Healthy Start for School (HSFS) requirements for financial years 2011-12 to 2017-18 007-11010050

For the 2011-12 to 2017-18 financial years, if a customer had a child turning four and the customer or their partner received an income support payment, HSFS requirements applied.

If HSFS requirements are not met, the Family Tax Benefit (FTB) Part A supplement is not payable for the relevant child for any days during the financial year where the customer (or their partner, if they had one) received an income support payment (including employment nil rate periods).

An acceptable health check can be completed from when the child turns 3 years of age.

FTB instalment customers were notified that they are impacted by the initiative in the financial year in which the relevant child turned 4 years of age.

Health check details can be recorded any time after the customer receives notification that they are impacted until the end of the relevant lodgement year.

• If the customer has contacted about FTB reconciliation, go to Step 2
• If the customer has lodged an FTB lump sum claim, see Step 6 in the Health check status exemptions and special circumstances table
• If the customer has had a successful formal review about HSFS, see Step 8 in the Health check status exemptions and special circumstances table
• If a health professional has contacted (for example, local doctor, practice nurse or registered Aboriginal health worker), see Step 9 in the Health check status exemptions and special circumstances table
• If the customer has contacted about HSFS requirements for a child turning four on or after 1 July 2018, this procedure does not apply. See Healthy Start for School (HSFS) requirements from 1 July 2018

In the customer's record, select the child from the Child Selection (CHS) page and go to the Child Relationship Status (!CHRE) page.

Different assessment rules will be applied to a customer depending on whether they and/or their partner are a 'parent' carer or 'non parent' carer of the child. The system will automatically apply the rules based on information recorded.

The Children > Child Relationship navigation menu option can be used to go to the CHS screen.

Is the customer's (and their partner's) relationship to the child correctly recorded?

• Yes, go to Step 4
• No, go to Step 3

Record/update the customer's (and their partner's/ex-partner's) relationship to the child as appropriate.

For help, see Child Relationships page.

Finalise the activity on the Assessments Results (AR) page.

Record details on a DOC using Fast Note - select Auto Text, use Families > Updates > Child Relationships Status.

The health check status should only be updated if the customer advises the health check has been completed, or if they do not intend to complete the check.

If a customer advises the health check is still to be completed, do not update the health check at this point. Customers have until 30 June of the financial year in which the child turned 4 years of age to notify for the FTB Part A supplement for the child to be included in the FTB reconciliation assessment for that financial year.

For financial years 2011-12 to 2017-18 customers can notify the requirements are met on or before 30 June of the lodgement year (extended lodgement year for 2011-12) following the financial year in which the child turned 4 years of age. Re-reconciliation will occur to pay any FTB Part A supplement (if entitled) for the child for any day/s where they or their partner were receiving an income support payment in the financial year their child turned 4 years of age.

For children turning four on or after 1 July 2018, HSFS requirements no longer apply to the FTB Part A supplement and notification must be provided before the child’s fifth birthday. See Healthy Start for School (HSFS) requirements from 1 July 2018.

Note: if the customer and child records are in different environments, the update will not be successful. See Inter-environment change of address (ICoA) transfer of a child record if the child's record needs to be moved into the same environment as the customer's.

Launch the Healthy Start for School Review workflow or guided procedure. Note: if an error message is presented when the Healthy Start for School Review workflow is launched, further updates are required before relaunching the workflow.

A summary screen displays the Health Check status recorded for each child.

Is an update to the health check status required?

• Yes, and the customer is:
• notifying that a health check has been completed, go to Step 5
• applying for an exemption, see Step 1 in the Health check status exemptions and special circumstances table
• advising a health check will not be completed for the child, see Step 5 in the Health check status exemptions and special circumstances table
• No, select 'cancel' to exit the Healthy Start for School Review workflow. Procedure ends here

• Update health check completed to 'Yes'
• Record the date the health check was completed and the date the customer notified. Note: the date the child completed the health check cannot be before the child’s third birthday
• Finalise the workflow and advise the customer of the new FTB re-reconciliation outcome. If notification of completion of the health check is received after the end of the lodgement year (extended lodgement year for 2011-12) the FTB Part A supplement will remain excluded. Customers should also be aware the supplements can be used to offset new or existing debts
• Record details on a DOC using Fast Note - select Auto Text, use Families > Updates > Healthy Start For School - Health Check

Procedure ends here.

A Healthy Start for School (HSFS) automatic exemption may apply for circumstances including customer/child death, or customer is receiving Carer Payment (CP) or Carer Allowance (CA) for the child.

For customers impacted by HSFS in 2011-12 the automatic exemption circumstances must apply within 2 years of the end of the financial year in which the child turned 4 years of age.

For customers impacted during a financial year between 2012-13 and 2017-18, the timeframe is 1 year from the end of the financial year in which the child turned 4 years of age.

• A manual exemption can apply if the child has a severe disability or medical condition and has undergone an assessment suitable to the child's needs by a recognised health professional and no other customer is in receipt of CP or CA specifically for this child, or
• Special circumstance exemption criteria are satisfied if the customer has unusual and/or unexpected circumstances as outlined on the Resources page. If assistance is required in determining eligibility:
• service centre staff, call the Technical Support Line
• smart centre call, contact Local Peer Support (LPS)

Is a manual or special circumstance exemption applicable?

• Yes,
• For manual exemption, go to Step 2
• For special circumstance exemption, go to Step 3
• No, go to Step 4

• Yes, launch the Healthy Start for School Review workflow or guided procedure. Note: if an error message is presented when the Healthy Start for School Review workflow is launched, further updates are required before relaunching the workflow. Update the following:
• Health check completed to 'No'
• If an exemption applies to 'Yes'
• Exemption type
• Date exemption applies using the date the customer has applied for the exemption.
• Finalise the workflow
• Record details on a DOC using Fast Note - select Auto Text, use Families > Updates > Healthy Start For School - Health Check
• Contact the customer and advise outcome
• Procedure ends here
• No, go to Step 3

The Resources page contains examples of when a Special Circumstances exemption may be granted.

• Yes, record details outlining reason for grant in a DOC using Fast Note - select Auto Text, use Families > Updates > Healthy Start For School - Health Check and contact a Families override contact for coding. These exemptions can only be coded by Families override contacts with specific SAMS access. The Resources page contains a link to a list of Families override contacts. Procedure ends here
• Families override contact, go to Step 1
• No, explain reason for decision to customer and record details in a DOC using Fast Note - select Auto Text, use Families > Updates > Healthy Start For School - Health Check. Go to Step 4

Does the customer intend to complete and notify the health check status?

• Yes, advise the customer to recontact when the health check has been completed. If the customer notifies that it has been completed on or before 30 June of the lodgement year, FTB re-reconciliation will occur and the FTB Part A supplement for the child may be included, if entitled. Customers should also be aware the supplement can be used to offset new or existing debts. Record details on a DOC using Fast Note - select Auto Text, use Families > Updates > Healthy Start For School - Health Check. Procedure ends here

• No, go to Step 5

• Update health check completed to 'No'
• Finalise the workflow
• Advise the customer that they will not be entitled to the FTB Part A supplement for the child for any day/s where they or their partner were receiving an income support payment in the financial year their child turned 4 years of age
• Record a DOC using Fast Note - select Auto Text, use Families > Updates > Healthy Start For School - Health Check

Note: if the Health check completed field is recorded as 'No', the customer will not receive Electronic Messaging (EM) or the reminder letter.

Note: customers will be unable to use online services to notify completion of a health check after the end of the lodgement year for the financial year in which the child turns four.

Procedure ends here.

Is the customer claiming FTB Part A for a child who turned 4 years of age in the financial year and they or their partner were ISP current for at least 1 day of the financial year?

• Yes, determine if the customer and partner were parent carers or non-parent carers of the relevant child using the information provided in the lump sum claim
• No, the customer is not subject to HSFS requirements. Procedure ends here

Note: for financial years from 1 July 2018 onwards, HSFS requirements do not apply for FTB lump sum claims.

Customer is impacted by HSFS if:

• the customer or their partner is a parent or adoptive parent as at 30 June of the financial year; or they and their partner are non-parent carers (foster parent, step parent, grandparent, other) on 30 June of the financial year
• for non-parent carers:
• the child is in their care and an FTB child on the last day of the relevant financial year, and
• the child was an FTB child of the customer for at least 26 weeks (this period does not need to be continuous) in the relevant financial year while they were also ISP current

Note: an FTB lump sum claim customer with special circumstances preventing them from meeting the health check requirements by the end of the lodgement year may be granted an extension of time to meet the requirement. A special circumstances extension cannot be granted until a lump sum claim for the relevant financial year has been lodged.

To grant a special circumstance exemption:

• Launch the Healthy Start for School Review workflow to record the exemption for the child. Note: if an error message is presented when the Healthy Start for School Review workflow is launched, further updates are required before relaunching the workflow
• Select relevant child from the Child Selection page and continue:
• Health check completed to 'No'
• If an exemption applies to 'Yes'
• Exemption type - special circumstance
• Date exemption applies using the date the customer has applied for the exemption
• Note details of reasons why exemption has been granted in text box
• Finalise the workflow

Procedure ends here.

Contact the local Families override contact to have an appropriate override applied.

Action for Families override contact:

• Launch the Healthy Start for School Review workflow to record the override for the child. Note: if an error message is presented when the Healthy Start for School Review workflow is launched, further updates are required before relaunching the workflow.
• Select relevant child from the Child Selection page and continue. Update fields:
• Health check completed to 'No'
• If an exemption applies to 'No'
• Do you wish to override to 'Yes'
• Override reason
• Date override applies = 1 July of relevant financial year

Finalise the workflow.

Record details on a DOC using Fast Note - select Auto Text, use Families > Updates > Healthy Start For School - Health Check.

Procedure ends here.

If a health professional (for example, practice nurse, doctor, registered Aboriginal health worker) contacts about the health checks (for example, what checks are appropriate for the initiative), refer them to the Medicare provider enquiry line on 13 2150.

Note: if the contact is made by a staff member from a Community Health Clinic, refer them to their local state or territory department.