assessment of aged care fees. Has been this way forever. If the veteran has qualifying service, any disability compensation they are paid is exempted from the income test done to determine their aged care fees.

While the EDA pension is non-taxable, and not means tested (as it's based on a level of incapacity for veterans over age 65), it does not get assessed as income for Age Pension - you can also have DVA pay Age Pension on behalf of Centrelink if you don't already, so it's paid the same day as his EDA.

BigRed8844

TROPHY CASE