Recently, many older Australians have received energy rebates. But some are missing out on another entitlement available to many older Australians – one that often slips under the radar.
It’s called a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card (CSHC). No asset test is applied, just an income test that was increased to $95,400 for singles and $152,640 for couples late last year. This means that it is now available to most of Australia’s 1.25 million self-funded retirees. You can apply online, through a services centre, or by mailing your application.
Applying for the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card online can take you around in circles.Credit: John Shakespeare
The rules are straightforward. Apart from meeting the income test limits, you need to be an Australian resident and of pension age (67). Benefits can vary according to your state of residence and your health needs, but savings on medical, transport and energy costs can be between $2000 to $3000 a year.
Given these savings, you might wonder why more people haven’t applied. Maybe they heard about my misadventures?
As I’ve been writing about retirement income and Centrelink rules for about 20 years,........