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Family assistance customer becomes partnered 007-03030090

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Person Permitted to Enquire (PPE) status is No

Care must be taken to avoid releasing information about claims and payments when:

  • a customer and their new partner are both current and/or claiming family payments (FTB and CCS), and
  • one, or both, has a Person Permitted to Enquire status of No

When contacting each member of the couple, discuss the following:

  • If they are aware if their partner is receiving, or intending to claim, FTB or CCS for the family
  • If they are, they will need to discuss their options with each other, such as:
    • will FTB be claimed by both members of the couple as a blended family, or
    • which member of the couple will receive FTB and/or CCS for the entire family
  • Both members of the couple need to advise Services Australia of their claim choices before any changes can be made
  • The benefits of giving their partner permission to enquire. Tell them this will also maximise the use of both their, and their partner's, information on record for any future claims or interactions

Letters

Operational Blueprint letters and electronic messaging

Contact details

Families Override contacts

Families and Child Care - Business Process and Design Branch

Services Australia website

Phone us

Level 2 Policy Helpdesks - Online Enquiry Form

Examples

Item

Description

1

FTB customer reconciles with ex-partner

Natasha and Shannon have been separated for four months. During this time, they shared the care of their two children.

Natasha received FTB for Natasha's percentage of care, however even though care of the children was shared, Shannon did not receive FTB.

Natasha advises of reconciling with Shannon.

The Service Officer:

  • updates all partnering details, then
  • updates the children’s care to 100% in the couple's care on the FTB claimant’s record from the date they became partnered

As the FTB claimant for the family, Natasha’s record should now reflect 100% care of both children and receives FTB.

Shannon no longer has care recorded for any of the children.

2

Customer provides incorrect marital status in Enhanced PPL claim

Jane’s lodges a pre-birth PPL claim on 1 June for a child with an expected date of birth 17 July. In the pre-birth claim Jane advised they were single on the date of claim submission. Following the birth of Jane’s newborn child Sam, Jane advises that the marital status in the pre-birth claim was incorrect and should have been updated to partnered from 17 March.

Jane is only claiming PPL and no other payments. Jane’s income in the pre-birth claim was over the individual income limit so Jane’s claim had been assessed using the family income test. Jane provides her partner’s income for the relevant financial year to have the claim re-assessed using the family income test. Their combined family income is below the relevant financial year income limit, so Jane is still eligible for PPL.

As Jane’s pre-birth claim has already been assessed the marital status needs to be updated on the MS screen in Customer First. A warning W038P1 is presented to the Service Officer and the update can be completed.

A PPL ZCoC activity is created in Process Direct for the Service Officer to action the update to the partners income. The Service Officer navigates to the Process Direct inbox tile to select the PPL Update Partner Change of Circumstance work item to update the partners income in Process Direct.

The Service Officer advises Jane:

  • their PPL claim has been reassessed based on a partnered entitlement, and
  • their partner will need to claim PPL to access the reserved entitlement

Any days that have been nominated over the maximum entitlement of PPL days will be rejected EME - Exceeds maximum entitlement.