Carer or care receiver is absent from care for Carer Payment (CP) and/or Carer Allowance (CA) 009-25112618

• Actioning a Manual Follow up (MFU):
• CDA/MFU - 14 day warning, or
• CAR/AAP - Respite/Hospital Bank Exceeded
• Respite Care or Carer Portability Review, see Table 6 > Step 1

• Customer has contacted or notified of an absence, go to Step 2
• Change to an existing absence previously coded, go to Step 2

Only accept information from the owner of the record, or an appropriate nominee. See Accepting information from and disclosing information to a care receiver or third party.

• Carer or Nominee, go to Step 3
  Note: customer must be a Correspondence Nominee (NOC) or both a Correspondence and Payment Nominee (NOB). They cannot be a Payment Nominee (NOP) only
• Care Receiver - no updates to absences can be made unless they are a Nominee (NOC/NOB). See Accepting information from and disclosing information to a care receiver or third party
  If the care receiver is contacting to advise that they are going overseas, check to see if the Portability Script - Departures and Returns needs to be run on their record. Procedure ends here
• Other/third party - no updates to absences can be made or information provided unless they are a Nominee (NOC/NOB). Procedure ends here

• Carer is working, see Carer Payment (CP) and Carer Allowance (CA) carer undertakes paid employment, self-employment, voluntary work, education or training activities
• Carer is in hospital, see Table 3
  Note: if the carer is in hospital a Social Work referral for the care receiver may be required
• Carer and/or care receiver is going overseas, see Table 4
• Carer and/or care receiver is in prison or Psychiatric confinement, see Table 5
• Carer advises that they need to change/update a previous absence, see Table 8
• Care receiver is in hospital, see Table 2
• Care receiver is going away or is away for study or education, see Table 3
• Care receiver is/has moved permanently to a Respite/Aged Care facility or Institution, see Care receiver permanently enters or temporarily/permanently leaves an institution
• Carer is away from care receiver for another reason, see Table 3

For child/ren there is no limit on hospitalisation absences for CP and CA.

Note: carers of hospitalised children will be reviewed every 84 days (12 weeks) of continuous hospitalisation. The carer must be advised to notify Centrelink within 14 days of the care receiver returning home or leaving hospital.

Adult care receivers can access up to 63 days of hospitalisation per calendar year. If they exceed 63 days, the carer may be able to access any unused respite days. Go to Step 2.

This means they are helping with the daily care of the care receiver by helping with things like grooming, dressing, eating each day, not just visiting.

• Yes, go to Step 3
• No, this does not meet the requirements for hospitalisation, and the absence is considered respite. See Table 3

Carer Payment and Carer Allowance can only be paid when care is provided in the appropriate residence. The location requirements differ between payments, see Eligibility for Carer Payment (CP) and/or Carer Allowance (CA).

• Yes:
• child care receivers, go to Step 6
• adult care receivers, go to Step 5
• No:
• carer receiver is not returning to care. See Cancellation or suspension of Carer Payment (CP) and Carer Allowance (CA)
• awaiting placement in Aged Care/Rehab facility. See Care receiver permanently enters or temporarily/permanently leaves an institution
• care receiver is terminal and is in or going into palliative care. Go to Step 4

Palliative care services can be provided in:

• the home of the patient
• community based settings like nursing homes
• palliative care units, or
• hospitals

When provided in the home, hospitalisation provisions are not required as it is not an absence.

• Yes:
• in hospital:
  - adult care receivers, go to Step 5
  - child care receivers, go to Step 6
• other appropriate residence. Hospitalisation provisions do not apply, consider respite. See Table 3
• No, care receiver is in the home. Hospitalisation provisions are not required to be coded. Procedure ends here

For:

• Days available: go to the Temporary cessation of care summary (ABCE) screen to see the available hospitalisation days
• Relationship Status - Partnered
• A higher rate of CP may be payable if separated from their partner for more than 14 days. For further information, go to Step 6

Check to see if assessed under:

• Lower Adult Disability Assessment Tool (ADAT) for CP. This can be checked by the scores on ADAS. THP will be less than 10
• Shared care (CA), check the percentage of care on CDCR. For further information see Shared care for Carer Allowance (CA)
• CP Ex wife’s pension (XWP). Check Benefit Status for CAR/CUR-XWP

Is the carer being paid CP (XWP)?

• Yes, Temporary Cessation of Care (respite and hospitalisation) rules do not apply to CP (XWP). However, they still apply to CA and need to be recorded
• For the CP component, procedure ends here
• For the CA component, go to Step 6
• No, go to Step 6

An absence is a 24 hour period from midnight to midnight.

If the customer is unsure of the length of stay, ask them to provide an estimate of time in hospital. Once they have the exact dates, they can contact again to confirm or update.

For members of a couple when an absence is for 14 days or more and due to accessing approved respite, the couple may be assessed as a respite care couple and entitled to the single rate of payment. See Customer is separated from their partner - temporarily or due to respite care.

If the absence is likely to continue indefinitely the couple may be considered an illness separated couple and paid the single rate of payment. See Assessment of circumstances for a couple separated due to illness.

Note: if the customer uses their allocation of hospital days and the care receiver is still in hospital, the system will then apply any unused respite days before cancelling payments.

How long is the absence for?

• Less than 24 hours, this is not counted as an absence, no coding is required. Procedure ends here
• More than 24 hours, and:
• for a child care receiver or within the available hospitalisation balance, see Table 8
• for an adult care receiver and will exceed the available hospitalisation balance, see Table 7

Is the absence a one-off temporary, regular, or permanent absence?

• One-off temporary, go to Step 3
• Regular, go to Step 3
• Care receiver in care awaiting placement and is in:
• an Aged Care or Multipurpose Service Facility or
• hospital, go to Step 2
• Permanent:
• care receiver has entered into permanent care/institution, see Care receiver permanently enters or temporarily/permanently leaves an institution
• care is no longer provided, see Cancellation or suspension of Carer Payment (CP) and Carer Allowance (CA)

If the care receiver is in care awaiting placement it is most likely that the absence from the carer is permanent.

Clarify with the carer whether the care receiver is likely to return home and if so, will the carer provide additional care and attention on a regular and ongoing basis.

Is the care receiver likely to return home?

• Yes, and:
• Additional care and attention is being provided on a regular and ongoing basis, hospitalisation provisions for CP and CA should be applied. See Table 8
• Additional care and attention are not being provided or is not being provided on a regular and ongoing basis, respite provisions apply
• No, care receiver will not be returning home, see Care receiver permanently enters or temporarily/permanently leaves an institution

To determine the correct type of respite coding, check whether the Carer or the Care Receiver is absent. If there is more than one care receiver check which one(s) is absent.

• Respite days available. Go to the Temporary cessation of care summary (ABCE) screen to see the available respite/hospitalisation days
• Relationship status - partnered/single
• Type of care arrangement, e.g. shared, multiple, exchanged or XWP

Assess the absence and how it relates to the carer’s CP and/or CA. If the carer receives both CP and CA, the carer may only require respite for one of their payments, both, or none.

If assessed under:

• Multiple care - CP: Absence may need to be recorded against one or multiple care receivers
• Shared care - CA: If the care receiver is a child, or a co-resident adult, and the care receiver is in the care of one of the carers as part of a regular shared care arrangement, respite for CA should not be recorded
  In the case of a non-co-resident carer, respite has not occurred if the daily care and attention continues to be provided by another person who does not live with the care receiver
  If the care receiver is not cared for by the above scenarios, and is being provided care by another person, then code respite against the person who normally provides care
• Shared care - CP: There are no shared care provisions. The time the care receiver spends with the other carer is considered an absence for the CP carer
• More than one carer - CP: See Carer Payment (CP) for 2 or more carers in respect of the same care receiver. Code the absence for the carer who has contacted. If the other carer will also be absent, they will need to contact to report their absence
• Lower ADAT - CP: The carer has only one allocation of respite care days, and an absence by either the adult care receiver or the child is counted as an absence for the carer. If the child is absent, absences must be recorded on both the care receiver's record (if they receive CA for their child) and the record of the CP carer
• Ex-wife CP XWP: Respite and hospitalisation rules do not apply to CP (XWP) and no absence needs to be recorded. However, if receiving CA, the absence must be recorded
• Combined care - CP and or CA (auto): As there is only one allocation of 63 days for respite, any absence from caring for a child care receiver is recorded and reduces the 63 day allocation. If 2 or more children are absent, the absence is to be coded for each child
• CA HCC only: There are no respite provisions for CA HCC only. If the absence results in the carer not providing daily care, consider cancelling the card. See Concession cards and information

Is respite required to be coded?

• Yes, go to Step 6
• No, procedure ends here

• Less than a day (24 hours) is not considered respite. Procedure ends here
  Note: if the carer is constantly away for short periods, multiple times a week, consider if constant care is being met for CP
• One day (24 hours) or more, note the dates it starts and ends. Only record the dates the carer is away for the full day
• Go to Step 7

• RSP (Respite) - This is the standard respite coding and applies to CP, CA, or CP and CA
• CWP (Child with Partner (CP only)) - This if for CP only respite where the care receiver is in the care for the other parent or carer and the respite is not relevant to CA but is relevant to CP
• ETT (Education, Training and Treatment) - Respite to be coded for both CP and CA, and absences reduce the allowed 63 days. Rules for ETT once a carer exceeds 63 days apply only to child care receivers for Carer Allowance (CA). They do not apply to Carer Payment (CP)
  Check with the carer whether the child will receive any form of ETT during this period. Using ETT provisions will allow a pro-rata rate of payment or a continuation of the CA Health Care Card (HCC) for up to 13 weeks absence once the 63 days of respite has been used
• RCP (Respite for Carer Payment only) 100 hours only - This should only be used when respite days are offsetting excess work hours for carers to remain on payment. These respite days do not apply to CA. See Carer Payment (CP) and Carer Allowance (CA) carer undertakes paid employment, self employment, voluntary work, education or training activities

Go to Step 8.

Take note of the dates provided and the available absence days to determine if the absence will exceed the allowable limit.

Will it exceed the allowable limit?

• Yes, see Table 7
• No, see Table 8

• The carer or care receiver only, go to Step 2
• Both the carer and care receiver. If the carer is overseas with the care receiver, respite is not required to be coded unless the carer temporarily ceases caring for the care receiver whilst overseas:
• Carer and care receiver will spend no time apart - only portability provisions apply. See Coding departures and returns for customers leaving Australia
• Carer temporarily ceases caring whilst overseas - respite is required to be coded for the time they are apart overseas

Check available respite balance. This helps when discussing the portability and respite and the effect on the customer’s payments.

In the carer’s record, go to the Temporary cessation of care summary (ABCE) screen. The available balance will show.

For:

• Carer travelling overseas without care receiver, go to Step 3
• Care receiver travelling overseas without carer, go to Step 5

The Portability Script must be run to record the travel details before coding respite. If the Portability Script has:

• been run, continue with this process to code respite
• not been run, run the Portability Script, then continue with this process

How long will the customer be overseas for?

• Less than 6 weeks (under 42 days), see Table 8
• More than 6 weeks (42 days or more), go to Step 4

There is a current system limitation when the carer goes overseas without the care receiver - the system continues to count respite after portability has ended.

Where the carer's payments will suspend after 42 days, the respite end date should reflect only 41 days if care is provided on the day of departure and respite will commence from the following day.

Code respite with:

• start date equal to the day after departure, and
• end date equal to the end of the limited portability period

Therefore, the respite period will be 41 days provided the carer has this number available. For help on the interaction between Portability and respite and correct recording procedures, see Carer Allowance (CA) and Carer Payment (CP) interaction of portability and temporary cessation of care (respite) rules.

• If the carer does not have 41 days respite period available, see Table 7
• Take note for coding the absence, see Table 8

Carer contacts:

• If the care receiver is on payment, check if the carer is nominee/PPE:
• Carer is a nominee/PPE, run the Portability Script on the care receiver’s record to record the details of travel
• Carer is not a nominee/PPE, do not run the Portability Script on the care receiver’s record. This can only be done if the care receiver calls to advise of the overseas travel

The carer will need to use respite for the time away from the care receiver. See Table 8.

Care receiver contacts to advise:

• they are going overseas - run the Portability Script on the care receiver’s record to record the details of travel
  In the Portability Script when the Consequential Actions screen shows, select 'Respite Care or Portability review'. This generates a MFU on the Activity List (AL) screen for action
  Trained staff must complete the review with the customer after finalising the Portability Script. All other staff must add keyword ACTCAR to the activity using the Activity Details (AY) screen so the activity can be allocated to skilled staff to complete
• the carer is going overseas - updates to the carer’s record can only be made if the care receiver is a nominee/PPE. The carer needs to advise about the travel. Procedure ends here

The type of absence for the carer or care receiver going into psychiatric confinement will depend on if they have been charged with committing an offence or not. Care needs to be taken to make sure the correct respite/hospitalisation is coded.

Carer or care receiver has entered:

• Prison or psychiatric confinement charged with committing an offence, go to Step 2
• Psychiatric confinement not changed with committing an offence, go to Step 4

Is there a DOC on the record?

• Yes, there is a DOC on record and the customer is suspended/cancelled. No further action. Procedure ends here
• No, there is not a DOC on record and the carer:
• is still current. Contact Face to Face Incarcerated Customer Support team
• has entered Psychiatric confinement, go to Step 3

Is the absence due to the carer committing an offence?

• Yes, carer is in prison or psychiatric confinement due to being changed with an offence. This is not respite:
• Staff undertaking Compliance intervention processes and F2F Incarcerated Customer Service teams, see Table 4 in Cancellation or suspension of Carer Payment (CP) and Carer Allowance (CA)
• For all other staff, where the carer is still current, check the Correctional Facilities page to locate the relevant F2F Incarcerated Customer Servicing Team and send an email to request follow-up and suspension of payments
  The email must contain:
  - Customer’s name
  - Customer Reference Number (CRN)
  - Date they entered prison or psychiatric confinement, and
  - any other relevant information. Procedure ends here
• No, not in relation to an offence. Go to Step 4

For:

• Available respite days, go to the ABCE screen to see the available respite days
• Partnered

Consider how long the absence is for.

• For carer:
• Expecting/not expecting to return to providing care
• Ability to provide care/constant care on return
• For care receiver:
• Returning/not returning to the care of care receiver

Is coding of respite required?

• Yes, this is RSP respite, see Table 8
• No:
• Carer is not returning to caring duties/not meeting constant care, or
• Care receiver has left care
• See Cancellation or suspension of Carer Payment (CP) and Carer Allowance (CA)
• Procedure ends here

Types of MFU’s:

• CDA/MFU - 14 day warning
• CAR/AAP - Respite/Hospitalisation Bank Exceeded
• Respite Care or Carer Portability Review

If there is an absence expiry MFU with Activity notes indicating respite or hospitalisation respite will exceed and payment will cancel:

• Review the respite circumstances. Check if:
• there is a DOC on the Document List (DL) screen for notes about any discussions with the carer about the end of respite or hospitalisation allowance
• any further action is required or if the MFU has been actioned

If there is no DOC or no evidence the MFU has been actioned:

• Contact carer to discuss and confirm dates of the absence(s)
• Send a pre-call SMS to the carer if the customer is signed up for electronic messaging. See Centrelink letters online and Centrelink letters online and Electronic Messaging. Make genuine attempts to contact the customer

Was contact successful?

• Yes, go to Step 2
• No:
• DOC the record with contact attempts and what is needed to be discussed with the customer. Place the activity on hold (do not hold to user (HTU)) for follow up in a few days. This removes the work item from Service Officer's inbox. Do not close the MFU activity
• contact was not required, finalise the MFU activity
• procedure ends here

Discuss the following with the carer:

• Is the absence temporary or permanent?
• Are there any changes to the end date of the absence?
• Are there any special circumstances that have led to the respite exceeding 63 days?
• Eligibility for the extended suspension period instead of cancellation of payments

Is the absence correct?

• Yes, no changes. Customer will exceed 63 days, go to Step 4
• No:
• Absence details recorded previously need to be updated, go to Step 3
• Care receiver will not be returning to care. Update the absence details with the new end date
  - If the Care receiver has left care, see Cancellation or suspension of Carer Payment (CP) and Carer Allowance (CA)
  - If Care receiver has entered permanent care, see Care receiver permanently enters or temporarily/permanently leaves an institution

Update the absence details by correcting the previous coding on the Temporary Cessation of Care Summary (ABSN):

• Select the entry that needs updating
• Correct the date(s)
• Select Update and
• Finalise the activity

Will the customer still exceed 63 days?

• Yes, see Table 7
• No, DOC details of the update. Procedure ends here

• ETT. Go to Step 2
• Respite, all reasons except ETT. Go to Step 3
• Hospitalisation. There are no extension provisions. Go to Step 3

• Carers whose children are absent from home for ETT and who have used their 63 days of respite do not lose qualification but are only payable for the period that the child is in their care. As the care receiver is expected to return to care, the carer remains qualified but on 'nil rate' and will retain eligibility for the CA HCC for 13 weeks
• If the child is in the carer's care some part of each fortnight, payment eligibility will be maintained on a fortnightly basis. For example, if the child is at school Monday to Friday but returns home on weekends
• Service Officers code the 24 hour periods midnight to midnight out of care
• The carer must be advised of the reporting and notification obligations. This includes notifying changes to the expected date of return to care

CA (manual) care receivers

While the care receiver is absent due to ETT, the system will maintain the carer's 'current' status for up to 13 weeks at a 'nil rate' of payment. A letter is sent to the carer advising that the payment has ceased, but the HCC will remain valid for up to 13 weeks. This letter will ask the carer to notify when the child returns to care or if they are not going to return to care. A reminder letter will be sent at 10 weeks of ‘nil rate’ payment (if 1 January does not occur before the expiry of the 13 week period) notifying the carer that CA and the child’s CA HCC will cancel at the end of the 13 weeks unless they notify of a return to care.

CA (auto) care receivers

Carers granted CA automatically because they have been granted CP are generally subject to the same ETT provisions which are applied to CA (manual) carers. However, when the CP child is cancelled/suspended, the CA (auto) will cancel/suspend immediately upon loss of CP (child) eligibility, instead of staying current for 13 weeks at 'nil rate'. A letter will be sent advising of the cancellation. See Table 8.

CA Health Care Card Only care receivers

HCC only care receivers who have used their 63 days of respite retain eligibility for the HCC for up to 13 weeks of an ETT absence. A letter is sent advising of the cancellation.

Notification of earlier return to care

If, within the allowable 13 week period, the carer notifies that the child care receiver will return to care earlier than expected, CA will be paid from the return to care date. An absence following a return to care restarts the 13 week nil rate period.

Still current on 1 January

If the carer is still current on 1 January, the new allocation of 63 respite days for the calendar year will return them to payment. It is possible for a new 13 week period to start after the new allocation of respite days has been fully used.

See Table 8.

Where the total period of temporary respite is more than 63 days over a calendar year, payment may continue if there is a special reason. The decision to continue payment is only made if the reason for ceasing care was outside the control of the carer and consistent with the need for, and provision of, personal care and attention.

Due to current system limitations, when there is a change in care receiver(s), the system will not allocate 63 respite days to the new care receiver. Instead, the previous care receiver's respite balance is (incorrectly) transferred to the new care receiver. These cases must be referred to the Carers Level 2 Policy Help Desk via the Online Query Form.

The Resources page contains a link to the Level 2 Carer Help Desk - Online Query Form and examples of change in care effecting respite balance.

Are there any absences from before the grant date or a previous care receiver?

• Yes, refer to Level 2 Help Desk. Procedure ends here
• No, go to Step 5

• Yes: once the customer has exhausted their allocation, the system automatically applies any available respite (RSP) days where available. When these have been used, payments automatically cancel due to respite. Go to Step 7
• No, go to Step 6

Approval to extend respite more than 63 days is determined by an APS5/6 level officer.

Respite provisions used in an emergency, such as fire or floods etc will meet the criteria of special circumstances. Consider if circumstances are an indicator of vulnerability and if other actions may need to be taken. See Identifying customer vulnerability and risk issues.

When a carer contacts to enquire about either:

• extensions to respite, or
• they have been contacted as a part of a review of their respite:
• Obtain from the customer the reason for the extension request
• Request if evidence can be provided including form overseas (Language/Translation can be requested)
• Establish if a definite period of end of absence or estimated
• Establish if care is to be re-established after absence

Once this information has been documented/scanned submit a 'Direct Referral to SSO'. The Resources page contains link and completed an Escalation to SSO Fast Note.

Are there any special circumstances that apply to support an extension of respite days?

• Yes, special circumstances may apply:
• approval required
  - Submit a ‘Direct Referral to SSO’. For further information, see the Resources page
  - Create a DOC to note a Direct Referral to SSO has been made, including a brief outline of the reasons requesting to extend the respite, including dates the care receiver will return to care. Procedure ends here for referring Service Officer. For SSO, see Table 8
• approval outcome received, see Table 8
• No, payment will automatically cancel once the 63 days is reached. The customer may be eligible to enter the extended suspension period for up to 6 months instead of cancelling, go to Step 7

A carer is considered eligible for an extended suspension period if the carer:

• would have been cancelled because of exceeding respite days
• resides in Australia, and
• remains eligible for all other reasons

Discuss with the carer their eligibility for an extended suspension period of six months. Tell the carer:

• they will retain eligibility for their Pensioner Concession Card (PCC)
• they need to advise Services Australia when they have returned to providing care. Their record will be assessed, and may have their payment restored

Note: the extended suspension period applies to CP only. If customer is in receipt of CA, CA will cancel when respite exceeds 63 days unless an extension is approved under special circumstances.

• If the carer is eligible and they want to access the extended suspension period, see Table 8
• If the carer is not eligible for an absence extension or the extended suspension period or does not want to access the extended suspension period, tell the carer:
• their payment will cancel at the end of the 63 days
• they will need to claim another payment or reclaim if they return to providing care and meet eligibility for CP. To find the cancellation date, go to the ABCE screen and select care receiver from the Care Receiver Summary (CRS) screen

See Table 8.

All absences are to be updated in Customer First using the Temporary Cessation of Care workflow.

Manual updates are only to be done if the workflow is not available or working.

Is the Temporary Cessation of Care workflow working?

• Yes, go to Step 2
• No, manual updates are required. See Table 9

Go to the Temporary cessation of care workflow.

• The Temporary Cessation of Care Summary page will show details of the care receiver(s). Note: this is a display screen only
  A breakdown of respite used can be seen by selecting the >> next to the care receiver’s name
• Select Continue

On the Temporary Cessation of Care Update screen, code the Care Receiver Absence Update fields:

• Care Receiver: select care receiver from drop down
• Start Date: first full 24 hour period of absence
• End Date: last full 24 hour period of absence
  Note: if absence is for portability over 42 days, code the end date equal to the end of the limited portability period
• Absence Type Reason codes:
• HSP - Hospitalisation (applies to both CA and CP)
• RSP - Respite (applies to both CA and CP)
• CWP - Child with partner (Respite for CP only, will not reduce CA respite allocation)
• ETT - Education, Training and Treatment (applies to both CP and CA, but CA has special rules once 63 days exceeded)
• RCP - Respite for CP only when exceeding 100 hours work limit
• Regular 24hr Period PFN: only applies if updating a regular ongoing absence. Leave blank if coding a one-off absence. This is the number of full 24 hour days (midnight to midnight) the care receiver is regularly absent each fortnight
• Absence Extended: tick if approval for an extension has been granted
• Source:
• DOR: date the agency was advised of the absence
• Select Update

Warnings will appear to explain how an absence is calculated and to consider if there are any impacts on the customers payment due to the absence being recorded. Discuss any impacts and alternative payment options if needed with the customer.

• If required, record additional absences on the Care Receiver Absence Update section of the page and select Update
• Make all updates and select Continue
• Go to AR screen. Check any warnings and/or ripple impacts

Note:

• before finalising the activity, check to see if the absence coding results in the cancellation of CP and/or CA due to exceeding the respite or hospitalisation allowance. Do not finalise the activity without reviewing the outcome(s)
• if a customer is receiving CA (auto) and their CP cancels, it also impacts their CA (auto). Consider if they are eligible for CA manual. See Eligibility for Carer Allowance (CA) (auto) when a carer is also receiving Carer Payment (CP) (child)

Will the absence coding result in the cancellation of CP due to exceeding the respite or hospital allowance?

• Yes, CP will cancel:
• customer may be eligible to suspend instead of cancelling. Do not finalise the TCC workflow activity. Take note of the date of cancellation, go to Step 3
• customer does not want to enter a suspension period. CP will cancel automatically when respite/hospitalisation allowances have been exhausted. Finalise the activity. A DOC will be created in the carer’s record. Annotate the DOC with any additional information e.g. customer has been advised of cancellation etc. Procedure ends here
• No, CP will not cancel - finalise the activity. The workflow will create a DOC in the carer’s record. Annotate the DOC to include all actions taken on the record including any updates. Procedure ends here

For Carer Allowance (CA):

• If the customer is receiving CA and because of the absence coding CA will cancel, a separate Fast Note is needed if finalisation results in cancellation of CA payment
• Record the decision. Use Fast Note - select Auto text, use Generic > SUS/CAN/RES > Suspend Cancel Reason

DOC all actions taken on the record including any updates. Procedure ends here.

Carers can enter a suspension period for CP for up to 26 weeks if all the following apply:

• they are not qualified due to ex-Wife Pension (XWP)
• the absence is temporary
• they have exhausted their hospitalisation and/or respite allocation
• they do not qualify for an extension of their days
• the Service Officer is satisfied they reside in Australia, and
• they satisfy all other eligibility criteria

The carer can choose to enter a suspension period or not. They do not have to exhaust all their respite or hospitalisation allocation first. Discuss if the suspension is the right for the customer or if an alternate payment is a better option.

Can CP be suspended?

• Yes, go to Step 5
• No, go to Step 4

If the carer is not eligible for an absence extension or the extended suspension period or does not want to access the extended suspension period, tell the carer:

• their payment will cancel at the end of the 63 days
• they will need to claim another payment or reclaim if they return to providing care and meet eligibility for CP. To find the cancellation date, go to the Temporary cessation of care summary (ABCE) screen and select care receiver from the Care Receiver Summary (CRS) screen

DOC the record with details of the discussion and outcome and close the MFU.

Note: if a customer is receiving CA (auto) and their CP cancels, it will also impact their CA (auto). Consider if they are eligible for CA manual. See Eligibility for Carer Allowance (CA) (auto) when a carer is also receiving Carer Payment (CP) (child).

Procedure ends here.

From the AR screen in the Temporary cessation of care workflow activity, select Do Not Finalise and then Continue.

Note: before coding the suspension, check to see if the customer has been manually placed onto reporting (RPRS). Take the customer off reporting before applying the suspension. This makes sure the suspension is not overridden and changed to Failed to Report (FRP).

Go to the AL screen:

• Select the started TCC workflow activity
• Go to the Benefit Action (BA) screen and code the following:
• Service Reason: CAR
• Action: SUS
• Reason:
  - RBX for exceeding respite, or
  - HBX for exceeding hospitalisation allowances

A suspension cannot be applied if the DOE is more than the next EPED + 28 days. If this is the case, the following error will show: E401PN DOE cannot be later than Next EPED + 28 days.

If the error:

• shows, return to BA screen and delete the suspension coding. Finalise the activity with the future cancellation and DOC the record with the reason for not applying the suspension. A MFU is created 14 days before cancellation to follow up. Procedure ends here
• does not show, select Continue

DOC the suspension

The AR screen shows CP suspended from the date allowable respite/hospital days were exceeded.

From the left side menu under Customer, select Document (DOC). Record on the DOC:

• Service Reason: CAR - Carer Payment
• Channel: choose relevant contact channel
• Enquiry Type: CSR - Cancellation/Suspension/Rejection
• Who:
• Source: choose relevant source
• Receipt Date: DOR

The summary details cannot be updated but the following must be recorded:

• Extra Detail field: Carer Payment Suspended
• Text field: Leave the auto populated ‘Absence Recorded via Temporary Cessation Workflow’ and add the following:
• Start and end date of absence
• Date respite/hospitalisation days exceeded
• Carer Payment suspended
• Date of effect of suspension
• Reason for suspension
• Suspended under Social Security Administration Act S95CA

Finalise the activity. Procedure ends here.

Absences are manually coded only when the workflow is not available or not working. Where possible manual updates are coded in Customer First.

Is the workflow unable to be used because there is no link between the Carer Payment carer and care receiver?

• Yes, go to Step 2
• No, go to Step 3

When there is no Carer Payment link between the care giver and the care receiver, it is necessary to register absences by creating a DOC with the following format:

• Summary Line - In the Sum: field record 'Number of <Respite or Hospitalisation> Days in <current year> = NNN for <care receiver's name>'
• Where NNN equals the running total of nights of this particular type of absence that will have been used by the end date of this particular absence
• For example, Number of days of Hospitalisation in 2001 = 14 for <care receiver's name>
• Keyword: field code 'TAB'
• Text: field record information about the absence, including start and end dates

Procedure ends here.

• Go to Care Receiver Summary (CRS)
• Select the appropriate care receiver from the list
• Select Continue

Care Receiver Task Selector (CETS) screen shows. Go to Step 4.

On this screen, select the following fields:

• Absence Enquiry
• Absence Details
• Assessment Results

Select Continue and go to Step 5.

In Customer First the Temporary Cessation of Care Update page shows.

Make sure the correct care receiver is shown in the Care Receiver: field. If not, use the drop down box to select correct care receiver.

Field help for the ABCE and the Absences Detail (ABSN) screens refers to absences as 'nights'.

The ABCE screen provides the summary of the absences taken in the current calendar year.

• Code 'Y' in the Go to Absences Details Screen (Y/N): field
• Press [Enter]. The ABSN screen shows

Is the absence a:

• One-off, go to Step 6
• Regular, go to Step 7

For a one-off absence, the following must be coded:

• Start Date: field - this date is the first full 24 hour midnight to midnight period of the absence. E.g. if the care receiver left home on 10 January, record the start date as 11 January
• End Date: field - this date is the last evening the care receiver is away from home. E.g. if the care receiver returned home on 29 November, code 28 November as this was the last evening the carer was absent. The system will correctly calculate the absence. Make sure the correct dates are listed on the DOC attached to the activity in the carer's record
• An end date must be coded for a one-off absence
• If the carer does not provide an end date, contact them to ask for an estimated date
• Tell the carer the situation will be reviewed as the estimated end date draws near
• Absence Type: field in Customer First or the Reason: field in the Centrelink system:
• HSP - Hospitalisation (applies to both CA and CP)
• RSP - Respite (applies to both CA and CP)
• CWP - Child with partner (Respite for CP only, will not reduce CA respite allocation)
• ETT - Education, Training and Treatment (applies to both CP and CA, but CA has special rules once 63 days exceeded)
• RCP - Respite for CP only when exceeding 100 hours work limit
• Absence Extended: only tick if approval has been provided
• Update the Source: and DOR: fields
• Press:
• [Update] in Customer First, or
• [Enter] in the Centrelink system

Go to Step 8.

For a regular absence, the following must be coded:

• Start Date: field - this date is the first full 24 hour period (midnight to midnight) of the absence. E.g. if the care receiver left home on 10 January, the start date to be recorded is 11 January
• Absence Type: field in Customer First or the Reason: field in the Centrelink system:
• HSP - Hospitalisation (applies to both CA and CP)
• RSP - Respite (applies to both CA and CP)
• CWP - Child with partner (Respite for CP only, will not reduce CA respite allocation)
• ETT - Education, Training and (applies to both CP and CA, but CA has special rules once 63 days exceeded)

Regular 24 hour absences PFN: field - this is the number of full 24 hour days (midnight to midnight) the care receiver is regularly absent each fortnight.

Absence Extended: only select if approval has been provided.

End Date:

Press Update in Customer First or [Enter] in the Centrelink system

Go to Step 8.

If a carer enters a nil rate due to ETT absences recorded, the nil rate date is shown on the Temporary Cessation of Care Update page in Customer First or the ABCE screen in the Customer Record.

In Customer First:

The Temporary Cessation of Care Update page will redisplay with additional fields to allow for further absences to be updated.

• The updated data will show. Check the details
• When all updates are completed, press [Continue]

If the absence coding results in the cancellation of CP or CA due to exceeding the respite or hospital allowance, CP will cancel:

• customer may be eligible to suspend instead of cancelling. Do not finalise the activity. Note down the date of cancellation, go to Step 9
• customer does not want to enter a suspension period. CP will cancel automatically when respite/hospitalisation allowances have been exhausted. Finalise the activity. Go to Step 10

If the absence coding does not result in cancellation of CP, go to Step 10

For Carer Allowance (CA), go to Step 10.

Note:

• before coding the suspension, check if the customer has been manually placed onto reporting (RPRS). Take the customer off reporting before applying the suspension. This makes sure the suspension is not overridden and changed to Failed to Report (FRP)
• if a customer is receiving CA (auto) and their CP cancels, it will also impact their CA (auto). Consider if they are eligible for CA manual. See Eligibility for Carer Allowance (CA) (auto) when a carer is also receiving Carer Payment (CP) (child)
• Go to Benefit Action (BA) screen and code the following:
• Service Reason: CAR
• Action: SUS
• Reason:
  - RBX for exceeding respite, or
  - HBX for exceeding hospitalisation allowances

A suspension cannot be applied if the DOE is more than the next EPED + 28 days. If this is the case, the following error will show: E401PN DOE cannot be later than Next EPED + 28 days.

If the error:

• shows, return to BA screen and delete the suspension coding. Finalise the activity with the future cancellation and DOC the record with the reason for not applying the suspension. A MFU is created 14 days before cancellation to follow up. Procedure ends here
• does not show, select Continue

DOC the suspension

The AR screen shows CP suspended from the date allowable respite/hospital days were exceeded.

From the left side menu under Customer, select Document (DOC). Record on the DOC:

• Service Reason: CAR - Carer Payment
• Channel: choose relevant contact channel
• Enquiry Type: CSR - Cancellation/Suspension/Rejection
• Who:
• Source: choose relevant source
• Receipt Date: DOR

The summary details cannot be updated but the following must be recorded:

• Extra Detail field: Carer Payment Suspended
• Text field: Leave the auto populated ‘Absence Recorded via Temporary Cessation Workflow’ and add the following:
• Start and end date of absence
• Date respite/hospitalisation days exceeded
• Carer Payment suspended
• Date of effect of suspension
• Reason for suspension
• Suspended under Social Security Administration Act S95CA

Finalise the activity. Procedure ends here.

• Include on the DOC the end date if it is an estimate by the carer
• Go to the AR screen and finalise the activity

If the absence relates for the dependent child of a lower ADAT score adult care receiver, who is not receiving CA for the dependent child, a DOC with the following format must be recorded on the care receivers record.

• Summary Line: Number of <Respite/Hospitalisation> Days in <current year> = NNN for <Care Receiver's Name>
• Where NNN equals the running total of days of this particular type of absence that will have been used by the end date of this particular absence
• For example, Number of days of Hospitalisation in 2001 = 14 for Joe XXXXX
• Keyword: code 'TAB'
• Text: provide information about the absence, including start and end dates
• Procedure ends here

When considering if a special circumstance applies, there should be a definite period for when the care receiver will return to the care of the carer.

From the Document List (DL), select the direct referral DOC in the carers record.

Annotate the DOC with the decision to either approve/not approve the extension.

Was the decision to extend respite approved?

• Yes, approval given to extend past 63 days, go to Step 3
• No, payment will automatically cancel one the 63 days respite have expired unless the customer is eligible for an extended suspension period of up to 26 weeks (6 months)
  Where possible, call the carer to advise that the respite extension has not been approved, and issue the carer with a manual letter (Q999) to advise the decision and include the Appeal paragraph. For more information on Q999 letters, see Creating a Q999 or Q888 letter. Procedure ends here

All absence extensions are updated in Customer First using the Temporary Cessation of Care workflow.

If the workflow is not available or not working, update the absence manually. For manual coding, go to Step 4.

In Customer First:

• Run the Temporary Cessation of Care workflow. The Temporary Cessation of Care Summary page will show
• Expand the page for the applicable care receiver by clicking on the arrows (>>) next to the care receiver's name. This shows the full summary of the history of absences for the period displayed. Note: if a different period is needed use the drop down box in the Period to Display: field at the top of the page. Press Continue. The Care Receiver Absence Update page will show

Update the absence by:

• Selecting the appropriate care receiver from the drop-down box in the Care Receiver: field, then tick the Absence Extended: field. Select the Update button. The updates made will show
• Check for accuracy and select Update to show the Absence Updates Summary page
• If more absence updates are required, repeat the previous steps to update
• If no more updates are needed, select Continue
• The Assessment Results for Activity page will show. Finalise activity and exit the workflow
• Record all updates on a DOC, including the details of the APS5/6 who approved the extension

Manual coding is used only when Customer First or the workflow is not available. Updates must be done in Customer First.

• In carer’s record, select the:
• CDA/MFU with review reason 14W, and/or
• CAR/AAP with review reason RSP
• Make sure the correct care receiver has been selected. If not, go to the Care Receiver Summary (CRS) screen in the carer's record and select the appropriate care receiver
• In Customer First, select Continue

The Temporary Cessation of Care Update page will show. Go to Step 5.

Update:

• In Customer First, tick the Absence Extended: field
• In Customer Record code 'Y' in the Absence Extended: field

This makes sure the Carer Payment and/or Carer Allowance will not cancel once the absence extends beyond the 63 respite care days allowable per year.

Complete the following fields:

• Source
• in Customer First Receipt Date: field, or
• in the Customer Record, the DOR: field

Finalise activity

• In Customer First select Update. If more absence updates are required, complete the Care Receiver Absence Update section of page with for the additional absences. If no more updates are needed, select Continue
• Finalise activity on the Assessment Results (AR) screen
• Record details on a DOC in the carer's record, including the name of the APS5/6 level officer who made the extension decision. The decision to allow an extension must be recorded on a DOC
• Procedure ends here.