Module 2 · One page cheat sheet

Permanent Impairment: compliance, conflict and the critical moment

What to say and what to check, lesson by lesson. Print it, or save it as a PDF and keep it beside the file.

The PI landscape: where the money decisions actually sit

Mark the four moments on your own matter template so they cannot be reached by accident.
For every PI matter, ask at intake: is there an election, a super decision or an income support decision running in parallel?

The window that only opens once: letter issued, advice taken, then signed and returned

The day a determination letter with an election lands, tell the veteran not to sign anything yet, and record that you said so.
Refer the advice out at arms length, record the advice decision and its date, then have the election signed and returned in that order.
On the day an SRDP offer letter arrives, record the letter date and diarise the twelve-month expiry, plus a review at three, six and nine months.
Audit one closed matter this month against the fields above and see what your own file is missing.

Conflict of interest in practice

Write a one-page conflicts and referral disclosure and give it to the veteran before, not after, the referral.
Audit your own referral pattern over the last twelve months. If every financial referral went to one place, fix that before someone else notices it.
Remove any benefit flowing back to you from a referral. If there is none, say so in writing – silence looks like something to hide.

The line you cannot cross, and the file note that protects you

Add a standing "not advised on" section to your file note template.
Record the referral disclosure and alternatives in the note itself, not in a separate folder.
Write the note the same day. Every time.

The human side: decision fatigue at the worst moment

Open every determination conversation with the deadline, not the number.
Follow up in writing the same day, in five sentences or fewer.
When you hear "just tell me what to do", treat it as a signal to slow down, not a licence to advise.

The real value of the right referral

Write down the five requirements above and apply them to everyone you currently refer to.
Ask your next referral partner to explain an offset calculation to you. If they cannot, they are not the right referral for this system.

Case studies: weekly or lump sum, and what the choice really costs

Before any election conversation, ask three questions: who depends on this money, what debt is in the household, and how long is this payment expected to run.
Never answer the election question. Name the three consequences, then refer.

A referral protocol you can adopt as-is

Adopt the seven steps as written this month, before the next determination lands on your desk.
Put the protocol in front of your board or committee, so it is organisational practice rather than personal habit.

General information for professional development only. Nothing here is personal financial advice, tax advice or legal advice, and no product or fee content is included.