Correos and Secretary, Department of Social Services (Social services second review)

This matter concerned an application for a Disability Support Pension by Mr Correos, who alleged he qualified due to permanent medical conditions, specifically Polycythaemia Rubra Vera and Cerebrovascular disorder. The Secretary of the Department of Social Services was the respondent. The Administrative Appeals Tribunal was required to determine whether Mr Correos met the eligibility criteria for the pension.

The primary legal issues before the Tribunal were whether Mr Correos had an impairment that equated to 20 or more points under the relevant Impairment Tables, and whether he had a continuing inability to work. The Tribunal also considered, for completeness, whether Mr Correos satisfied the residency requirement, although this was not the central point of contention.

The Tribunal found that while Mr Correos had permanent impairments from his medical conditions, the evidence did not satisfy the requirement of 20 impairment points. The Job Capacity Assessment, which Mr Correos did not seriously dispute, assigned a total of 15 impairment points. The Tribunal concluded there was insufficient probative evidence to assign 20 points, thus failing the mandatory qualification requirement under section 94(1)(b) of the *Social Security Act*. Furthermore, the Tribunal found that Mr Correos had not demonstrated a continuing inability to work, noting his engagement in unpaid bookkeeping work, which was compatible with light semi-skilled work for 8 to 14 hours per week, as identified in the Job Capacity Assessment.

Consequently, Mr Correos' application for review failed as he did not satisfy the mandatory qualification requirements for the Disability Support Pension.