Paul suffered a brain injury in an accident and, as is quite common with brain injuries, he lacked insight into the effect his injury had on his brain function.
For several years he attempted jobs but never lasted more than a month or two in any one position. He then spent all of his savings trying to set up a small business which he was unable manage.
It wasn’t until four years after his accident that Paul finally saw a Doctor who helped him to understand that his brain injury was, and would likely continue, to stop him from holding down a job. This doctor helped him apply for Disability Support Pension (DSP) which he was granted.
Paul came to BRQ after appealing for back pay to the Social Security Appeals Tribunal. With the help of a specialist, our solicitor argued that due to his brain injury Paul had not understood that he should have applied for DSP much earlier.
BRQ was able to successfully convince the Administrative Appeals Tribunal to award Paul back pay (the difference between Disability Pension and Newstart Allowance, worth about $250 per fortnight) for 2.5 year period prior to his DSP application.