Skip to navigation Skip to content

Death of an adult or child care receiver and the effect on Carer Payment (CP) 009-03090010

Expand/Collapse all sectionsExpand all



This document outlines information about assistance available from Services Australia upon the death of an adult or child care receiver where CP is received.

On this page:

Customer in receipt of CP - advice and confirmation of death of care receiver

Determining care receiver category and bereavement lump sum calculation

Code details of bereavement

Manual coding and payment - Notification of Death workflow is unavailable

Follow up action before end of bereavement period

Customer in receipt of CP - advice and confirmation of death of care receiver

Table 1

Expand table

Step

Action

1

Advice of the death of a care receiver

If the person informing Services Australia about the death is attending a service centre and is distressed, offer a private interview before proceeding.

If required, offer the services of a social worker.

Does customer's record indicate that they were income managed, as shown by INM on the benefit status line?

2

Confirmation of death

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:

Can the notifier supply enough information to confirm the death?

3

Care receiver permanently enters an institution

Did the care receiver permanently enter an institution before they died?


Determining care receiver category and bereavement lump sum calculation

Table 2

Expand table

Step

Action

1

Care receiver's situation

If the care receiver was:

2

Care receiver was a single adult

The carer remains qualified for CP during the bereavement period and may also be eligible to an LBP. See:

The above also applies to CP (XWP) provided the care receiver who died was the carer’s only or last payment level CA care receiver.

The rate payable throughout the bereavement period depends on the carer's actual circumstances during the period.

Go to Step 9.

3

Care receiver's partner on income support

The surviving partner will be paid any bereavement payments owing, depending on what payment is received by them and the care receiver. This includes where the carer is the partner of the care receiver. See Death of an income support customer or their partner.

Third party carers (carer is not the care receiver’s partner) remain qualified for CP during the bereavement period (for CP (XWP) carers, this only applies where their only or last payment level CA care receiver died).

However, third party carers are not eligible for an LBP if the care receiver's partner is paid an income support payment. This applies both to CP and CP (XWP) carers.

Excluding CP (XWP) carers, for adult care receivers where the carer is caring for a disabled adult and one or more children with a disability or medical condition:

  • the standard 14 week period applies, and
  • if the care receiver:
    • was the carer’s partner, the partner lump sum bereavement provisions apply
    • was not the carer’s partner, the third party lump sum bereavement provisions apply

See:

4

Care receiver's partner not on income support

The partner is not eligible for a bereavement payment.

The third party carer (who is not the partner) remains qualified for CP during the bereavement period and may also be entitled to a LBP. See:

The above also applies to CP (XWP), provided the care receiver who died was the carer's only or last payment level CA care receiver.

The rate payable throughout the bereavement period depends on the carer's actual circumstances during the period.

Go to Step 9.

5

Care receiver was a child

Go to Step 8 if the carer is not paid CP (XWP) and the child met one of the following:

  • had a severe disability
  • had a severe medical condition
  • was one of 2 or more disabled children, or
  • CP was paid for short term or episodic care situation

If the carer is not paid CP (XWP) and the child was the dependent child of a lower ADAT score adult, see Death of a dependent child of a lower Adult Disability Assessment Tool (ADAT) score adult. Procedure ends here.

6

Carer gets CP (XWP) and care receiver was a child

Was the carer only paid one payment level CA?

7

CP (XWP) carer gets only one payment level CA

CA will cancel due to the child’s death (or change to CA Health Care Card only if CA was paid under combined care rules for 2 children). The carer will remain qualified for CP (XWP) during the bereavement period. The rate payable depends on the carer's actual circumstances during the period.

They are also eligible for a CP lump sum bereavement payment for the child, including where the carer qualified for CA based on the combined score of 2 children. The bereavement information will be displayed on the Carer Payment Third Party Bereavement Details (CBD) screen. See Table 3 > Step 1.

For information about the effect on CA, see Death of a child care receiver and the effect on Carer Allowance (CA). The carer may also be eligible for a CA bereavement lump sum, including where the carer qualified for CA based on the combined score of 2 children. In these cases, payment level CA qualification will be reassessed via an abridged claim activity.

8

Care receiver was a child with a severe disability, severe medical condition, one of 2 or more disabled children, or in a short term or episodic care situation

The carer remains qualified for CP during the bereavement period and may also be entitled to an LBP. See:

The rate payable depends on the carer's actual circumstances during the period.

Go to Step 9.

9

Calculation of bereavement lump sum

The LBP will usually be auto-calculated by the system.

The calculation of the LBP for a carer is different to the calculation for a surviving partner receiving an income support payment.

If it is necessary to calculate the amount manually, see Calculation of a Lump Sum Bereavement Payment (LBP).


Code details of bereavement

Table 3

Expand table

Step

Action

1

Code the details of the death

2

Child selection screen

Go to the Child Selection (CHS) screen.

Is the child a Family Tax Benefit (FTB), Child Care Subsidy (CCS) and/or Parental Leave Pay (PPL) child of the carer or another person?

3

Handoff to Families Bereavement Processing team

Use the Fast Note - select Auto Text, use Families > Updates, Notification of death FTB/CCS/PPL - Child Fast Note to record the following information:

  • full name, address, contact number and relationship to the child of the person notifying the death
  • full name, address, contact number and Customer Reference Number (CRN) of the customer receiving FTB/PPL
  • full name, date of birth and date of death of the deceased child
  • name of the funeral director or hospital able to confirm the date of death
  • whether FTB payment options were discussed and if the customer has chosen to be paid via instalments or a lump sum
  • any other information considered to be confirmation of death for a child
  • whether there are any doubts about the information provided
  • if applicable, the name of any person charged with the death of the child/ren

The Notification of death FTB/CCS/PPL - Child Fast Note template auto-adds the keyword FAOBRV to ensure the open work item is allocated to the Families Bereavement and Double Orphan Pension (DOP) team for action. There is no requirement to add additional keywords.

Go to Step 6.

4

Check the Care Receiver Summary (CRS) screen

Are the child care receiver's details shown?

  • Yes, go to Step 5
  • No, go to the Pensions Care Detail (PCR) screen (in the carer's record). This should provide sufficient information about the child care receiver. Procedure ends here

Note: the child may qualify someone else for family assistance or CA. If so, complete the death and bereavement coding for these payments as well.

5

Coding the Death
  • Access the carer's record in Customer First
  • Go to the Child Selection (CHS) screen and 'S'elect the appropriate care receiver. Complete the Source and DOR fields, then press [Enter]
  • The Child Task Selector (CHTS) displays, 'S'elect the Change Child (CCH) screen. Complete the Death Date field and press [Enter]
  • The FTB Child Bereavement Assistance Delivery Option (FBRV) screen displays. This offers the bereavement payment delivery as a lump sum or an instalment option. CA bereavement payment will only pay as a lump sum
    • If the customer is receiving FTB for the child, or the child is an FTB child, hand off to Families Bereavement Processing, go to Step 4
    • If FTB is not being paid, FTB Child Bereavement Assistance will not be payable. Go to the AR screen
  • If the deceased child only attracted the Health Care Card (HCC) for CA, the system will automatically cancel the carer's entitlement
  • The system will automatically pay a Lump Sum Bereavement Payment (LBP) and cancel CA for that care receiver. Ensure any instalments of CA paid after the death of the child were deducted from the CA LBP
  • If instalments paid after the child's death are not deducted (this is a known system issue - see Resources), adjust the CA LBP
    • From the AR screen within the death activity, select Optional Actions >Carer Allowance >One Off Payments (OOP) from the left hand side menu
    • Overstrike the amount with the correct bereavement payment amount and press [Enter] to return to AR screen
    • Finalise the activity on the AR screen
  • Take note of any warnings that appear before finalising the activity on the AR screen
  • Record the details of the bereavement and any adjustments made to the LBP in a DOC
  • Offer the services of a social worker

Confirming the outcome

To double check the action taken, 'S'elect the relevant care receiver from the Care Receiver Summary (CRS) and go to the Care Receiver Assessment Results (CJAR) screen. The following will be displayed in the BEN/STS-RSN field

  • Status 'STS': CAN
  • Reason 'RSN': DEA (Death)
  • on the Child Task Selector (CHTS) screen, 'S'elect the Change Child (CCH) screen and code the Death Date field
  • on the FBRV screen, the options presented are to pay as a lump sum or in instalments. Press [Enter] and finalise the activity from the Activity List (AL) screen

6

Check the CRS screen

Is there a link on the CRS screen?

  • Yes, when the Families Bereavement Processing team record the death the system will:
    • auto-pay the LBP for Carer Payment, Carer Allowance (if applicable) and FTB
    • set up a review for 14 weeks to review the record to either cancel or continue. Procedure ends here
  • No, go to Step 7

7

No link on the CRS screen

If the carer is entitled to receive the LBP, see Lump Sum Bereavement (LBP) in addition to 7 fortnightly instalments of CP, go to the One Off Payment (OOP) screen and code the following fields:

  • OOP Effect Date
  • Payment type, Lump Sum Bereavement Payment (LBP) and press [Enter]
  • on the Assessment Results (AR) screen, select the OOP line and code the LBP amount. This will have to be calculated manually
  • finalise activity via the AR screen. Note any warnings that will appear before completing the activity

8

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?

9

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.

The Notification of Death workflow will provide a message 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.

Once all outstanding transactions/activities have been coded, go to Step 10.

10

Record the death

Staff must be in the deceased customer's record before coding the death action.

Run the Notification of Death workflow in Process Direct. See Centrelink - Notification, confirming and recording a death

Go to Table 4.


Manual coding and payment - Notification of Death workflow is unavailable

Table 4

Expand table

Step

Action

1

Q486 Letter

Select the Q486 Letter from the AL screen and complete the variable fields manually. Issue the Q486 to the carer to advise of their rate of payment, final payday (at the end of the 14 weeks bereavement period) and the LBP (if applicable). If the carer was not partnered to the care receiver:

  • for the SPLUMP variable select 2 (null)
  • this will prevent partner lump sum payment information displaying

The Q486 does not always immediately appear on the AL screen, it will only appear after the ripple has come through to re-assess the carer's CP. Service Officers must take note of the carer’s CRN and access the record later that day or the next day to complete and issue the Q486.

Was the care receiver partnered?

2

Check the partner's entitlement to an LBP

See Lump Sum Bereavement Payment (LBP).

Is the partner entitled to an LBP?

  • Yes, and
    • there is a bereavement payment Manual Follow-up (MFU) on the AL screen, manually calculate the LBP and select the MFU to code the payment. Go to Step 3
    • there is no bereavement MFU on the AL screen, go to Step 3
  • No, go to Step 4

3

Manually paying LBP

Go to the OOP screen and record payment type as 'BLS' (Bereavement Lump Sum):

  • on the AR screen, go to the Additional Actions menu
  • 'S'elect the OOP
  • manually input the LBP on the OOP line (this will have to be manually calculated)
  • finalise the activity via the AR screen, taking note of any warnings that appear before finalising the activity
  • the system will set up an auto-review for the bereavement end date to check for any ongoing entitlement

4

Final action

Complete a DOC in the carer's record with the details of the bereavement and the date CP will cancel (refer to the Third Party Bereavement (CBD) or Bereavement Information (BVI) screens).

If the carer qualified under:

  • mainstream or terminal care CP (child), tell them that they are entitled to retain their Pension Concession Card (PCC) and continuation of CP for the bereavement period, even if this goes past the date the child turned 16 years and 3 months or their 18th birthday respectively
    • if the carer is paid CP (XWP) (benefit status shows CAR/CUR-XWP) and the care receiver who died
    • was not their only or last payment level CA care receiver, tell them that CP will continue as long as they keep being paid CA
  • short term or episodic care CP (child), tell them that they are entitled to retain their Health Care Card (HCC) and continuation of CP for the bereavement period, even if this is past the medical report/certificate end date

Discuss requirements for ongoing ISP and possible transfer to another payment.

Note: this can be assessed at any time prior to the end of bereavement payment period. See Table 5.

If required, offer the services of a social worker.

A Q134 MFU activity is auto generated to issue the final cancellation letter before the 14 week bereavement period end date. The MFU is also a prompt to check if the customer has any entitlement to transfer to another income support payment. Go to Table 5.


Follow up action before end of bereavement period

Table 5

Expand table

Step

Action

1

Q134 MFU and transfer to another payment

Towards the end of the bereavement period an MFU will auto-create to check if the customer has any entitlement to another income support payment. A Q134 letter must be sent to notify the customer their CP will cancel, and they need to claim another payment if they still require income support. See Creating a Q134 letter.

Before finalising the Q134, check if the carer will be eligible for CP (XWP) at the end of the bereavement period:

  • go to the Grandfathering Summary (GFS) screen and see if the carer has ever been grandfathered under 2020 Former WP- Carer provisions. If so, select this line to see if the customer is still eligible
  • if the latest grandfathering status is GRO, then CP will change to CP (XWP) at the end of the bereavement period and continue
  • in this case, select the option in the Q134 to advise that 'we are able to pay you Carer Payment under the transfer provisions from the ceased Wife Pension'. The customer will not need to claim another payment. See Transfer from Wife Pension (WP) to Carer Payment (CP)

In some cases, the customer will not have to complete a full new claim when transferring to another payment, for more information select the appropriate payment type:

When assessing the transfer, the customer's actual circumstances could change and will need to be taken into account.