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Death of one member of a pensioner couple 099-02020040

This document explains the process to follow when a member of a pension couple dies.

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Advice of death of a customer who is a member of a pension couple

Finalising death action for a member of a pension couple

Advice of death of a customer who is a member of a pension couple

Table 1

Step	Action
1	Notification of death If the customer, surviving partner and/or carer's payments are currently suspended or cancelled, do not restore the payments. See Payments suspended or cancelled before recording a death. If the notification of death is: received by phone or face to face, go to Step 2 an RCA MFU (work item ZIAM_RCA_DEA) Close the open MFU doc and run the Daily Driver (DDR) in Customer First Go to Aged care reviews – event notifications and manual follow-ups work item - ZDMS_SA116B Advice of death (child) go to Death of a family assistance, Double Orphan Pension (DOP) or Paid Parental Leave (PPL) child Death of a dependent child of a JobSeeker Payment (JSP) or Youth Allowance (YA) customer Death of a Parenting Payment (PP) child Procedure ends here any other work item for death advice, go to Step 2
2	Customer residing outside Australia and/or paid under an international agreement? Check the Additional Residence Details (ARD) screen to confirm if a customer is paid under an international agreement. Was the customer residing outside Australia and/or paid under an international agreement when they died? Yes, see Table 3 > Step 4 in Centrelink - Notification, confirming and recording a death. Procedure ends here No, go to Step 3
3	Death of an adult - gather all information possible If the death has already been recorded, no further action is required. Action must be taken immediately following a notification of a death. Obtain as much information as possible during the initial contact to reduce the need for future contact with the deceased person's partner or family. The Notification of Death workflow in Process Direct will collect the required information, which includes: Information to confirm the death Information about the person notifying of the death, Can the notifier supply enough information to confirm the death? Yes, go to Step 5 No, go to Step 4
4	Death cannot be confirmed If death cannot be confirmed and the customer's whereabouts cannot be established, go to Table 2 > Step 5 in Centrelink - Notification, confirming and recording a death. Procedure ends here until the death has been confirmed.
5	Check for started transactions or activities Before processing a death action, all transactions or activities on the customer and/or partner's records must be completed. When using the Notification of Death workflow, a message displays saying there are outstanding transactions or activities on the customer and/or partner's record. To process outstanding activities, see Table 3 in Centrelink - Notification, confirming and recording a death. Have all started transactions or activities been completed? Yes, go to Step 7 No, go to Step 6
6	If it is not possible to complete a transaction or activity Staff must process/action any outstanding activities they have the skills to complete. Are there is an outstanding transaction or activity that cannot be actioned? Yes, do not suspend or cancel the customer’s payments, to action: debt activities see Table 3 > Step 2 in Centrelink - Notification, confirming and recording a death Residential Care Assessment (RCA) new claims or activities, see Table 3 > Step 7 in Centrelink - Notification, confirming and recording a death outstanding Vacation of Home (VOH) reviews, see Table 3 > Step 8 in Centrelink - Notification, confirming and recording a death Home Equity Access Scheme (HEAS) Manual Follow-up (MFU), see Table 3 > Step 9 in Centrelink - Notification, confirming and recording a death outstanding new claim/non-new claim activities, see Table 3 > Step 13 in Centrelink - Notification, confirming and recording a death once all outstanding transactions/activities are completed, go to Step 7 No, go to Step 7 Note: request for an urgent QMA or QOL if the transaction or activity submits to QMA or QOL, so the death action can be finalised.
7	Payments suspended or cancelled If the customer, surviving partner and/or carer’s payments are currently suspended or cancelled do not restore the payments. Are the deceased customer, surviving partner and/or carer’s payment/s suspended or cancelled for any reason? Yes, go to Payments suspended or cancelled before recording a death. Procedure ends here No, go to Step 8
8	Check if child out of care needs coding Suitably skilled Service Officers must code any children out of care if the deceased customer had care coded and was or has ever received any of the following payments: Family Tax Benefit (FTB) instalments Child Care Subsidy (CCS) Ancillary benefits for a Regular Care Child Paid Parental Leave (PPL) Dad and Partner Pay (DAP) See: Death of a family assistance or Paid Parental Leave scheme customer Initial contact by customers claiming Family Tax Benefit (FTB) as a lump sum for a previous year, for information about inviting new carer to claim FTB Staff unable to code children out of care must seek assistance from their Local Peer Support (LPS). Note: request for an urgent QMA or QOL if the transaction or activity submits to QMA or QOL, so the death action can be finalised.
9	Process the death action Run the Notification of Death workflow in Process Direct to code the death action. Note: if someone other than the partner (a third party carer) is getting Carer Payment for the deceased, see Death of an adult or child care receiver and the effect on Carer Payment. Without finalising the death action go to Table 2.

Finalising death action for a member of a pension couple

Table 2

Step	Action
1	Surviving partner Is the surviving partner getting DSP and under 21 years of age with no dependent children? Yes, go to Step 2 No, go to Step 3
2	The surviving partner is getting DSP If the surviving partner gets DSP and is under 21 years of age with no dependent children, check the Telephone Summary (TDS) screen in the surviving partner's record. Is the surviving partner recorded as a telephone subscriber? Yes, go to Step 3 No, and the couple were: living together, update the surviving partner's record to pay them TAL. Go to Step 3 not living together, check if the surviving partner has a telephone service connected in their name. Go to Step 3
3	Partner paid under an International Agreement Is the surviving partner paid under an agreement or under the pre 20 September 2000 portability provisions? To identify if a customer is paid under an agreement, the Agreement country and Year fields are coded on the Additional Residence Details (ARD) screen. To identify if a customer is paid under pre 20 September 2000 portability provisions, see the Resources page in Customers overseas on 20 September 2000. Yes, the surviving partner is entitled to continue to have their rate calculated using their deceased partner's Australian Working Life Residence (AWLR) Check the deceased partner's AWLR by going to their AWLR screen Retrieve the AWLR amount, and switch back to the surviving partner's record Code this amount on the customer's ARD screen using the date of death as date of event Note: this action needs to be done within the death activity. This will make sure that future entitlement and Lump Sum Bereavement Payment (LBP) is calculated correctly No, go to Step 4
4	Switching to the partner's record After the death action has been recorded select Relations Menu > Partners Record The following will display: the surviving partner's rate that will auto-update to the single rate, or maintained at the single rate for a surviving partner who was separated due to ill health. The rate is based on the surviving partner's income and assets. The rate is varied from the later of: date of death, or date paid to + 1 day (DPT + 1) an auto-calculated Lump Sum Bereavement Payment (LBP) if the partner is eligible If the surviving partner starts work, or is currently working, working credits may enable them to keep some of their income support payment while they are working. If their income reduces their fortnightly rate to nil and some of that income is employment income, they may remain current at nil rate for up to 12 fortnights and retain certain benefits. Note: if the person's deceased partner was working and had any working credits, these credits cannot be transferred to them. If the surviving partner is granted a reversionary income stream, assess from the date it is first entitled to be received. A lump sum arrears payment received by the reversionary beneficiary, accrued between the death of the primary beneficiary and when the reversionary beneficiary starts to get regular payments, is assessed as income from the income stream. This means the income is assessed over the period to which it relates. Effective from 9 May 2018, if bereavement provisions apply and the assessment of lump sum arrears result in a debt during the bereavement period for the surviving spouse, it can be waived under the legislative instrument 'Social Security (Waiver of Debts - Bereavement Period) Specification 2017' made under subsection 1237AB(1) of the Social Security Act 1991. Note: any debt incurred after the Act's 14 week bereavement period has ended would not be waived under the provisions of this legislative instrument. The legislative instrument is not retrospective. This means that any of these debts that occur before 9 May 2018 cannot be waived under class of debt waiver provisions. Is the surviving partner receiving Carer Payment (CP) or Carer Allowance (CA)? Note: if someone other than the partner (a third party carer) gets CP/CA for the deceased, see Death of a care receiver and the effect on Carer Payment, or Death of an adult care receiver and the effect on Carer Allowance. Yes, go to Step 5 No, go to Step 6
5	Surviving partner gets Carer Payment (CP) or Carer Allowance (CA) If the surviving partner gets CP, and: the deceased partner was the care receiver: CP can continue to the partner for 7 full payments after the death of the care receiver. A Lump Sum Bereavement Payment (LBP) may also be payable. Note: CP (XWP) continues during the bereavement period if the care receiver who died was the only or last CA care receiver. A bereavement period does not apply if CP (XWP) continues because the customer gets payment level CA for a different care receiver. See Transfer from Wife Pension (WP) to Carer Payment (CP) the deceased partner was not the care receiver: CP can continue whilst the customer is still providing care. An LBP may be payable Tell the customer of allowable absences from providing care the surviving partner is getting CA and an income support payment (other than Carer Payment) that does not qualify them for a bereavement payment, and: the deceased partner was the care receiver, a CA Bereavement Payment may be payable the deceased partner was not the care receiver, CA can continue while the customer is still providing care
6	Finalising the death action In Process Direct: Select Finish Record details of the update on the Finalise screen Select Finalise to complete the transaction Check that all bereavement period and payment details appear on the surviving partner's record on the Bereavement Payment Information (BVI) screen If the surviving customer is entitled to a lump sum bereavement payment that is not auto issued, such as when the deceased was a Department of Veteran's Affairs (DVA) customer, a BRV activity will appear on the Activity List (AL) screen for a manual calculation to be made Is there a BRV activity on the AL screen? Yes, go to Step 7 No, go to Step 9
7	Lump sum bereavement payment for DVA customers DVA may be responsible for paying the lump sum bereavement payment. Transfer the BRV activity to the DVA Clearance Team (SCS) if the deceased partner was receiving any of the following payments from DVA: Social Security Age Pension (paid by DVA) Age Service Pension Partner Service Pension Invalidity Service Pension Carer Service Pension Veteran Payment Income Support Supplement (ISS) Transfer the BRV activity to the DVA Clearance Team (SCS) for assessment of the LBP if: both the surviving partner and deceased partner were receiving an income support payment paid by Services Australia, and either of them is receiving a Defence Force Income Support Allowance (DFISA) payment If the deceased partner was getting a DVA Disability Pension, DVA auto-pays the LBP to the surviving partner. Note: if the surviving partner is a social security pensioner, they can receive an LBP from DVA as well as from Services Australia. SCS will assess entitlement for the LBP and calculate the amount. Will SCS finalise the bereavement activity? Yes, go to Step 9 No, go to Step 8
8	Manual calculation and issue of LBP The Service Officer should perform a lump sum bereavement payment calculation manually. Select the BRV/OOP activity, and on the One Off Payments (OOP) screen: in the Effect date field, key the date of death in the Payment Type field, key 'BLS' (Lump Sum Bereavement Payment) press [Enter] to view the Assessment Results (AR) screen key 'O' next to the BRV/OOP line to display the OOP screen in the Amount column on the Bereavement Payment line, key the LBP amount press [Enter] twice to return to the AR screen. The activity can now be completed record details on a DOC
9	Action to take after death action is completed After completing the death action: offer referral to a social worker, if appropriate if the deceased person was receiving Family Tax Benefit, see Death of a family assistance payment or Parental Leave Pay (PPL) customer or child if the surviving partner is getting Carer Payment and will not have an ongoing entitlement, tell the surviving partner to claim an alternative payment before Bereavement Period End Date (BPED) + 1 is reached. An auto-review (reason either BRV or BRS) is set for the BPED + 1 reissue a concession card to the partner if it does not auto-reissue identify any service providers to be advised of the death if the executor provides in writing and includes proof that they are the executor - they must complete the Executor/Administrator Request for Information (SS524) update executor details after the death has been recorded surviving partners getting a pension are issued a Centrelink Bereavement Statement 8 weeks after their partner's date of death. A bereavement income and asset review may also be completed If the death action resulted in a potential overpayment for the deceased person, see Requesting refunds and raising debts for deceased customer These actions may auto-cancel the surviving partner's payment. If a letter is not auto created, send a Q486 letter to tell them about the cancellation and available bereavement assistance.