Double Orphan Pension (DOP) reassessments and reviews 007-06030000

Under social security law, DOP customers are required to notify of changes within 14 days. A DOP review is required where any of the following events has, or will occur:

• surviving parent is discharged from prison, mental hospital or nursing home
• surviving parent is not convicted of the offence for which they were being held on remand
• surviving parent is convicted but sentenced to less than 10 years imprisonment
• overseas absences
• residency changes
• change in care (in particular where percentage of care reduces to less than 35%)
• child may be entitled to, or claims a payment in their own right
• child ceases to live with the DOP recipient
• child is adopted
• surviving parents’ whereabouts become known to the child or customer
• customer becomes aware of who the surviving parent is
• refugee child’s parent/s arrive in Australia
• child aged 16-19 ceases to meet FTB study requirements

Formal DOP reviews are conducted every two years, along with periodic reviews that are carried out when there is an anticipated event that may change the customers entitlement:

• standard formal 2-year review to see if a notifiable event has occurred
• child turning 16 (check entitlement to Youth Allowance, see Independence for Youth Allowance (YA) customers)
• DOP child is turning 13 (check if there is a change to the additional rate entitlement) – DOP additional rate customers only
• CPI rate increases for Rent Assistance 20 March and 20 September each year (check if there is a change to the additional rate entitlement) – DOP additional rate and RA customers only

These reviews are not automatic and are required to be manually coded.

In Customer First, create a manual review on the Review Registration (RVR) screen and complete the fields as follows:

• Service Reason: DOP
• Review Reason: DOP (Double Orphan Pension)
• Due Date: date of anticipated event
• Source: INT
• Date of Receipt: today's date
• Notes:
  • DOP review for <child/ren name and date of birth>
  • Review Type: CoC (include details of known or anticipated event e.g. parent of refugee child has arrived in AU or parent has been released from prison/psychiatric institution)
  • DOP CIRCS: <circumstances DOP was granted under e.g. BDE, REF, PWU, PRI>
• Keywords: @DOP
• Workgroup: leave blank
• Position: leave blank
• Transfer to Region: leave blank

The review will mature on the Due Date coded in the RVR activity. Workload Management will allocate the review to DOP for manual action. Procedure ends here.

For DOP and Bereavement Smart Centre Processing Team

If the event has already occurred, or a DOP review has been allocated for actioning, go to Step 2.

If a Manual Follow-up (MFU) for a CPI or NFYA activity have been allocated for actioning, go to Step 10.

For DOP and Bereavement Smart Centre Processing Team

Is there enough information on the record or based on a verbal discussion with the customer to enable completion of the DOP review?

• Yes:
  • and the DOP child is turning 15 years 11 months, go to Step 9
  • otherwise, go to Step 4
• No, go to Step 3

For DOP and Bereavement Smart Centre processing Team

If there is not enough information on the record, or the customer is unable to confirm the information provided:

• issue a QSS32 - DOP - Review questions letter to the DOP customer
• allow 22 days (14 days + 8 days to allow extra time for surface mail delivery) or 29 days for remote areas and overseas
• record a DOC using Fast Note - select Auto text, use Families > Updates > DOP review initiated

Procedure ends here.

Did the customer respond to the review letter or the customer has provided enough information to undertake the review?

• Yes, and the:
  • review can be completed, go to Step 8
  • QSS32 response has been received for surviving parent whereabouts unknown (PWU), and information is still needed to determine continuing eligibility for DOP, go to Step 6
• No, go to Step 5

Cancel DOP from date paid to (DPT) + 1.

Customer First:

• In the FAO system, go to the Benefit Action (BA) screen:
  • Key 'DOP' in the Svc Rsn: field
  • Key 'CAN' in the Action: field
  • Reason: FRC
  • Effect Date: DPT + 1
  • Add notes regarding the cancellation in the Notes: field
  • Code Source: and DOR: fields
• Finalise the activity
• Document the record using Fast Note - select Auto text, use Families > SUS/CAN/RES > DOP cancelled

A cancellation letter will be automatically issued to the customer.

Procedure ends here.

Service Officers:

• must make genuine attempts to contact the DOP customer by phone to obtain details of:
  • last contact
  • approximate whereabouts, if known
  • likelihood of future involvement, and
  • what attempts the customer has made to establish the surviving parent's whereabouts
• may identify a customer or DOP child are experiencing vulnerability or risk. In these cases, Service Officers must make appropriate external and/or internal service referrals. This may include offering a social work referral if the vulnerable circumstances are complex, and the customer does not have adequate support
• should consult with a social worker if they need assistance to determine continuing DOP eligibility, due to sensitive circumstances. For example, if the phone interaction has become difficult for the customer due to complex grief. The social worker will determine whether they can provide advice to the Service Officer based on existing information. They will also determine if it is more appropriate to take over the call with the customer or making a subsequent outbound call to the customer

Is a referral to a social worker needed?

• Yes:
  • if the Service Officer has completed the consultation with a social worker go to Step 8
  • if the social work referral is for support only, complete a referral to social work indicating the support required, then go to Step 8
  • the social worker will attempt to contact the customer, go to Step 7
• No, go to Step 8

The Service Officer should place the review activity on hold for 7 days.

The social worker will attempt to contact the customer and:

• will create a DOC on the customer's record with details of:
  • last contact with the child's parent
  • approximate whereabouts, if known
  • likelihood of future involvement, and
  • what attempts the customer has made to establish the surviving parent's whereabouts
• will record any sensitive personal information in the Social Work Information System (SWIS)
• if unable to contact the customer, they will create a DOC with details of the unsuccessful genuine attempts to contact

When the review matures, the Service Officer should complete the review of the customer's entitlement, go to Step 8.

Complete the review of the customer's continued entitlement to DOP. For help, see Processing claims for Double Orphan Pension (DOP).

• Check if there are any changes to the customers entitlement to the DOP additional component, see Calculating the additional Double Orphan Pension (DOP) component
• Record a DOC using Fast Note - select Auto text, use Families > Updates > DOP review finalised
• Check and code any future manual reviews, as per Step 1
• If the customer receives the DOP additional component, go to Step 10

DOP is cancelling as a result of the review

DOP may be cancelled upon completion of the review. If this is the case:

• make genuine attempts to contact the customer to inform them of the outcome
• document the record using Fast Note - select Auto text, use Families > SUS/CAN/RES > DOP cancelled

A cancellation letter will be automatically issued to the customer.

Procedure ends here.

Before an FTB child turns 16 years, a letter is issued to the customer advising them of the 'assumed' course end date Services Australia expects the child to complete Year 12 or equivalent qualification.

See Family Tax Benefit (FTB) for children aged 16-19 years.

Customers will only need to advise the agency if the child’s assumed course end date is incorrect, or if their circumstances have changed.

Customer wishes to update Child Education details

The Child Education Details Workflow will need to be run to update the child's details, e.g. course end date (if the child is subject to study requirements). See Study requirements for Family Tax Benefit (FTB) children aged 16 years or over.

Child ceases education

Run Child Education Details Workflow to update the education details for the child.

As the child no longer meets study requirements, the child is no longer considered a FTB child and is not eligible to receive DOP.

If the DOP child has a potential entitlement to an income support payment issue a Q888 - DOP - Invitation to claim ISP when child turns 16, inviting the child to claim.

Procedure ends here.

For DOP and Bereavement Smart Centre Processing Team

If a DOP customer receives the DOP Additional Component, the rate needs to be checked every time a review is completed on the record, and changes to the rate entitlement need to be manually actioned.

Automatic Manual Follow-up (MFU) activities are created on the customer's record to prompt the DOP and Bereavement Smart Centre processing staff to manually calculate and update rate changes as part of CPI (01 January) and NFYA (01 July) increases.

As part of actioning these MFU’s, processing staff also need to check if there have been changes to the customers legislative rate of FTB A since the last manual rate calculation was completed and action.

To action a rate change to address a CPI or NFYA MFU:

• select the MFU activity on the Activity List (AL) screen
• go to the Benefit Action (BA) screen
  • in the Service Reason field, key 'DOP'
  • in the Action field, key 'REA'
  • in the CPI date, key the date of effect
• update the new manual rate from the CPI date of effect line on the Manual Rate (MAR) screen, and complete the activity as per normal processing
• record details on a DOC. For:
  • New Financial Year: Use Fast Note - select Auto text, use Families > Updates > DOP NFYA Applied 1/7/20xx
  • CPI increase: Use Fast Note - select Auto text, use Families > Updates > DOP CPI Applied 1 January

To action a rate change as part of a review:

• go to the Benefit Action (BA) screen
  • in the Service Reason field, key 'DOP'
  • in the Action field, key 'REA'
  • in the date, key the date of effect
• insert the new daily rate from the date of effect line on the Manual Rate (MAR) screen, and complete the activity as per normal processing
• record details on a DOC. Use Fast Note – select Auto text, use Families > Updates > DOP Manual rate

See Calculating the additional Double Orphan Pension (DOP) component.