Pre-processing checks for Child Care Subsidy (CCS) claims 007-17103132

An online or Assisted Customer Claim (ACC) for CCS/Additional Child Care Subsidy (ACCS) cannot be submitted until all required supporting documents have been uploaded.

The exception is where the customer will provide bank account or Tax File Number details within 28 days. See Exemption from providing Tax File Numbers when claiming Child Care Subsidy (CCS).

When a paper claim is scanned to the customer's record, a Social Online Application (SOA) is created. Staff must manually code the information directly into the SOA using details from the paper claim.

Service Centre Staff

• If the customer lodges an offline (paper) claim:
• Check all required evidence has been included with the claim
• Scan the paper claim together with any supporting documents to the customer's record. This will generate an activity which will be allocated to an appropriately trained Service Officer for processing
• If the customer is lodging evidence for a submitted claim:
• Scan the document onto the customer's record
• Access the customer's record in Process Direct
• Select the Transactions icon and the Claim ID hyperlink. The Claim Application screen shows
• Select the Tasks icon and update the status of documents required to Accepted. Select Save
• Select the Status icon. If all required documents have been provided and the Claim Status is On hold, update by selecting Edit and selecting In Process. Select Save.
  Note: if the Service Officer changes the claim status the work item will be assigned to them. If they are not trained to process the claim, the Service Officer will need to return the claim to the pool. Go to the work items list and select . Check the box for the relevant work item, and select Unassign to return the claim to the pool
• If a customer contacts because they have received notification that documents are outstanding but they state these have been provided, check the Tasks status within the claim
• If the document is still showing as Required, view documents scanned at a service centre or uploaded by the customer by selecting the Documents icon in Process Direct
• If the documents have been lodged, update the status to Accepted as above
• If not showing via Documents, request the customer upload the documents again

Most CCS online and ACCs are automatically assessed by applying the information provided with the eligibility criteria. Customers are advised of the outcome without the need for staff to manually review the claim.

Note: Straight Through Processing for CCS claims has been switched off since March 2023. Staff will be notified when this is turned back on again.

Claims that require exception management, validation of selected data items, and new claims after a customer has been cancelled due to the second deadline will not auto assess. These claims will be allocated via Workload Manager to staff with the appropriate skill tag to manage.

All ACCS applications (grandparent, transition to work, temporary financial hardship and child wellbeing) require appropriately skilled staff to validate the information provided within the claim for the claim to be assessed.

Does the claim need regenerating, reindexing, SOA indexing or Change of receipt?

• Yes, see Table 2
• No, proceed to CCS review claim and pre-processing checks. See Table 3

Regenerate will reset the claim to only have the information provided by the customer when they submitted the claim online.

If it is a paper claim, regenerating will remove all data entered by a staff member. This may be needed when Process Direct system fixes are released, or relationship linking was done after starting claim processing.

To regenerate:

• Go to the Transaction Summary (TS) screen
• Select > Regenerate Claim

Service Officers may need to re-index a claim if the customer has provided additional information after the claim is rejected, cancelled or there is an appeal. When the claim is re-indexed, it will include all the claim information.

CCS online claim re-index functionality is available to allow reassessment where the following criteria is met:

• The CCS Status is either Rejected or Cancelled. Note: where the rejection or cancellation is at the child level, re-index functionality is not available
• The CCS Claim has a status of Completed
• The customer has not withdrawn the original claim

To re-index an online claim:

• Select the original claim via the Transactions icon or by Inbox
• On the Transaction Summary (TS) screen, select > Re-Index Claim

This will generate a new work item using the claim information with a status of In Process.

As the work item is a change of circumstance activity (rather than a claim) it will show the following dates:

• Within the Claim Overview:
• Date of Receipt: the Deemed Date of Receipt (DDOR) is showing
• Creation Date: Date the claim was reindexed
• Claim Submission Date: date the original claim was submitted
• Claim Creation Date: date the original claim was created
• Within the Transactions (TS) overview:
• Date Submitted: the DDOR is showing. Note: this date will not affect the outcome of the assessment
• Receipt Date: the DDOR is showing

If a CCS claim is re-indexed:

• The reasons outlining why the claim requires reassessment should be clearly recorded in Progress and Claim Assessment Notes/DOCs
• When processing the recreated claim:
• check the Service Reason is CCP before selecting assess, and
• make sure the outcome is correct before finalising, including checking any CCS arrears generated
• See Payment of arrears after reassessment and stopping a payment
• If the incorrect outcome presents at Assessment Results, do not finalise the claim
• Check the Process Direct support page for any current issues. If the issue cannot be resolved, escalate to ICT via Roxy Digital Assistant

If a CCS claim requiring reassessment has a Current Benefit Status, re-index functionality is not available. For example, there is an incorrect rejection or period of cancellation at the child level. If a claim cannot be re-indexed to reassess entitlement, a CCS Social Online Application (SOA) can be indexed. Service Officers must manually input all relevant data to allow correct assessment. See Item 3 for more details on indexing a CCS SOA.

For claims requiring reassessment, a CCS SOA can be indexed if the following circumstances present:

• If reindex claim functionality is unable to be used due to the CCS Benefit Status. For example, when the customer has a Current Benefit Status
• A claim requires a backdated Date of Receipt (DOR). Note: for claims or SOAs requiring a Deemed Date of Receipt (DDOR) more than 3 years in the past, see Item 4

A CCS SOA should not be used:

• in place of an Assisted Customer Claim (ACC) where customers have requested to lodge a verbal claim

To index a CCS SOA:

• Go to the Process Direct home page and select SOA Shell under the Reports tab. Complete the following fields:
• Benefit Type: Select Child Care Subsidy
• Customer CRN: Key the Customer Reference Number (CRN) without spaces
• Date of Receipt: Enter the date the claim was lodged as DD/MM/YYYY. Note: the date of receipt of the original claim will show as the Submitted date. Use this date, not the Received date, to make sure of the claim correctness
• If a CCS SOA is indexed, a CCP Claim Progress Note/DOC is auto-created. Record the reason, outlining why the claim requires reassessment, in Progress and Claim Assessment Note/DOC

When processing a CCS SOA:

• manually get the AIR data for each child in the claim to avoid gaps and make sure of the correct backdating of entitlement. While in the claim:
• take note of the postcode of the parent
• from the child/ren record, go to the CIM table via the Super Key and select Add
• select Get AIR Data and Save the result, confirming the provisional AIR date of notification now matches the date of receipt (DDOR) of the claim. Note: the immunisation link should already be established but if linking issues present enter the customer postcode first then, if needed, include the Medicare number if available
• check the Service Reason is CCP before selecting assess, and
• make sure the outcome is correct before finalising, including checking any CCS arrears generated
• See Payment of arrears after reassessment and stopping a payment
• If the incorrect outcome presents at Assessment Results, do not finalise the claim
• Check the Process Direct support page for any current issues. If the issue cannot be resolved, escalate to ICT via Roxy Digital Assistant

Note: if the wrong child is selected in the SOA claim, Service Officers will not be able to delete the provisional line on the Decision Unit (CCC) table. Service Officers will need to regenerate the claim and re-enter all required information.

If CCS entitlement has been incorrectly cancelled due to 26W - No session of care lodged in at least 26 consecutive weeks ’26 week rule’, additional coding steps are required. After indexing the SOA shell, staff must:

• regenerate the SOA, and
• access the Link Summary (LS) screen via the Super Key:
• Select Edit and Save for the relevant child as part of the SOA shell claim
• This will change Record Status from ‘Confirmed’ to ‘Changed’
• go to the Transactions Summary (TS) screen, and select Process

Staff who try to process a claim where the DDOR is more than 3 years in the past will get error: E899AM - Receipt Date cannot be more than 3 years in the past.

If staff rightfully need to backdate a claim more than three years in the past, they must escalate a request using Fast Note:

Select Auto Text, use Families > Claims > CCS claim with DDOR more than 3 years processing request.

• Fill out the below fields:
• Child(ren) Name(s) and CRN(s)
• Date from which entitlement is to be granted for each child
• Original Claim ID
• Reason for backdating more than 3 years. For example, Authorised Review Officer (ARO) decision
• Associated debts (copy for each debt)
• Associated debt ID
• Associated debt amount
• Debt status. For example, Determined - Written Off (DWO), Determined (DET)
• The system automatically adds keyword CCS3YR. This allocates the activity to a suitably skilled Service Officer. It removes the need to 'transfer' the Fast Note to a specific region.

Staff do not need to index a claim or a Social Online Application (SOA) before escalating the Fast Note.

Once the Fast Note has been sent

If the request is:

• a Secretary-initiated review, make 2 genuine attempts to contact the customer:
• Tell them the backdated period will be reassessed/granted, if eligible
• Record conversation details on the record. Include contact attempts
• for an appeal implementation, specialist staff will:
• index, assess and finalise the claim, and
• take the implementation DOC off hold (if there is one)
• The implementation DOC then re-allocates to the referring Subject Matter Expert (SME). The SME takes any extra action and runs the appeal decision implementation script as per SME explanations, ARO referrals and implementing ARO decisions

It may be necessary to change the DDOR for a CCS online claim, reindexed claim or CCS SOA before processing. This is not often required.

To change the DDOR:

• Make sure the claim status is In Process
• On the Transaction Summary (TS) screen, select > Calculate DDOR. The Enter Date of Receipt screen will show
• Select the new Date of Receipt (DOR) using the calendar to calculate the new DDOR. Note: if attempting to reassess a previously assessed claim, the date of receipt of the original claim will show as the Submitted date. Use this date, not the Received date, to make sure of the claim correctness
• After selecting the date, select Update to calculate and apply the new DDOR based on the 28 day rule
• The new DDOR will show in the Receipt Date field at the top of the screen. Note: the claim DOR shows as the 'Claim Submission Date' within the claim overview. This will not change as only the DDOR is being updated
• The claim will auto-regenerate

If the original DDOR needs to be restored, manually regenerate the claim. The Receipt Date field will update to show the original DDOR.

If the DOR is changed, document the in Progress and Claim Assessment Notes/DOCs.

A CCS claim may generate a Virtual Service Reason (VSR) Update activity, which will show as a provisional activity in Customer First.

If the VSR activity is stopping further updates to the customer's record, the VSR can be cancelled.

To cancel the VSR activity, in Customer First:

• Select the VSR from the Activity List (AL) screen
• Select Cancel an Activity (C) and select Continue
• The Activity Cancel screen will present
• Cancel All Provisional Changes: select Yes - Cancel the Activity
• Cancellation Reason: select Process in PD. Note: No Longer Required must not be used as this will cancel the CCS claim in Process Direct
• Select Continue

As CCS claims only exist in Process Direct, there are no options to manually process the claim in Customer First, therefore the Handover to CF/CR option must not be used.

In the event Error WS999 - Activity has been handed over to CF/CR for processing presents, it indicates the Handover to CR/CR option has been incorrectly selected.

To rectify:

• Select the claim in Customer First
• Select the VSR from the Activity List (AL) screen
• Select Cancel an Activity (C) and select Continue
• The Activity Cancel screen will present
• Cancel All Provisional Changes: select Yes - Cancel the Activity
• Cancellation Reason: select Process in PD
• Select Continue

The WS999 error should no longer present when accessing the claim in Process Direct. The claim will need to be regenerated before processing.

If an open FAO DOC with notes Plse action CCS claim in PD is allocated, note the CRN and complete the DOC in Customer First. Any relevant keywords will be added directly to the claim.

Locate work item in Process Direct. Note: there is no requirement to allocate the claim to self until it is determined that a hand-off is not required.

Online claim/ACC submitted

Select the work item to go to the Customer and Activity Information table on the Transaction Summary (TS) screen.

The icons at the top of the screen show the customer's information currently held on record in detail.

Review the information provided by the customer.

Select and to view the Claim Summary in a new window. If it is blank, press [F5] to refresh the page. If the claim remains blank, check the Keywords icon. If these keywords are present:

• MANSOA: a manual Social Online Application (SOA) has been indexed
• FA084: a paper claim has been lodged

Abridged Add Child to CCS Activity (ADDCH keyword)

An abridged or shortened CCS claim allows a customer to add another eligible child or children in care to their CCS entitlement without having to complete a full CCS claim.

View the Claim Summary. Add Child claim for CCS can be identified as the activity will have:

• only information about the child to be added, and
• the customers declaration

The claim does not include:

• Income Estimate
• Activity Test Details

The activity will include the keyword ADDCH.

If the customer has lodged an Add Child claim for CCS, see Add child claim for Child Care Subsidy (CCS).

Paper claim lodged

When a paper claim (FA084) is scanned to the customer's record, a SOA is created. Manually code the information directly into the SOA using details from the paper claim.

If no SOA shell exists, one can be manually indexed to allow claim assessment. See Table 2.

Supporting documents

Go to the Tasks icon to view documents requested online, via ACC or after the claim was submitted.

Check for any scanned documents lodged to support the CCS claim. To do this, select any of the following:

• the relevant document icons at the bottom of the expanded Claim Summary
• from the bottom of the open Process Direct window
• Documents icon

Documents lodged

If documents have been provided separately, for example, after the claim was submitted, select Tasks and update the Status of the relevant task to Provided.

Before assessing the CCS claim, processing staff will check Transactions in Process Direct for any additional CCS claims and lodgement of other Family Assistance claims. A further indicator that the CCS claim was lodged as a combined CCS/Families (for example, Family Tax Benefit (FTB)) claim is other families question sets in the CCS claim data. For example, Payment Choices for FTB appearing in the CCS claim overview.

If the customer has lodged multiple claims with different submission dates, claims will be processed in order of date submitted. Start with the earlier date. For example, FTB and CCS.

If there is a CCS claim and a Families claim on the record with the same submission date, the Families claim must be processed first.

If the customer has lodged more than one CCS claim, they will be processed in the order submitted (earliest date first).

Select the Notes icon or go to the Document List (DL) screen. Thoroughly review the customer's record and review all:

• Display on Access (DOA) DOCs
• previous claim Notes or DOCs
• requests for information issued
• notes that may help in assessing the claim
• outcomes of previous claims lodged

For more details about Progress Notes/DOCs and the information to be recorded, see Families and Child Care (FCC) processing principles.

If customer wants to withdraw their CCS claim, including where customers request withdrawal of an Additional Child Care Subsidy (ACCS) component of their CCS/ACCS claim, see Withdrawal of claims.

Note: if the customer has withdrawn a combined claim (CCS/Family Tax Benefit (FTB)/Paid Parental Leave (PPL)), the withdrawal DOC on the customer's Document List will be titled FAO Online Claim Withdrawn.

Contact details updated online

If a customer has updated their contact details online after submitting the claim, complete the started Customer Details Cluster (CDC) activity before claim processing. If there is a started new claim (NCL) activity:

• Note the claim ID and cancel the claim off the Activity List (AL) screen
• Go to Customer First to complete the started CDC activity on the AL screen
• If updates do not show in Process Direct after the CDC activity has been completed, regenerate and process the claim in Process Direct

To regenerate the claim:

• Go to the Process Direct Landing Page
• Select Inbox
• In the Work Item Search, enter Claim Id > Go
• Select the Claim showing in the Work Items table
• Select > Regenerate

For details, see Process Direct navigation, common screens and functions

Paper claim:

If a customer has provided new contact details (for example, address details), verbally or in their paper claim, update these separately in Customer First before assessing the claim in Process Direct. This will stop any requests for additional information being sent to an incorrect address if a Request for Information needs to be sent.

Review the claim data to determine if there are any necessary processing hand off points. Expand one of the following sections if a hand off is required.

If no hand off is required, including instances where the Service Officer has the relevant skillset or delegation to action, go to Step 6.

CCS/ACCS combined claims are processed by the ACCS Processing Team (ACCSPT). Staff have no delegation to process ACCS claims unless they are members of an ACCSPT. This includes:

• combined CCS/ACCS claims where the ACCS component is embedded within the CCS claim
• CCS/ACCS claims where the customer has indicated they would like to withdraw the ACCS component

There is no need to reallocate the work item as it will be mapped to appropriately trained staff. If a staff member is allocated an ACCS work item they are not appropriately skilled to action, unassign it with reason User Unavailable. This returns it back to the national allocation pool. See Work Optimiser for staff for further information on unassigning a claim.

Note: if unsure a CCS claim has a combined ACCS component after reviewing the claim details, check for an ACCS keyword:

• Select the Claim ID
• Select Keyword
• The ACCS component type will show under the Description (Do not delete or add an ACCS keyword
• TFH (Temporary Financial Hardship)
• TTW (Transition to Work)
• GRDPT (Grandparent)

Complete the Plse action CCS Claim in PD Note/DOC (if not previously completed).

A handoff process applies for situations where combined claims (CCS and FTB/PPL/DAP) are allocated to a Service Officer trained in CCS only. Families claims are to be processed in the order of submission by the customer, except where there is a CCS claim and a Families claim (for example, FTB/PPL/DAP) on the record with the same submission dates. In this case the Families claim is to be processed first.

Note: this handoff process is to be used only when staff do not have all the skills required to action a customer's Families claim first before actioning the CCS claim. Service Officers proficient in all the payment types are to process all claim types in the required order at the time the claim is first allocated.

Staff skilled in CCS claims only and the above handoff process is required:

• If an open FAO Note/DOC with notes Plse action CCS claim in PD is allocated, complete the Note/DOC (if not previously completed).
• Locate the CCS claim ID in Process Direct and select the claim:
• On the Transactions (TS) screen select Keyword
• Select Add and select @FAO. The keyword will now appear in the claim
• Exit the claim by selecting Process Direct (go to Home Page)
• Do not place a CCS claim on hold when the customer has a Families claim on their record. This will make sure that the claim is available for allocation to a Service Officer with skills to action the claim type
• Annotate the existing CCS Progress Note/DOC advising the additional keyword has been added and the claim is to be assessed. If there is no existing Progress Note, create a new Note. Select the Notes icon select Add Note and record the following information:
• Category field: select Claim
• Summary field: CCS Claim Progress
• Content:
• Transaction ID: insert current claim ID number
• CCS claim handoff required. Relevant keyword added
• Select Save and complete the Note. Do not leave the Note open

If a combined claim has been lodged, before processing the CCS claim, staff must check Document List to confirm the claim has not been withdrawn. If a combined claim is withdrawn, the CCS claim is not automatically withdrawn. The CCS claim must be manually withdrawn where it has been lodged as part of a combined claim and if the customer wishes to claim CCS a new claim must be lodged. See Withdrawal of claims. Otherwise, procedure ends here.

If the customer has advised of a shared care arrangement or change of care in the claim, the shared care coding cannot be completed within the CCS Claim in Process Direct.

Has the customer advised in the claim they are a step parent, have a shared care arrangement, or a change of care?

• Yes, go to Step 7
• No, continue to process claim. Go to Step 11

Locate the customer's record in Customer First and access each child included in the CCS claim via the CHS screen.

From the Child Task Selector Menu Selector (CHTS) table select the In Customer Care, Shared care (FTB), Shared Care (SSA) and Care Align Details boxes.

Select [Enter] to view current care assessment on file.

Is the customer a step parent?

• Yes, go to Step 8
• No, go to Step 9

A workaround may need to be completed where care has not applied correctly when the customer is a step parent.

If the customer is a step parent the P24845 work around is required, including where the customer is not Family Tax Benefit (FTB) current.

If the workaround has been previously applied, the FSC screen will show 3 or more carers with shared care.

If the step parent assessment:

• has been coded and the claims details match the details in the customer first file:
• assign the claim to self via the Assign to me button (located in the Actions sub menu) in Work Optimiser, and
• go to Step 11
• has been coded and the claim details do not match the details in the customer first file, go to Step 10
• has not been coded, go to Step 10
• is not required, go to Step 10

Does shared care information in the claim match the details in the Customer First file?

• Yes:
• assign the claim to self via the Assign to me button (located in the Actions sub menu) in Work Optimiser, and
• go to Step 11
• No, go to Step 10

Expand one of the following sections based on relevant skillset.

• If an open FAO Note/DOC with notes Plse action CCS claim in PD is allocated, complete the Note/DOC (if not previously closed)
• Locate the CCS claim ID in Process Direct, and select the claim:
• On the Transactions (TS) screen select Keyword
• Select Add, and search for and select SHARED. The keyword will now appear in the claim
• To exit the claim, select Process Direct (go to Home Page)
• Annotate the existing CCS Progress Note/DOC advising the additional keyword has been added and shared care is to be assessed. If there is no existing Progress Note, create a new Note. Select the Notes icon select Add Note and record the following information:
• Category field: select Claim
• Summary field: CCS Claim Progress
• Content:
• Transaction ID: insert current claim ID number
  CCS claim handoff required. Relevant keyword added
• Select Save and complete Note. Do not leave Note open
• For more details, see Workload Management. Procedure ends here

If skilled or trained to undertake shared care assessments:

• Shared care will need to be coded in Customer First, including any required step-parent coding
• Once this has been completed in Customer First:
• regenerate claim, and
• continue with claim processing

Note: from 27 June 2022, where a customer is partnered, and does not meet care requirements, the system will automatically check if their current partner has the child/ren coded in their care (ICC) with 14% care or more.

If care is disputed, and the child has 14% care or more currently recorded on file (regular care child with no disqualifying payment), and upon resolution of dispute the care will still be greater than 14%, there is no need to hold the claim pending shared care assessment. Continue to process the claim if relevant coding exists on file to assess. For example, customer has 50% care and 5% is in dispute with another carer, customer will still have an FTB child in care upon resolution of dispute.

Once shared care assessment has been finalised:

• assign the claim to self via the Assign to me button(located in the Actions sub menu) in Work Optimiser, and
• go to Step 11

If the system identifies a change of environment is required for the customer or the child (due to a past or current change of address) Process Direct will trigger the need to initiate an interstate transfer via an error message.

Check the Benefit Status line.

Does the customer have CCP/CAN-2DL showing?

• Yes, go to Step 12
• No, go to Step 13

A customer cannot reclaim, or a partner claim, CCS until they meet all the CCS income requirements for outstanding financial years and any outstanding CCS debts fully repaid or have an adequate repayment arrangement in place.

Note: an outstanding financial year is one where the either the first or second deadline has been applied. For example, customers who received entitlement during 2018-19, must have met the reconciliation conditions for this year in order to re-claim CCS during the 2020-21 year.

Reindex claim or SOA functionality cannot be used instead of a CCS claim in this instance. The customer must reclaim via an online claim, paper claim or Assisted Customer Claim (ACC) if criteria is met.

Check if the customer and partner meets CCS income requirements for previous financial years:

• Exit out of the claim by selecting Home
• Select the CCS Reconciliation Dashboard tile from the Process Direct homepage
• Enter in the customer's CRN and select the previous financial years

For any of the previous financial years, is the most recent instance a reconciliation instance which has replaced a 2DL instance?

• Yes, for the financial years that show the last instance as a reconciliation instance preceded by an instance of Non Lodger: Deadline 2, or, Non Lodger: Deadline 1 where the second deadline date has passed (see Reconciliation of Child Care Subsidy (CCS) for:
• In the most recent window banner, select the date hyperlink
• Select the Tax Return Status
• Take note of the latest date under the Income Lodgement Date column
• Return back to the claim by returning to Inbox from the Process Direct Homepage then entering in the CRN or claim id
• Go to Step 13
• No, and the latest instance is Non Lodger: Deadline 2, check if income requirements have been met:
• In the most recent window banner, select the date hyperlink
• Select the Tax Return Status

If anyone is showing as Adequate Income rule not met, complete additional checks, including any coding on FAO Income for Previous Year (FIPY) and Non Lodger Exemption (FNLE) screens for the relevant year. If both FNLE and FIPY are not coded, the claim is to be made NEF:

• Return back to the claim by returning to the Inbox tile from the Process Direct Homepage
• Key the CRN or claim id, then
• Go to Table 4, Step 7 in Processing Child Care Subsidy (CCS) claims to make the claim not -effective

Check if the customer has an existing nominee arrangement:

• Review the Links Summary (LS) table on the Transactions (TS)screen. Nominee arrangements will show with a link type as:
• NOP (Payment Nominee)
• NOC (Correspondence Nominee), or
• NOB (Correspondence and Payment Nominee)
• Go to the Nominee link summary (NOLS)

Check the claim data to determine if the customer has appointed a new payment nominee or has cancelled a previous arrangement.

If the customer has not nominated a payment nominee, or has not cancelled an existing nominee arrangement, or if payment nominee details have not changed, go to Step 14.

See Cancelling a nominee arrangement if the customer has requested an existing payment nominee arrangement to be cancelled.

Change of nominee arrangement is a family and domestic violence interaction point see Family and domestic violence.

If a customer appoints a payment nominee in the claim and that payment nominee arrangement is not yet in place, the customer must provide bank account details to receive payments, before processing of the nominee application.

Has the customer completed and lodged the Authorising a person or organisation to enquire or act on your behalf (SS313) form?

• Yes, see Adding or rejecting a nominee request to assess the SS313 form before assessing the CCS claim. Once the nominee is appointed, go to Step 14
• No, the bank account details advised within the claim will be used for CCS purposes until the form has been lodged and processed. Make sure a FAO bank account has been recorded on the Payment Destination Details (PAS) table within the claim. Go to Step 14

Go to the Tax File Number Authorisation (TFN) screen on the customer (and partner) record. Check if TFN(s) have been recorded. If the TFN(s) are already recorded, go to Step 15.

Customers are required to provide a TFN for themselves, their partner, former partner or deceased customer (as applicable) when claiming CCS. See Exemption from providing Tax File Numbers when claiming Child Care Subsidy (CCS) if a TFN is required for someone other than the customer.

• Claims via online account: cannot be submitted without providing a TFN for all relevant parties. In these cases, the customer may contact to advise they are unable to obtain the third party's TFN. Service Officers can finalise the claim via the Assisted Customer Claim (ACC)
• Claims via ACC: can be submitted without TFN details being recorded. This will allow the customer time to obtain the third party's TFN, or have a request for an exemption assessed
• Paper claims: must be checked before lodgement to make sure that TFN details are supplied. If TFNs are outstanding, a Request for Information letter is needed

A claim submitted via ACC where the customer's TFN is missing should already be placed on hold until day 29.

• If the claim was originally allocated via an open FAO Note/DOC with notes Plse action CCS claim in PD, and shared/hierarchy handoff is not required:
• Make sure the Note/DOC is completed
• On the Transactions (TS) screen select Keyword
• Select Add, and search for and select OPSPLAN84. The keyword will now appear in the claim
• Annotate the existing CCS Progress Note/DOC advising the additional keyword has been added and claim was placed back on hold, awaiting TFN

If customer's TFN has not been provided by day 29, process claim as normal as the system will automatically NEF.

Go to the Residency Details (RSLEG) screen Check the visa subclass is between 500 and 599. If the visa subclass for the customer or partner is not between 500 and 599, go to Step 16.

Customers (or partners) who are not an Australian resident may still be eligible for CCS if they or their partner are a foreign sponsored student undertaking a course of study in Australia for which they receive financial assistance from the Commonwealth (the person will hold a visa subclass between 500 and 599).

In all cases, customers must provide written evidence addressed to them from the relevant Commonwealth agency, such as a Letter of Award or Offer Letter Contract, outlining if they are receiving their scholarship funding directly or indirectly from the Commonwealth. Check the documents scanned to the customer's record and refer to Receive financial assistance from the Commonwealth to determine if sufficient evidence has been provided.

If the customer or partner is a foreign sponsored student undertaking a course of study in Australia for which they receive financial assistance from the Commonwealth, and:

• evidence requirements have not been met. To make sure the claim is streamed and only one letter is sent to the customer if other supporting evidence needs to be requested, go to Step 16
• evidence requirements have been met, but the claim has not been forwarded to the Level 2 Policy Help Desk. These cases must be referred to Level 2 Policy Help Desk for confirmation of eligibility for CCS. A referral to the help desk is only to be made once residence, visa and arrival information have been updated on the records and an appropriate letter of offer and letter of contract has been provided by the customer and scanned to the record.
• Place the claim on hold for 7 days
• If the claim was originally allocated via an open FAO Note/DOC with notes Plse action CCS claim in PD, and shared/hierarchy handoff is not required:
  - Make sure the Note/DOC is completed
  - On the Transactions (TS) screen select Keyword
  - Select Add, and search for and select OPSPLAN84. The keyword will now - appear in the claim
• Annotate the existing CCS Progress Note/DOC advising the additional keyword has been added and claim was referred to Level 2 Policy Helpdesk. Send a referral via the Level 2 Policy Helpdesk webform. See Residence assessment for customers claiming Child Care Subsidy (CCS) and Families and Child Care (FCC) processing principles
• the Level 2 Policy Help Desk has confirmed the customer is undertaking a course of study for which they receive financial assistance from the Commonwealth, go to Step 16

If customer (or partner) is not directly funded by the Commonwealth, go to Step 16.

Customers need to advise when their child starts attending primary school. They will be prompted to advise the future school start date for children when claiming CCS.

To be eligible for CCS, a child must be aged 13 years or under, and not attending secondary school, or have an exemption.

Review child school status within the claim and information held on the customer's record to determine if child school status has been accurately advised and recorded correctly:

• select then select the relevant child(ren)
• go to the Child Education Details (CED) screen

If all children claimed for are aged 13 years or under and are not attending secondary school, go to Step 17.

Customers can request an exemption to the school status or age and school status rule if the child cannot be left unsupervised and there is no suitable adult over the age of 18 available to care for them. The child must also be:

• 13 years or under attending secondary school, or
• 14-18 years with a disability attending secondary school (16, 17 or 18 years only approved in exceptional circumstances)

Review evidence requirements for the relevant exemption request. See Updating school status, and assessing age exemptions for Child Care Subsidy (CCS).

If the customer has requested a school status or age and school status exemption, and:

• evidence requirements have not been met. To make sure the claim is streamed and only one letter is sent to the customer if other supporting evidence needs to be requested, go to Step 17
• evidence requirements are sufficient, though a referral has not been sent to Level 2 policy Helpdesk. Most school status or age exemptions require Level 2 Policy Helpdesk confirmation of eligibility for CCS at the child level. A referral to the help desk is only to be made once evidence and statutory declarations, (which must be written on a Commonwealth statutory declaration form), have been provided and scanned to the record.
• Place the claim on hold
• If the claim was originally allocated via an open FAO Note/DOC with notes Plse action CCS claim in PD, and shared/hierarchy handoff is not required:
  - Make sure the Note/DOC is completed
  - On the Transactions (TS) screen select Keyword
  - Select Add, and search for and select OPSPLAN84. The keyword will now appear in the claim
• Annotate the existing CCS Progress Note/DOC advising the additional keyword has been added and claim was referred to Level 2 Policy Helpdesk
• Send a referral via the Level 2 Policy Helpdesk webform. For more details see Updating school status, and assessing age exemptions for Child Care Subsidy (CCS)

If no school status or age and school status exemption has been requested, go to Step 17.

If the customer is FTB current, or the claim was lodged as a combined CCS/FTB claim, review the progress DOC, claim assessment DOC and FAO Taxable Income (FTI) to determine if the customer has revised or updated their income estimate since lodging their claim. See Date of event (DOV) for family assistance income estimates to make sure the correct date is applied.

If the income estimate is deemed unreasonable, see Helping families provide a reasonable annual income estimate for family assistance payments for more details in a genuine attempt to contact the customer to provide a revised estimate.

If the customer is subscribed to Desktop Messaging, send a pre-call notification SMS through Desktop Messaging before calling them. For pre-call messages, allow a lead-in time of 5 minutes in case there is a delay sending the message

If the customer cannot be contacted, and they have a previous reasonable estimate recorded, the provisional unreasonable estimate line is to be deleted.

To delete the provisional data:

• within the CCS claim, key FTI into Super Key > [Enter]
• delete the provisional unreasonable estimate line for the customer or partner (if applicable)
• record information about why the estimate was not in the claim assessment DOC

Under no circumstances is the CCS claim to be rejected. If the customer does not have a previous reasonable estimate recorded, the CCS claim can still be processed using the unreasonable estimate. The customer's correct entitlement will be assessed when reconciliation occurs.

Does the customer's Deemed Date of Receipt (DDOR) start in the previous CCS financial year?

• Yes, go to Step 18
• No, go to Step 19

There will be a period of nil entitlement between the Deemed Date of Receipt (DDOR) and start of the new CCS year when a customer:

• does not have a family income estimate recorded on FAO Taxable Income (FTI) before the start of the new financial year, and
• they lodge a Child Care Subsidy (CCS) claim with a DDOR that falls in the previous CCS year

For example, A CCS claim lodged 15 July 2023 has a DDOR 26 June 2023. As there is no family income estimate recorded for the 2022/2023 financial year, the period 26 June 2023 to 9 July 2023 will be assessed as a nil rate period.

In these cases,

• finalise the claim with the nil rate period
• any gap in entitlement is adjusted during the CCS Balancing for the financial year when actual income is known

Go to Step 19.

If the customer is partnered, or has had a recent marital status change, there may be overlapping periods of CCS where the partner/ex-partner was already CCS current for one or more children the customer is claiming for.

Check the:

• Marital Status (MS) screen
• information supplied within the customer's claim

Note: for partner linking/unlinking, see Table 2 in Processing Child Care Subsidy (CCS) claims.

Does the customer's claim start date or Deemed Date of Receipt (DDOR) fall on a CCS Monday where the customer was partnered?

• Yes, go to Step 20
• No, go to Step 22

Check partner/ex-partner's CCS. In Process Direct:

• Locate the partner/ex-partner record
• Go to the child care Entitlement table (CCP/CCS):
• Determine if the partner is/was CCS current for the same child/ren the customer is claiming for (from the CCS Monday claim start date)
• Check for any weeks where the partner's CCS was cancelled mid-week and the customer's CCS start date is the CCS Monday of the same fortnight

If the partner has not been CCS current for the same child/ren from customer's claim start date, go to Step 22.

Only one member of a couple can be current for a particular child whilst partnered. A customer and partner can both be CCS current but not for the same child/ren.

If the:

• Customer's start date (CCS Monday) is before the ex-partner's separation date:
• The customer's CCS start date will need to start from the CCS Monday following the separation. For details on how this is coded. See Table 4, Step 3 in Processing Child Care Subsidy (CCS) claims
• Customer's start date (CCS Monday) is before the partner's cancellation date:
• The customer's CCS start date will need to start from the CCS Monday following the cancellation. For details on how this is coded. See Table 4, Step 3 in Processing Child Care Subsidy (CCS) claims
• Partner's CCS cancellation has already been coded, and recorded from an incorrect date. That is, a date which is not a CCS Sunday. A SOA may need to be indexed on the partner's record to reassess the period between the date of original cancellation and the CCS Sunday:
• To index a SOA from the date of original cancellation on the partner's record, see Table 2
• If the partner's entitlement was cancelled via the Benefit Action (CCS_BA) screen, select Edit to change the End date to the CCS Sunday before the customer's CCS Monday start date
• Go to the Decision Unit line to show Change Child in CCS Claim (CCC). Select Edit on the relevant line to change the End date to the Sunday before the customer's start date
• Save the changes and Finalise the activity, making sure there is no gap in entitlement
• Record a reassessment document in Notes
• Partner is CCS current for the same child/ren the customer is claiming for:
• Determine which member of the couple should cancel their CCS by checking attendance details on both the customer and partner's record for the same child
• Go to Step 21

Staff must establish the most beneficial arrangement for ongoing CCS entitlement, including transfer of entitlement dates, before contacting the customer.

If the attendance is:

• Recorded on the partner's record, the partner is CCS current and there is no attendance on the customer's record:,
• If customer is to have ongoing CCS entitlement, the partner's CCS should cancel from the last CCS Sunday. Check this is not a CCS mid-fortnight Sunday
• If partner is to retain ongoing entitlement, the customer's CCS claim will need to be withdrawn
• Recorded on the customer's record and the partner is CCS current, though no further attendance has been lodged from a certain date:
• For the customer to receive ongoing entitlement from the CCS Monday before the attendance lodgement
• Following confirmation, the partner's CCS should be cancelled from the CCS Sunday before the customer's CCS Monday start date
• Lodged on both customer and partner's record from partnered or claim start date, for example, both have attendance lodged on their records for the same child in the same period
• One member of the couple will need to cancel their CCS. If contact is successful with the customer/partner, CCS cancellation will need to occur on a CCS Sunday
• The customer may need to discuss entitlement for specific CCS fortnights with their provider if both customer and partner have attendance lodged. The provider may transfer attendance, if requested, though is not legally obliged to fulfil this request

Contact the customer and/or partner to discuss (Check PPE before discussing specifics) the option of:

• partner cancelling their CCS, see Cancellation of Child Care Subsidy (CCS)
• customer withdrawing their claim to allow partner to continue to receive CCS entitlement, see Withdrawal of claims

The cancellation or withdrawal will need to be confirmed by the respective party as PPE or nominee provisions do not cover this authority.

If the customer is subscribed to Desktop Messaging, send a pre-call notification SMS through Desktop Messaging before calling them. For pre-call messages, allow a lead-in time of 5 minutes in case there is a delay sending the message.

Note: the party who is to become/remain CCS current will need to contact their service provider(s) to make sure the child's enrolment and session reports are under their CRN. That is, the enrolment has both the child CRN and the correct parent CRN from the right date.

If unable to contact customer or partner:

• issue a Q164 to both parties, and
• record a DOC on their record with the following text, 'Customer and partner are CCS current for the same child, [list child's name]. Customer/Partner has attendance lodged, therefore require confirmation to cancel customer/partner's CCS entitlement for [child's name] from XX.XX.XXXX [CCS Sunday before the CCS Monday grant date].
• place claim on hold pending response

If the claim was originally allocated via an open FAO Note/DOC with notes Plse action CCS claim in PD, and shared/hierarchy handoff is not required:

• Make sure the Note/DOC is completed
• On the Transactions (TS) screen select Keyword
• Select Add, and search for and select OPSPLAN84. The keyword will now appear in the claim

If the customer has not contacted about the Q164 by the due date, make 2 genuine attempts to contact the customer by phone.

• If the contact is unsuccessful, the claim should be made Not Effective
• Go to Step 25

If error SR906 MY CHILD CARE please remove CCP current child from this claim presents, it will indicate overlapping periods where both customer and partner are current for the same child. See Table 2 in Processing Child Care Subsidy (CCS) claims.

Go to Step 22.

Customers are responsible for self-assessing their (and their partner's) hours of recognised activity. See Activity Test for Child Care Subsidy (CCS) for more information.

From 10 July 2023, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are eligible for a base level of 36 hours of CCS per fortnight, regardless of the family’s activity test result. For information about Activity Test changes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children or how the Activity Test is used to determine the number of subsidised hours a customer is entitled to receive, see Activity Test for Child Care Subsidy (CCS).

Go to Step 23.

Claim requested documents not supplied

If the information required has already been requested from the customer and has not been provided by the required timeframe, the claim can be made Not Effective. Go to Step 25.

Determine if a genuine attempt was made to provide the acceptable document/s

If the customer has made a genuine attempt to lodge requested documents, but more information is required to assess the claim (for example, further evidence required to support an age/school status exemption), go to Step 24 to request further documents from the customer.

Further request for documents - no reply

If a CCS claim has come off hold after a request for information has already been sent and the required documents have not been provided (allow postage timeframes), the claim is to be made Not Effective. Go to Step 25.

Can the claim be processed without further documents/evidence?

• Yes, see Table 1, Step 1 in Processing Child Care Subsidy (CCS) claims
• No, go to Step 24

Do not issue a letter via a Request for Information (RFI) in Process Direct as functionality is not available for CCS.

Requests for information that require documents must be by written notice. If the matter is urgent call the customer, and also send a written request.

If the customer is subscribed to Desktop Messaging, send a pre-call notification SMS through Desktop Messaging before calling them. For pre-call messages, allow a lead-in time of 5 minutes in case there is a delay sending the message.

To request more documents or information for CCS/ACCS:

• issue a Q888 via Customer First as set out in Operational Blueprint letters and electronic messaging
• use approved text only, see Request for Information - CCS and Additional CCS
• annotate the existing CCS Progress Note/DOC or record a new Notes to indicate what information was requested. Place the combined claim or standalone application on hold until day 23

If the claim was originally allocated via an open FAO Note/DOC with notes Plse action CCS claim in PD, and shared/hierarchy handoff is not required:

• Make sure the Note/DOC is completed
• On the Transactions (TS) screen select Keyword
• Select Add, and search for and select OPSPLAN84. The keyword will now appear in the claim

Procedure ends here.

If the only information missing is a TFN or bank account details, staff must attempt to finalise the claim as the system should automatically NEF.

If other requested documents have not been returned within the correct timeframe, the claim should be made Not Effective.

• Select Status icon
• Select Edit
• Change Status to Not Effective

For standalone claims, check the AL screen for an open FAO DOC with notes Plse action CCS claim in PD. Complete this in Customer First if this is still open.

Two outbound attempts must be made to tell the customer of the adverse decision. For more information, see Making an Unfavourable decision (CLK).

Document the outcome via Notes with the following:

• CCS/ACCS NEF: s85AA to 85GB FA Act 1999
  Claim ID:
  Claim date: [insert date claim completed by the customer]
  Children: [insert names of child/ren for which claim is made NEF]
  Reason: required documents/information has not been provided therefore no decision can be made about the customer's entitlement and so it is not possible for a customer to ask for a review of a decision about their entitlement. The claim is taken not to have been made. The customer can ask for a review of the decision which made the claim not effective. If the claim is still found to be not effective, a new claim will need to be lodged. A new claim is made not effective if requested documents were lodged late and this decision cannot be reviewed.

Procedure ends here.