Cancelling a trip outside Australia or changing the departure date 061-03040010

Check the Customer Advised Travel Details (RSCD) screen for a recorded departure.

Has the customer had approved portability coded for this departure?

Yes, go to Step 2

No, and the departure:

• has been recorded, and is being:
• changed, go to Step 3
• cancelled, go to Step 4
• has not been recorded, go to Step 5

The customer may no longer meet the approved portability reason if:

• approved portability has been coded, and
• the customer’s new advised date of departure is more than 3 days outside the original planned date

In all cases where approved portability has already been coded, Centrelink International Services (CIS) must make a new approved portability decision. Note: do not refer Overseas Full Time Study (OFS) cases to CIS

Check the date of departure recorded on the Customer Advised Travel Details (RSCD) screen.

Is customer changing (not cancelling) the departure date of the approved travel period?

Yes, transfer the call to CIS, see Centrelink International Services (CIS) - contact details for staff. If it is not possible to transfer the customer to CIS, create a referral.

Process Direct

• Select > Referral
• Referral type: International Services (CIS)
• Referral reason: Portability
• Referral detail: Restricted Portability
• Check Payment type is correct
• Select Next
• Referral details display. Update the following as required:
• Vulnerable or suspended customer
• Call customer required
• Translation required
• Appeal request
• Add additional information, ensuring to record the travel details including dates and reason for travel and confirm current telephone contact details
• Select Next
• Select Finish

Customer First

• create a Fast Note. Select Auto text, use Centrelink International Services > Portability > CIS Restricted Portability Referral
• record the travel details including dates, reason for travel and current telephone contact details

Tell the customer an officer from CIS will contact them as soon as possible.

Procedure ends here.

No, the customer is cancelling the departure altogether, go to Step 4

Update the RSCD screen with the new information:

• change the intended departure date
• check if an expected date of return has also been coded. It may need to be changed as well

Go to Step 6.

Delete the travel from the RSCD screen.

Ensure all information on RSCD relating to the relevant absence is removed.

If:

• there is an overseas address relating to the changed departure date on the Address History (ADH) screen, delete it
• the planned absence was to live in another country, update the Country of Residence (CRES) screen
• the customer is going to an agreement country, go to the Additional Residence Details (ARD) screen. If there is a country in the Agreement Country field, check the Date of Event field. If the Agreement country has only been recorded from the planned departure date, delete the country

Go to the:

• Assessment Results (AR) screen and finalise the activity.
• Future Activity List (FAL) screen. Cancel any future departure related reviews and/or activities already registered for the relevant departure date. Record a 'c' in front of the line and press [Enter].

Close any DOCs from the previous portability interview.

Is the customer still travelling and needs an approved reason to be paid outside Australia, or do they need updated advice about the effect of the change on their payment?

• Yes, go to Step 6
• No, record details in a DOC and go to Step 7

The departure may not be on the RSCD screen but may be scheduled on the FAL screen.

Check the FAL screen, if there is a future departure related review and the customer is changing or cancelling that departure:

• cancel any future departure related reviews and/or activities already registered for the relevant departure date - record a 'c' in front of the line and press [Enter]
• annotate the original portability interview DOC that this departure has been cancelled.

Is the customer still travelling and needs an approved reason to be paid outside Australia, or do they need updated advice about the effect of the change on their payment?

• Yes, go to Step 6
• No, record details in a DOC and go to Step 7

If the customer changes their departure date, a new portability decision must be made because a change in the date can affect:

• whether the payment is still portable
• the length of payability outside Australia, and
• when and if the payment rate will change

For examples of how the change in date can affect payments, see Changing details of a customer's travel to and/or from Australia.

Note: follow this procedure, even if the customer has already left Australia.

Run the Portability Script - Departures and Returns. Advise the customer of the new decision. For assistance running the script, see Coding departures and returns for customers leaving Australia.

The script will:

• record a new decision using the changed date(s)
• refer the case to CIS for approved portability assessment, if applicable
• allow a new portability letter to be sent

Have any dependent children's travel details changed?

• Yes, update the child travel details as required, see Changing details of a child's travel to and from Australia. Go to Step 8
• No, go to Step 8

If the customer’s payment has stopped for less than 13 weeks because of a cancelled absence, continuation of payment on return to Australia may be possible without the need for a claim. For example, a customer advised they were travelling outside Australia on a cruise but did not notify of a later delay or cancellation and their payment suspended.

In these cases, once the record has been corrected, payment can be restored from the suspension date.

Does the payment need to be restored?

• Yes, go to Step 9
• No, ensure all actions and decisions are recorded in a DOC. Procedure ends here

Go to the:

• Benefit Action (BA) screen:
• code the payment type in the Service Reason and 'RES' in the Action field
• Assessment Results (AR) screen and finalise the activity

Note: If the system is currently in contingency mode, i.e. ‘W007RS- Immigration request unsuccessful-response not received’ displays, and payment was restored to pay for extra days following departure, ensure payment re-suspends from the correct date.

Record customer information and action taken (including reasons) in a DOC.