Services Australia has made significant progress in reducing the backlog of Centrelink and Medicare claims, cutting it in half within three months. However, more than half a million claims are still pending.
Government Services Minister Bill Shorten attributed this success to the hiring of thousands of new staff, resulting in the clearing of 700,000 overdue claims out of a total of 823,000 in the last 13 weeks.
Shorten stated that the backlog is projected to reach normal levels by the middle of the year, aiming for claims to be between 400,000 to 500,000, according to Services Australia’s CEO David Hazlehurst’s previous remarks.
Services Australia has addressed various claims, including disability support, age pensions, and JobSeeker payments, with the new staff also handling over 1.1 million phone calls
Despite improvements, there were challenges with unanswered calls in 2023, but the agency is committed to enhancing customer service and meeting the needs of all clients.
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