Half a million claims still waiting as Centrelink and Medicare cut down backlogs
- Replies 15
Centrelink and Medicare, two of Australia's most crucial public service entities, have been under significant pressure to manage an overwhelming backlog of claims affecting countless Australians.
However, the situation improved when Services Australia halved its Centrelink and Medicare backlog in just three months.
Despite this progress, more than half a million claims remain in the queue, leaving many Australians in a state of uncertainty.
Government Services Minister Bill Shorten has attributed this improvement to the hiring of thousands of new staff members, who have been instrumental in clearing 700,000 overdue claims—and 823,000 claims in total—over the past 13 weeks.
This surge in workforce has been a strategic move by Services Australia to expedite the processing of critical Centrelink and Medicare claims, which include disability support and age pensions, parent payments, JobSeeker, and carers allowance.
‘Services Australia has focussed on getting claim levels back to normal levels as quickly as possible after recruiting and training these 3,000 staff to process critical Centrelink and Medicare claims,’ Shorten said.
'A few weeks ago, I announced the agency had slashed 500,000 claims in 10 weeks, and since then, we've cut a further 200,000.’
‘The backlog is now around 660,000, and the agency remains on track to reach normal claim levels by mid-year.'
But what exactly are 'normal levels' for such claims?
Services Australia Chief Executive David Hazlehurst expressed his desire to see claims between 400,000 and 500,000 earlier in the year.
‘My expectation, at this stage, is that by April, we expect to see some impact,’ he said in February.
‘By the middle of the year, particularly in relation to new claims on hand, we expect to see things more towards what we would expect to be a reasonable standard.’
'Somewhere between 400,000 and 500,000 claims on hand—if we can get it below that, that would be terrific,' he remarked, setting a benchmark for the agency's performance.
The new staff members have not only been processing claims but also addressing the high volume of phone calls from Australians seeking assistance.
They have answered more than 1.1 million phone calls, a significant effort considering that almost 7.5 million calls to Services Australia went unanswered in 2023, with a further two million calls ended by the caller.
Deputy Chief Executive Jarrod Howard acknowledged the frustration customers experienced and apologised for the difficulties in contacting the agency.
‘There is not a person in the agency that does not want to serve customers. We are doing everything we can in order to maximise the service that we provide the customers,’ he said.
Have you noticed an improvement in the processing times of your claims? What has been your experience with customer service during this period? Share them with us in the comments below.
However, the situation improved when Services Australia halved its Centrelink and Medicare backlog in just three months.
Despite this progress, more than half a million claims remain in the queue, leaving many Australians in a state of uncertainty.
Government Services Minister Bill Shorten has attributed this improvement to the hiring of thousands of new staff members, who have been instrumental in clearing 700,000 overdue claims—and 823,000 claims in total—over the past 13 weeks.
This surge in workforce has been a strategic move by Services Australia to expedite the processing of critical Centrelink and Medicare claims, which include disability support and age pensions, parent payments, JobSeeker, and carers allowance.
Despite backlogs have lessened, half a million claims still remain. Credit: Shutterstock
‘Services Australia has focussed on getting claim levels back to normal levels as quickly as possible after recruiting and training these 3,000 staff to process critical Centrelink and Medicare claims,’ Shorten said.
'A few weeks ago, I announced the agency had slashed 500,000 claims in 10 weeks, and since then, we've cut a further 200,000.’
‘The backlog is now around 660,000, and the agency remains on track to reach normal claim levels by mid-year.'
But what exactly are 'normal levels' for such claims?
Services Australia Chief Executive David Hazlehurst expressed his desire to see claims between 400,000 and 500,000 earlier in the year.
‘My expectation, at this stage, is that by April, we expect to see some impact,’ he said in February.
‘By the middle of the year, particularly in relation to new claims on hand, we expect to see things more towards what we would expect to be a reasonable standard.’
'Somewhere between 400,000 and 500,000 claims on hand—if we can get it below that, that would be terrific,' he remarked, setting a benchmark for the agency's performance.
The new staff members have not only been processing claims but also addressing the high volume of phone calls from Australians seeking assistance.
They have answered more than 1.1 million phone calls, a significant effort considering that almost 7.5 million calls to Services Australia went unanswered in 2023, with a further two million calls ended by the caller.
Deputy Chief Executive Jarrod Howard acknowledged the frustration customers experienced and apologised for the difficulties in contacting the agency.
‘There is not a person in the agency that does not want to serve customers. We are doing everything we can in order to maximise the service that we provide the customers,’ he said.
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