Death of care receiver before claim for Carer Payment (CP) and/or Carer Allowance (CA) is finalised 009-03090070

To code the new claim, see:

• Processing carers online and assisted customer claims
• Claiming Carer Payment (CP) and/or Carer Allowance (CA)

Note: if the death action has already been completed on the care receiver's record before the CP and/or CA claim is processed, the death action must be undone. Care must be taken not to pay arrears past the date of death. Once it has been undone and finalised the claim can be processed in Process Direct.

When the new claim has been coded:

• go to the Errors (SWE) screen
• address any warnings or errors that display
• select the Assess icon
• before finalising the claim, check any arrears generated for days after the date of death are correct

If the carer has claimed CA and is not entitled to the CA bereavement payment, go to the Care Details screen (CDCR) screen and add a new line and code the following fields:

• Carer CRN – Name field: select the relevant CA carer from the dropdown list
• Date of Effect field: depending on the date of notification use one of the following dates. If the notification of death was:
• received within or on 28 days of the care receiver’s death, the date of effect (DOE) is date of notification plus 1
• not received, or was received after 28 days of the care receiver’s death, the DOE is date of death plus 1
• Relationship field: select the relevant carer/care receiver relationship from the dropdown list
• If the carer/care receiver live separately, code the following:
• Lives Separately field: select Yes from the dropdown list
• Paid Relevant Minimum Wage field: select the relevant option from the dropdown list
• Provides Daily Care field: select No from the dropdown list
• If the carer/care receiver live together, code the following
• Lives Separately field: select No from the dropdown list
• Care Days per fortnight field: code the number ‘zero’

Note: if the CDCR screen is not coded as above, CA will be paid up to the day the death action is processed.

If the carer is entitled to a Bereavement Payment (for CP and/or CA), they are also entitled to payment during the bereavement rate continuation period. Payments made during the bereavement rate continuation period are taken into account when calculating the Bereavement Payment.

Carers have 28 days in which to notify Services Australia of their care receiver's death.

If an arrears payment appears to be incorrect, do a manual calculation and either correct or zero the amount:

• to manually calculate the arrears for periods of broken entitlement, first work out the periods to which the customer was entitled
• select the payment line from the Assessment Results (AR) screen and in the Nxt field, code 'RATS'. The Daily Rates Summary (RATS) screen will display. This will display the daily rates of payments. For a further breakdown of payments, select the Period total field and go the Period Rates Component (RAC) screen. This screen will display a breakdown of the various components of payments so Service Officers can calculate and adjust arrears if applicable

If the claim has been granted or rejected for a deceased care receiver, inhibit the advice from the Assessment Consequences (ASC) screen in the letter action field. A manual Q999 letter must be issued.

Record all details on a DOC/Notes in the carer's record, and complete the new claim by selecting the Finish icon.

If the claim has been granted for a deceased carer, see Death of a carer.

The Resources page contains examples of suggested text for a manual letter.

If required, seek help from the Level 2 Policy Help Desk

Ensure the death action is completed on the same day.

Once the claims for CP and/or CA have been finalised, record the details of the complete the death action:

• complete the death action on the care receiver's record (if the care receiver is an adult, or a child with their own record)
• for an adult care receiver, the death action must be completed in the adult care receiver's record for the ripple to initiate any lump sum payment to be made on the carer's record
• if the care receiver is a child without their own record, the death action can be completed in the parent's record. See Death of a Family Tax Benefit (FTB) or Paid Parental Leave scheme child

To record the details of the death for an adult care receiver:

• while in the care receiver's record, run the Notification of death
• if the Notification of Death guided procedure in Customer First is unavailable, manually code the death action. See:
• Death of an adult care receiver and the effect on Carer Allowance (CA)
• Death of a child care receiver and the effect on Carer Allowance (CA)
• Death of a care receiver and the effect on Carer Payment (CP)
• Death of a Family Tax Benefit (FTB) or Paid Parental Leave scheme child

If carer is in receipt of CA, and the:

• care receiver was an adult, the system will automatically assess entitlement to CA during the bereavement period and eligibility for the CA Bereavement Payment for that care receiver
• care receiver was a child, the system will determine the carer's eligibility for a lump sum Bereavement Payment for CA
• carer was in receipt of a Health Care Card (HCC) only CA, the system will cancel the HCC and carer's entitlement

Access the carer's record in Customer First:

• select the appropriate care receiver from the Care Receiver Summary (CRS) screen
• check the Care Receiver Assessment Results (CJAR) screen. For CA customers also getting an income support payment that qualifies them for a Bereavement Payment, this should display:
• Status ('STS') - CAN
• Reason ('RSN') - DEA

For CA customers who are also getting an income support payment (other than CP) that does not qualify them for a Bereavement Payment, the system will set up a review for the bereavement period end date to check any ongoing entitlement to payments. The system will:

• calculate the bereavement period
• calculate and issue the CA Bereavement Payment if there is entitlement
• generate a bereavement letter. Select if from the Activity List (AL) screen, finalise it, and send it to the carer to advise their last payday and the CA Bereavement Payment (if applicable). If the Q079 activity does not display on the AL screen straight away, note the carer's CRN and access the record later that day or the next day to finalise the letter

Record the details of the bereavement on a DOC in the carer's and care receiver's record.

If carer is in receipt of CP, the system will:

• assess entitlement to CP during the bereavement period and eligibility for a lump sum Bereavement Payment for that care receiver
• set up a review for the bereavement period end date to check any ongoing entitlement to payments
• calculate the bereavement period
• calculate and issue the Lump Sum Bereavement Payment (LBP) if there is entitlement
• generate a bereavement letter (Q486)

Select the Q486 activity from the Activity List (AL) screen, finalise it, and send it to the carer to advise of their last payday and the LBP (if applicable). If the Q486 activity does not show on the AL screen straight away, note the carer's CRN and access the record later that day or the next day to finalise the letter.

Record the details of the bereavement on a DOC in the carer's and the care receiver's record.