Completing the Accommodation Details (AC) screen and assessing Rent Assistance (RA) 108-18092646

Before starting the accommodation assessment, check the customer and/or partner's record.

If:

• there is an accommodation/rent review or the enquiry is about a recently completed review see:
• Rent Assistance (RA) profile review
• Accommodation Circumstance Intervention (ACI)
• procedure ends here
• the customer and/or partner is income managed
• an income management priority needs assessment needs to be completed before the accommodation assessment
• after the priority needs assessment, go to Step 2
• the benefit status line is RCA/CUR-MTA or RCA/CUR-DSS, or an Aged care means assessment is in progress
• check Aged Care/Means Assessment Status, see RA for care receivers and Aged care means assessment
• after check, go to Step 2
• none of the above circumstances apply, go to Step 2

When updating accommodation details and assessing RA use these supporting Operational Blueprints:

• Qualification for payment of Rent Assistance (RA)
• A-Z list of Rent Assistance (RA) terms, screens and coding options

Go to Step 3.

Has an update on the Accommodation Details (AC) screen been completed and verification now received?

• Yes, update the verification field with the determined verification code
• Then to complete the verification update, see Table 4 > Step 1
• No, go to Step 4

Qualifying payments for RA:

• Age Pension
• Carer Payment (CP)
• Disability Support Pension (DSP)
• ABSTUDY Living Allowance
• Austudy
• Youth Allowance (YA)
• Special Benefit (SpB)
• Family Tax Benefit (FTB)
• Parenting Payment (PP) partnered and single
• JobSeeker Payment (JSP)
• Farm Household Allowance (FHA)

Has the customer lodged a new claim or is current (CUR), suspended (SUS), assessed (ASS) or current zero rate (CZR) for any of the above qualifying payments?

• Yes, go to Step 5
• No, go to Step 6

Where the customer is CUR, SUS ASS or CZR on a qualifying payment, there is no need to update the AC screen for any of the below circumstance. If the customer is partnered apply the same checks to both customer and partner.

There is no need to update the AC screen when:

• a student with a term address (TER) advising a change in parental home details only. An away from home rate review may be required:
• for YA see The away from home rate for Youth Allowance (YA) customers
• for ABSTUDY see Away from Home rate for ABSTUDY
• DSP customers under 21 years, living away from home who advise a change in parental home details only
• Check if the rate of DSP needs to be reviewed
• a customer has moved into a temporary address (TEM) and:
• is not recorded as a homeowner for their principal home
• is not claiming RA and/or are not eligible for RA for the temporary address
• accommodation details for the principal home are correct
• a customer in respite care and are paying care fees which do not attract RA while still entitled to RA for their principal home
• customers who claim or receive a social security payment entirely as a loan payment under the Home Equity Access Scheme, such as Pension Loan Scheme (PLS) only customers

Is an update of the AC screen required?

• Yes, and the update is:
• a new claim, see Table 2 > Step 1
• not a new claim, go to Step 9
• No, go to Step 8

Where the customer and their partner are not CUR, SUS, ASS or CZR on a qualifying payment, there is usually no need to update the Accommodation Details (AC) screen for any of the below circumstances.

The customer and partner:

• do not have children who may claim ABSTUDY, Youth Allowance (YA) or Assistance for Isolated Children (AIC) and a notional rate of FTB does not need to be calculated as part of the Parental Income Test (PIT).
• If a notional rate of FTB does need to be calculated, go to Step 8
• is not in receipt of payment, and have not yet claimed
• The AC collection of details and update is mandatory within a claim for payment or benefit. Do not update details outside a claim if the customer is making a pre-claim contact and has not yet claimed a payment or benefit
• Go to Step 8
• is only claiming or receiving:
• Commonwealth Seniors Health Card (CSHC)
• Low Income Health Care Card (LIC)
• Ex-Carer Allowance (child) Health Care Card (EHC)
• Mobility Allowance
• Carer Allowance (CA)
• Child Care Subsidy (CCS)
• go to Step 8
• is only claiming or receiving Paid Parental Leave (PPL), go to Step 7

When processing PPL only claims and linking a partner, the AC screen may need to be coded to record common information for the couple.

Accommodation details are not collected as part of a PPL claim.

For more information about coding AC, see:

• Processing standalone and combined claims for family assistance, and/or
• Paid Parental Leave scheme payments

Go to Step 8

If the update:

• has been completed on the record, but there is a duplicate or related work item that needs processing, see Table 4 > Step 19
• is not required, record information on a DOC. Procedure ends here
• is for a change of address only, see Changing address (CLK). Procedure ends here

If the customer:

• is able to update their accommodation details online, procedure ends here
• is unable to update their accommodation details online, use the Change in Contact Details workflow. To update the record, see Table 2 > Step 1
• has updated their accommodation details online and a failed online update requires processing, see Table 2 > Step 1
• is advising information previously provided was not correct see Table 2 > Step 1
• has provided rent verification update the Verification field. Procedure ends here
• has provided documentation to advise of a change to accommodation, go to Step 10
• is contacting with general rent verification questions and:
• needs another Rent Certificate (SU523HD) manually issue one, procedure ends here
• has another verification question, provide verification information, procedure ends here

When a customer has provided documentation to advise of a change to accommodation details, staff need to determine if there is enough information to make an update to the AC screen.

For example, documentation has been supplied advising of (this is not an exhaustive list):

• a change in rent liability which includes the date this occurred
• a change to sharing arrangements including the date this occurred

If more information is needed to clarify the change, make genuine attempts to contact the customer.

Has the customer supplied sufficient information to update accommodation circumstances and/or successful contact has been made to confirm the accommodation change?

• Yes, either:
• ask the customer to update their accommodation details online, procedure ends here
• update the accommodation details use the Change in Contact Details workflow. To update the AC screen inside the workflow, under Update Options, select Accommodation. See Table 2 > Step 1
• No, go to Step 11

Check if a Q164 request to contact letter was previously issued to the customer for this update?

• Yes, and the manual review:
• has become due, go to Step 14
• is still on hold and/or has not become due. Update the Status of the activity to Hold for the allowable time. Procedure ends here
• No, go to Step 12

Check if the address information on the customer record is correct.

Are new address details part of the accommodation update advice?

• Yes:
• Create a Q164 selecting on-site (local) print
• Send the letter in a hand addressed envelope to their new address
• Go to Step 13
• No:
• Send a Q164
• Go to Step 13

Procedure ends here

Record details on a DOC explaining what information the customer needs to provide in response to the Q164.

Close the scanned image.

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

• Service Reason: customer's payment type
• Review Reason: select most appropriate reason
• Due Date: day following the due date used on the Q164
• Source: INT
• Date of Receipt: today's date
• Notes: 'Q164 issued XX/XX/XXXX. Check response and return to OB 108-18092646 to action.'
• Keywords: #AAC, Q164 and FNTPD
• Workgroup: leave blank
• Position: leave blank
• Transfer to Region: leave blank

On the Due Date coded on the RVR screen, Workload Management will allocate the review for manual action

Procedure ends here.

Before ceasing the RA qualifying payment, make genuine attempts to contact the customer.

If contact was:

• successful, complete the manual review and update their accommodation details, see Table 2 > Step 1
• unsuccessful, go to Step 15

The customer's RA qualifying payment is to be suspended/cancelled when:

• they have been sent a Q164
• the allowable time has passed, and
• they have not contacted the agency to provide the required information

Suspend/cancel the customer's payment from today’s date, use the reason FRC (Failing to Respond to Correspondence)

If RA is paid with:

• an income support payment (ISP), see Suspension of payments
• Family Tax Benefit (FTB), see Cancellation of FTB

Record details within the suspension/cancellation Fast Note.

Complete the manual review.

Procedure ends here.

To prepare for the accommodation details update, review the customer and partner (if applicable) record to understand their circumstances.

Check and update if needed:

Relationship details

An update to marital status must be done before starting the accommodation update if the customer:

• is partnered and they will be living separately due to illness, see Assessment of circumstances for a couple separated due to illness
• is partnered, and they will be separated temporarily or due to respite care, see Customer is separated from their partner - temporarily or due to respite care
• is partnered and they will be living separately due to their partner being in prison, see Assessment of circumstances for customers with partner in prison
• is separating from their partner,
• Before customer and partner records can be unlinked, customers need to provide the details of their separation either on the Separating Details (MOD S) form or the Relationship Update online service, see Change in relationship status from partnered to single
• If family and domestic violence has been identified, unlinking the customer’s record from their ex-partner’s record can occur immediately. Service Officers must make sure the customer’s personal details are safe before progressing, see Separating safely - protecting personal details.

Current accommodation details

• the Accommodation Details (AC) screen for current details, including:
• date of effect. If the customer has provided new information which conflicts with historic coding for the same date, get more details from the customer
• if RA is already being paid, and if so, what payment it is being paid with
• the Activity List (AL) screen for any outstanding activities
• Notes/DOCs for any failed online updates or reviews that have not been applied:
• Process Direct, go to Notes icon and view Note/s 'Change of circumstances CoC ID'
• Customer First, go to DL screen and view the DOC/s 'Cus COA UPD CLI Cust AAC Online Update'

An A-Z of all Rent Assistance codes and terms is in Rent Assistance (RA).

Is there a started AC update or failed online AC update?

• Yes, and:
• all the details needed to complete the update are available, go to Step 9
• sharing living arrangements information is missing, see The Living arrangements question set for processing instructions. Procedure ends here
• information needed to complete the AC screen is not available or further clarification is needed from the customer, go to Step 3
• the information previously provided was not correct, go to Step 2
• No, and
• this is the first advice of change of accommodation details, go to Step 9
• the information previously provided was not correct, go to Step 2

Was the advice received with rent verification documents e.g. on a manually changed rent certificate?

• Yes, see Processing proof of rent for the Verification field on the Accommodation Details (AC) screen. Procedure ends here
• No, to correct the information:
• go to the Accommodation History (ACS) screen
• select the line with the incorrect information
• correct the fields which are wrong. The Event Date is to be treated the same as any other field, only change it if is wrong
• if Event Date is changed, delete the unnecessary Event Date entry from the ACS screen
• use the date the corrected details are received as the date of receipt
• go to Step 9

Has a Q164 request to contact letter been issued to the customer previously and the AC screen update has become due?

• Yes, go to Step 7
• No, go to Step 4

To get the details needed to complete the AC screen update, make genuine attempts to contact the customer.

Was contact successful?

• Yes, go to Step 9
• No, go to Step 5

Check if the address information on the customer record is correct.

Are new address details part of the started AC screen update?

• Yes:
• Make a note of their new address
• Send a Q164 selecting on-site (local) print
• Send the letter in a hand addressed envelope to their new address
• Do not cancel the started activity
• Go to Step 6
• No:
• Send a Q164
• Go to Step 6

• Record details on a DOC explaining what information the customer needs to provide
• Update the Status of the started AC screen update to Hold for the allowable time. See Process Direct navigation, common screens and functions for how to place activity on hold
• Procedure ends here

Before ceasing the RA qualifying payment, make genuine attempts to contact the customer.

If contact was:

• successful, go to Step 9
• unsuccessful, go to Step 8

The customer's RA qualifying payment, is to be suspended or cancelled when:

• they have been sent a Q164
• the allowable time has passed, and
• they have not contacted the agency to provide the required information

Suspend/cancel the customer's payment from today’s date, use the reason FRC (Failing to Respond to Correspondence)

If RA is paid with:

• an income support payment (ISP), see Suspension of payments
• Family Tax Benefit (FTB), see Cancellation of FTB

Record details within the suspension/cancellation Fast Note.

Complete the manual review.

Procedure ends here

There is specific action needed for customers receiving:

• Disability Support Pension (DSP) under 21 years
• ABSTUDY under 22 years
• Youth Allowance (YA) student
• YA job seeker

Does the customer receive any of the payments listed above?

• Yes, go to Step 10
• No, go to Step 12

Based on the information provided by the customer, a review of the rate of their income support payment may be needed. While the customer is receiving the dependent or at home rate of their income support payment, RA will not pay.

Action to be taken depends on the Service Officer skills:

• Select the relevant procedure to complete the review, see:
• Independence for Youth Allowance (YA) customers
• The away from home rate for Youth Allowance (YA) customers
• Assessing payment rates and independence for DSP customers under 21 years, or
• Away from Home rate of ABSTUDY
• Independence for ABSTUDY customers
• After the review go to Step 12

If:

• processing an allocated work item, go to Step 11
• the customer is advising the accommodation change over the phone:
• Transfer the customer to relevant payment queue
• Procedure ends here

When a work item hand off for ABSTUDY, YA (student or job seeker) or DSP is required for a rate of payment review, the work item will require a capability adjustment so it can be assessed by a trained Service Officer

To capability adjust the work item on the Work Item Details screen:

• select the work item
• select Unassign
• Reason field, Capability adjusted
• Select +Add Skill
• Search field, select:
• Youth Allowance Student - NV_CLK_EXTProcessing_STU / Entry
• ABSTUDY - NV_CLK_General_ABY / Entry
• Youth Allowance Jobseeker - NV_CLK_EXTProcessing_EMS / Entry
• Disability Support Pension - NV_CLK_EXTProcessing_DIS / Entry
• Select Submit to save changes

Procedure ends here.

Remote Area Allowance (RAA) is paid to RAA eligible customers who live in remote locations.

If required review the information in Temporary vacation of principal home and Permanent vacation of principal home.

Has the customer temporarily vacated their principal home or is the customer a student advising of a return to the parental home?

• Yes, and the customer:
• is a student receiving ABSTUDY, YA or Austudy, go to Step 13
• is not paying for their temporary accommodation and are not recorded as a homeowner for their principal home, there is no need to code the AC screen. If the customer is receiving RA for their principal home, RA will continue if they continue to pay rent for their principal home. Procedure ends here
• is recorded as a homeowner for their principal home, go to Step 14
• is paying for the temporary accommodation, go to Step 14
• No, and the:
• move is to a new principal home, and the customer is in receipt of an RAA eligible payment, and the home is in a location where RAA is payable, go to Step 15
• move is to a new principal home, and the customer is not in receipt of an RAA eligible payment. Update the Address Type field with Home - HOM. Go to Step 16
• the move is to a new principal home and the customer has not moved to a RAA location, update the Address Type field with Home - HOM. Go to Step 16
• the customer is not moving and advising of a change in accommodation details only, the Address Type field will remain unchanged from the last recorded entry for the address. Go to Step 16
• the customer is advising they are homeless and not paying rent, update the Address Type field with Home - HOM. Go to Step 16

Students who receive the Independent or Away from Home (AFH) rate of ABSTUDY or YA, can be impacted if they return to the parental home in a term/semester break.

Select relevant option:

• see Returning to the parental home when independent or qualified for the away from home (AFH) rate of Youth Allowance (YA) to:
• assess customer's continuing eligibility for independent/AFH rate
• code any changes required for YA
• obtain details about what to update on the AC screen if required, then
• return to this procedure
• to continue an update of the AC screen, if required, go to Step 16
• if no AC screen update is required, procedure ends here

• see Returning to the parental home when in receipt of the Away from Home rate of ABSTUDY, or Reviews of independence for ABSTUDY to:
• assess customer's ongoing eligibility for independence/AFH rate
• code any changes required for ABSTUDY
• obtain details about what to update on the AC screen if required, then
• return to this procedure
• to continue an update of the AC screen, if required, go to Step 16
• if no update is required, procedure ends here

If the student is:

• moving to attend study in a location where RAA is payable go to Step 15
• moving to attend study in a location where RAA is not payable, record the address type as Term/Semester and update the AC screen Address Type field with Term/Semester - TER. Go to Step 16
• not moving and is advising of a change in accommodation details only, the Address Type field will remain unchanged from the last recorded entry for the address. Go to Step 16

If the customer is partnered and they will be temporarily living apart, an update to the Marital Status (MS) screen may be needed before starting an update to the AC screen.

Check the customer can receive Rent Assistance for their temporary address. RA can only be paid for one address.

If the customer is:

• not in receipt of an RAA eligible payment and eligible for RA for the temporary address, record the address type as Temporary and update the AC screen Address Type field with Temporary - TEM. Go to Step 16
• in receipt of an RAA eligible payment, and eligible for RA for the temporary address, go to Step 15
• not recorded as a homeowner for their principal home and not eligible for RA for the temporary address, do not update AC with the details for the temporary address. RA will continue if they are paying rent for their principal home address. See Changing address (CLK). Procedure ends here
• recorded as a homeowner for their principal home and not eligible for RA for the temporary address, go to Step 16

RAA is paid to some customers who live in remote locations. If the move is temporary the customer needs to be intending to stay for 12 months or longer.

Is the customer eligible for RAA for the address they are telling the agency about?

• Yes:
• in all cases, record the address type as Home and update the AC screen Address Type field with Home - HOM. RAA will not pay for other address types
• go to Step 16
• No, and the customer is:
• a student moving to study, record the address type as Term/Semester and update the AC screen Address Type field with Term/Semester - TER. Go to Step 16
• not a student, record the address type as Temporary and update the AC screen Address Type field with Temporary - TEM. Go to Step 16

Different rules can apply for the DOV when verification is received or a hardship extension is granted.

Based on the AC update, select either:

The DOV is the date the change occurred. It will be the later of:

• the commencement of liability to pay rent, or
• the date the customer moved into the home

If the update includes a change to the Address Details (AD) screen, there must be a corresponding Accommodation Details (AC) screen entry with the same date of event. This must happen when the change is to the customer's:

• principal home
• temporary address for which RA is payable
• temporary address and they are recorded as a homeowner for their principal home

In the following examples, the AC screen needs to reflect the customer's circumstances on the day of the move. If accommodation details changed on a different date(s) the AC screen needs to be updated for each date of event. For example:

• customer ceases paying rent on Monday but does not move out until Thursday. AC screen update for Monday, date rent stopped. AD and AC for Thursday
• customer moves in on Tuesday and uses the couch until the bedroom becomes available on Friday. Starts paying rent from Friday. AD and AC for Tuesday. AC update for Friday with the rent now being paid

When RA is paid with income support payments (ISP), the system will calculate the date of effect (DOE), that is, the date the change affected the customer's payment using the:

• DOV
• date of receipt (DOR)
• rules for the payment the customer is or was receiving

When RA is paid with FTB and customers verify changes late, the DOV may need to be coded as the beginning of the financial year before the financial year in which the customer verified the change in circumstances.

See the Resources page for information on DOR and examples of how the DOE is calculated for ISP and FTB customers.

Update the Event date field on the AC screen.

Note: if the Event Date is being changed because it is wrong, delete the unnecessary Event Date entry from the ACS screen.

Go to Step 17.

The DOV recorded on the AC screen may need updating. This depends on:

• the type of claim being processed
• if customer and/or partner already receive other assistance that attracts RA, and
• if early claim or backdating provisions apply

Review the supporting information in the Rent Assistance example Date of event scenarios for new claims Table on the Resources page before proceeding.

Refer to the processing information for the claim type to determine if:

• the claim will be granted or rejected from a date other than the date of claim lodgement
• any supplementary AC screen action is required for that claim type
• the update includes a change to the AD screen, there must be:
• a corresponding AC screen entry with the same DOV, and
• any other appropriate AC screen entries

Update the Event date field on the AC screen with the most relevant date based on:

• the information in Resources, and
• processing information for the claim type

Go to Step 17.

There will be one AC screen per couple unless the couple have been assessed and coded with certain relationship qualifier code on the Marital Status (MS) Screen.

Search relationship qualifier codes in the A-Z of Rent Assistance terms and codes for more information and return here.

Which member of a couple receives RA depends on their payment types and family circumstance, search Payment of RA when partnered in the A-Z of Rent Assistance for more information and return here.

Are the accommodation updates for a customer who is a member of a couple?

• Yes and a relationship qualifier code:
• is recorded on the MS screen, update the Accommodation Details for field in Customer First or the Details for field in Process Direct with Customer (C). Accommodation details will need to be recorded separately for each member of the couple. Go to Step 18
• is not recorded on the MS screen, update the Accommodation Details for field in Customer First or the Details for field in Process Direct with Customer and partner (B). Go to Step 18
• No, update the Accommodation Details for field in Customer First or the Details for field in Process Direct with Customer (C). Go to Step 18

The Home Ownership field identifies the type of ownership the customer has over their principal home.

Check the Home Ownership field and update as required.

Is the customer a homeowner?

• Yes, if the:
• current accommodation is temporary and the customer is eligible for RA for the temporary address see Table 3 > Step 1
• current accommodation is temporary and the customer is not eligible for RA for the temporary address the remaining fields until Vacation of home can be left blank. When coding in Process Direct the $ Gross Household Rent and $ Net Rent fields will default to 0.00 when left blank. See Table 3 > Step 14
• homeownership code selected was LHO Homeowner- Lives elsewhere or NHH Homeowner - Lives in a nursing home, see Table 3 > Step 1
• homeowner code selected was GFH - Homeowner in government funded aged care, see Table 3 > Step 14
• customer's principal home is a caravan, mobile home, tent, boat or similar and site or mooring fees are paid, see Table 3 > Step 1
• customer's principal home is a caravan, mobile home, tent, boat or similar and no site or mooring fees are paid, the remaining fields on the AC screen can be left blank. See Table 3 > Step 18
• customer lives in their principal home, the remaining fields on the AC screen must be left blank. When coding in Process Direct the $ Gross Household Rent and $ Net Rent fields will default to 0.00 when left blank. See Table 3 > Step 18
• No, and:
• the homeownership code selected was Non homeowner - in government funded aged care - GFN, remaining fields on the AC screen can be left blank. See Table 4 > Step 1
• another non-homeowner code was selected, see Table 3 > Step 1

Determine the type of rent relevant to the customer circumstance.

Update the Type of Rent field on the Accommodation Details (AC) screen with the determined option.

If Type of Rent is being changed from Government Rent - GOV to another code such as Private Rent - PRI or Other Housing Organisation - OHO:

• check if a Rent Deduction Scheme (RDS) deduction shows on the Payment Instruction Summary (PINS) screen for payment of government rent (RNT) and
• cancel the RDS RNT deduction with the customer’s consent. See Terminating a Rent Deduction Scheme (RDS) deduction

Determine the correct Sharer Status option.

Update the Sharer Status/Accommodation Status field with the determined option.

Note:

• The Sharer Status field is also called the Accommodation Status field in some areas of Process Direct
• Some customers who share their accommodation will receive a reduced rate of RA (sharers rate). The sharers rate of RA is two-thirds the maximum rate payable to a single customer living alone

Was No rent paid - NRP or Government Rent - GOV used in the Type of Rent field?

• Yes, for:
• No rent paid - NRP, the remaining fields after Sharer Status field until Vacation of home can be left blank. These fields are not required as there is no RA entitlement when no rent paid. Go to Step 14
• Government Rent - GOV, all remaining fields after Sharer Status field on the AC screen can be left blank. These fields are not required as there is no RA entitlement for a primary tenant paying government rent, or a government sub-tenant who does not qualify for RA. Go to Step 17
• No, go to Step 4

A reference to 'customer' in Steps 5, 6 or 7 relates to the selection made in Table 2. 'Check who the accommodation details are for', that is:

• if customer and partner (B) was selected, the Net Rent amount is for the couple combined
• if customer (C) was selected, the Net Rent amount recorded is for the customer only

If the customer is operating a business from home and claims a business expense for part of their rent please see Operating the business from home for calculating their rent paid then return here.

The Total Household Rent field in Customer First or Gross Household Rent field in Process Direct and frequency fields are not needed for all customers. It will depend on what was selected for Type of Rent and Sharers Status.

These fields may be needed if the Type of Rent was:

• Board and Lodgings - BOA
• Defence Force Housing - DEF
• Lodgings only - LOD
• Mooring Fees - MOO
• Other Housing Organisation - OHO
• Private Rent - PRI
• Site Fees - SIT

Was one of these options selected for the Type of Rent field?

• Yes, go to Step 5
• No, the Total Household Rent/Gross Household Rent and Frequency fields can be left blank. Go to Step 6

If the Type of Rent was one of the options on the list in Step 4, and the Sharers Status is one of the following, the Total Household Rent field in Customer First or Gross Household Rent field in Process Direct and Frequency fields must be completed:

• Exempt - EXE
• Lives with recipient child only, No RA - REC
• Lives in shared Accommodation - SHR
• Lives with Parents - LWP

Was one of these options selected for the Sharer Status code?

• Yes, and option selected is:
• Exempt – EXE, enter the amount the customer pays for the accommodation in both the Total Household Rent/Gross Household Rent and Net Rent fields
  Note: customers living in exempt accommodation may pay for a room and pay a 'service fee or charge' as well. The fee or charge may be listed separately on the rental agreement or receipt. If the payment of the fee or charge is a condition of occupancy, it is part of the lodging fee and is to be included. Enter the Frequency the rent is paid in both Frequency fields. Go to Step 8
• Lives with Parents – LWP and parents own the principal home, enter the amount the customer pays for the accommodation in both the Total Household Rent/Gross Household Rent and Net Rent fields. Go to Step 6
• Neither of the above, the total combined rent payable by each member of the household cannot exceed the total household rent payable for the dwelling. Complete the Total Household Rent/Gross Household Rent and Frequency fields. Go to Step 6
• No,
• the Total Household Rent/Gross Household Rent and Frequency fields can be left blank
• go to Step 6

Is the customer paying board and/or lodgings?

• Yes, go to Step 7
• No
• If the customer is a Defence Force Housing customer, review the details in Qualification for payment of Rent Assistance to make sure the correct Net Rent amount is recorded then return here
• Enter the amount the customer pays for the accommodation in the Net Rent field.
  Note: if the Type of Rent was Mooring fees - MOO or Site fees - SIT, and the customer also rents the premises, for example, the boat or the caravan, the Net Rent is the combined total amount paid
• Enter the frequency of the rent payment in the Freq field
• Go to Step 8

If the Type of Rent field is:

• Lodgings only - LOD
• customers living in exempt accommodation may pay for a room and pay a 'service fee or charge'. The fee or charge may be listed separately on the rental agreement or receipt. If the payment of the fee or charge is a condition of occupancy, the amount is to be included in the customer's lodging amount
• record the amount paid for lodgings in the Net Rent Amount field
• enter the frequency of the rent payment in the Freq field
• Board and Lodgings - BOA
• record the full amount paid for board and lodgings. The system will automatically apply the two-thirds rule to the amount recorded in the Net Rent Amount field
• enter the frequency of the rent payment in the Freq field

Go to Step 8.

If this procedure was accessed from Processing proof of rent for the Verification field on the Accommodation Details (AC) screen, it will have opened in a new window.

Close this procedure and return there, otherwise go to Step 9.

Is the update being made because the customer is advising information previously advised was not correct?

• Yes and:
• the change now means reduced verification of rent can now be used, select VED in the Verification field. Go to Step 11
• The customer is living in exempt accommodation and the sharers code was changed to XSH or EXE, the customer no longer needs to provide verification. Determine the verification code. Go to Step 11
• rent certificate (SU523HD) was not issued in the original update but is now required. Determine the verification code. Go to Step 11
• the current verification code is NCL. Determine the verification code. Go to Step 11
• in all other cases, do not change the verification code. Leave it as COA, RVR or RVE. Go to Step 11
• No, go to Step 10

Use the links below to find information about selecting a code for the Rent Verification field. Click the link below and select the required option from the top of the window that opens.

• If the customer provided rent verification:
• before the address and/or accommodation change was notified, code the correct verification required option Determine if verification needed in the Rent Verification field. Go to Step 11
• to support an address and or accommodation change that has been notified, code the correct verification received option Check verification is acceptable in the Rent Verification field. Go to Step 11
• If the customer has not provided rent verification and you’re processing:
• an address and/or accommodation change, code the correct verification required option Determine if verification needed in the Rent Verification field. Go to Step 11
• a new claim, code the correct verification required option in the Rent Verification field. Go to Step 11

Is the customer a government primary tenant and the AC screen is being updated to assess RA for a temporary address?

• Yes, and:
• government rent is being deducted from their payment, in the Government Sub-tenant field in Customer First or Gov Sub-tenant field in Process Direct, select Primary Tenant pays market rent - PMR. This will prevent an unnecessary review. Go to Step 14
• government rent is not being deducted from their payment, in the Government sub-tenant/Gov Sub-tenant field, select Not applicable to customer - NAP. Go to Step 14
• No, go to Step 12

A customer is a government sub-tenant if:

• a State Housing Authority (SHA) provides the accommodation
• they share with a person who is the primary tenant (or lease holder), and
• they are not named on the lease

Is the customer a government sub-tenant?

• Yes, go to Step 13
• No:
• Update the Government sub-tenant field in Customer First or Gov Sub-tenant field in Process Direct with Not applicable to the customer - NAP
• Go to Step 14

Sub-tenants may still qualify for RA if the:

• primary tenant pays market rent, or
• sub-tenant's income has been taken into account by the SHA when calculating the rent liability

• Tell the customer to contact the state/territory housing authority for further information, and to contact again once details are available
• RA arrears may be payable. Payment of RA will continue for 28 days from the date the activity is finalised. If there has been no update by day 28, the Government Sub-tenant field in Customer First or Gov Sub-tenant field in Process Direct will auto update. The Sub-tenant status will change to not verified which stops the RA
• Update the Government sub-tenant/Gov Sub-tenant field with:
• Follow up of circumstances is required - FMR, or
• New Grant follow up of circumstances required - NGF
• Go to Step 14

• Check the code selected for the Type of Rent field. It needs to be Government Rent - GOV
• The Government sub-tenant field/Gov Sub-tenant can be left blank
• Go to Step 14

• Update the Government sub-tenant field with:
• Primary Tenant pays market rent - PMR when the primary tenant pays market rent, or
• Primary Tenant does not pay market rent - NMR when the SHA knows there is a sub-tenant and has adjusted the rent accordingly
• Go to Step 14

Generally, this field is used because the reason a customer has left the principal home they own is:

• to receive care for an illness
• to provide care for another person
• to enter aged care or respite care
• it has been sold and the proceeds will be used to purchase, build or renovate another home
• they have temporarily vacated their principal home because they will be travelling the country
• to attend training or education to help them with employment
• to enable a student child to attend school
• the principal home is currently uninhabitable
• they have moved to 'refuge type' accommodation (crisis)
• they are taking refuge in another person's home as they are affected by family and domestic violence (FDV)

Has the customer vacated a principal home they still own or has sold it and is claiming an asset exemption for the principal home or sale proceeds?

• Yes, and:
• the code selected for the Home Ownership field is GFH - Homeowner in government funded aged care, go to Step 15
• another code for the Home Ownership field was used, go to Step 16
• No, leave the Reason Home Vacated and Date Home Vacated fields blank. Go to Step 17

A former principal home is an exempt asset for 2 years from when the customer leaves the principal home to enter a care situation. This exemption applies to the income support payment only.

The reason and date the customer vacated the principal home they own is needed when the customer is:

• single, or
• partnered and on the day the customer entered care, neither member of the couple is or will be living in the home

Are the Reason Home Vacated and Date Home Vacated fields needed?

• Yes:
• in the Reason Home Vacated field, select INH - In Nursing Home
• in the Date Home Vacated field add the date of admission into residential care
• to complete the update, see Table 4 > Step 1
• No, make a note of the reason for the DOC. To complete the AC screen, see Table 4 > Step 1

Update the Reason Home Vacated and Date Home Vacated fields with the appropriate option based on the reason the customer has vacated their principal home.

• Have moved into non-government funded - aged care, nursing home, multi-purpose service facility, hospital as a nursing home type patient:
• INH - In Nursing Home
• To receive care for an illness:
• ONH - Due to Ill Health (other than in Nursing Home)
• To provide care for another person:
• CRR - To provide care in a private home
• Home sold and the proceeds will be used to purchase, build or renovate:
• SAL - Sale/Purchase of Home Property
• They have temporarily vacated their principal home because they will be travelling the country:
• OTH - Other
• To attend training or education to help them with employment:
• UNH - Uninhabitable home temporarily vacated
• To enable a student child to attend school:
• UNH - Uninhabitable home temporarily vacated
• The principal home is currently uninhabitable:
• UNH - Uninhabitable home temporarily vacated
• They have moved to 'refuge type' accommodation (crisis):
• UNH - Uninhabitable home temporarily vacated
• They are temporarily taking refuge in another person's home as they are affected by family and domestic violence (FDV):
• UNH - Uninhabitable home temporarily vacated
• For any other reason:
• OTH - Other

Go to Step 17.

There are no current savings provisions for RA.

If required, view historical savings provisions relating to RA Historical information Coding information:

• Leave the RA Savings Provision field blank
• If any saved rate codes appear in this field they must be removed. When removing the saved rate code, a warning will appear. If the saved rate code automatically reappears:
• overstrike the code using the space bar
• select Continue

The Landlord Details screen is not required when updating address and/or accommodation details. When it presents in the workflow, select Continue to bypass the screen.

Living arrangements questions are asked to check if updates other than for RA are needed. For example, the customer is a member of a couple.

If required, the Living Arrangements question set will present in the workflow.

Is the customer single and now living with another person who is aged 16 or older, and not a family member?

• Yes:
• Complete the Living Arrangements question set to determine if the customer may be a member of a couple
• If relevant, record on the DOC the form type issued and due date of return
• Go to Step 20
• No, go to Step 20

Is the update being made because the customer is advising information previously received was incorrect?

• Yes and:
• verification code RVR is already on the line being updated. A new Rent Certificate will automatically issue with the updated information. See Table 4 > Step 1
• RA is still being paid, see Table 4 > Step 1
• RA was being paid but has now stopped (NVE), go to Step 21
• RA was not being paid, see Table 4 > Step 1
• No, see Table 4 > Step 1

Within the same activity, select the NVE line which stopped RA paying.

Did the update include a change to the verification code and verification is no longer required?

• Yes, delete the NVE line. See Table 4 > Step 1
• No, duplicate the updates made to the original AC screen entry. Update the verification code from NVE to RVR. This will issue a rent certificate. See Table 4 > Step 1

Check the ongoing rate of Rent Assistance (RA) is correct using the following:

• customer is eligible for RA Rent Assistance (RA) eligibility criteria which apply to all customers Additional RA eligibility criteria which apply to specific customer groups Payability of Rent Assistance to customers in some circumstances For some customers not all of the rent paid is used when calculating RA RA for Family Tax Benefit (FTB) and regular care child(ren) Assessing RA for customers in rental relief schemes and subsidy arrangements
• rate of RA
• information in Resources about system issue KE10772 that affects some stimulus customers and date of effect (DOE)

The Resources page contains:

• information about reading the AR screen
• how to find more information about rates calculated by the system
• hints and tips about assessing the outcome
• information about understanding the date of effect, including KE10772

Is the on-going rate correct and commencing from the correct DOE?

• Yes and:
• the customer is receiving Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) payments and claiming Family Tax Benefit (FTB), go to Step 3
• there are no possible debt(s) or arrear(s), go to Step 18
• there are possible debt(s) or arrear(s), go to Step 4
• No, go to Step 2

Due to system issue KE10772 stimulus customers may be overpaid RA if they don't notify of a rent increase or the commencement of paying rent in the reporting period for the date of the change.

This system issue causes the system to apply a Notification Handler (NOHL) Rule 10 which pays an increased or new rate of RA from the entitlement period start date instead of the date of notification.

See Resources for more information on checking the NOHL rule.

To check the NOHL rule for the update, select NOHL Rule Explanation (DOER) available from the left hand menu of the Assessment Finalise Workflow.

Where Notification Handler (NOHL) Rule 10 has been identified for:

• an NSS system payment, go to the Rate Component Override (RCO) screen:
• Code the start date as the Entitlement Period Start Date
• Code the end date as the correct RA date of effect minus 1
• See Resources for the correct RA date of effect
• Record the Type as 'VRM’ and Reason as ‘SYS’
• In the Amount field:
  - If the customer was previously receiving a rate of RA and a new higher rate is being applied, code the Amount with the previous fortnightly rate of RA
  - If customer was not previously receiving RA, code the Amount with ‘0’
• a PEN system payment, follow the instructions in Non NSS systems coding for manual rate of payment to:
• set the daily manual rate of rent assistance to ensure the correct total amount of RA is paid for the impacted fortnight and
• return the customer to an automatic rate from the next EPSD

Once the ongoing rate is commencing from the correct DOE:

• if the customer is receiving Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) payments and claiming Family Tax Benefit (FTB), go to Step 3
• there are:
• no possible debt(s) or arrear(s), go to Step 18
• possible debt(s) or arrear(s), go to Step 4

As DVA pay an equivalent to RA, a DVA clearance will need to be completed when the customer or partner receive DVA payments.

Go to the Completing Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) clearances and income coding file and complete all required processing, then return here.

When all DVA processing is completed, if there are:

• debts or arrears for a reason other than receiving DVA payments, go to Step 4
• no other debts or arrears, go to Step 18

In most cases, the amount in the $ Adj Amt field is either all a debt or all arrears, not a combination of both.

It is possible though for the amount to be the result of arrears for one period less a debt for another period. In these cases, both the debt component and the arrears component need to be checked.

Check the result of the update for the customer and the partner/ex-partner.

Is there a possible debt?

• Yes, go to Step 5
• No, but arrears will be paid, go to Step 6

Check that the details entered on the AC screen are correct. When there are no errors:

• review Actioning negative adjustments on the Assessment Results (AR) screen
• locate the Activity Management Record (AMR) number on the AR screen and make a note of it
• record the AMR number in the DOC. Debt Staff will use it to review the activity

When the activity is completed:

• a debt activity may be created and this will appear on the Activity List (AL) screen
• transfer the debt activity using the relevant Fast Note

Is the RA update also paying arrears to the customer or partner/ex-partner?

• Yes, go to Step 6
• No, go to Step 18

The following are examples of when a duplicate payment of RA may happen:

• A customer receiving RA with their income support payment makes a claim for FTB. Once granted, the system will pay FTB arrears including RA. The following screens provide more detail about any FTB offsetting:
• Process Direct - Key 'FROS' in the Super Key. This opens the FTB RA Offset Summary (FROS/FROD) screen. Select the amount being reviewed and to see rent offset details
• Customer First - Key 'FROS' in the Next field. This opens the FTB RA Offset Summary (FROS) screen. 'S'elect the amount being reviewed, this opens the FTB RA Offset Details (FROD) screen to see more details
• A social security allowee who is a member of a couple transfers to a pension payment
• A customer is a member of a couple and they receive a payment including the full member of a couple rate of RA, but their partner receives a payment from another agency which includes an equivalent version of rental payment
• The RA a customer received for a past period has been identified as a debt. A reassessment has determined they were entitled to the payment

Is the customer claiming FTB, and RA was received by them or their partner/ ex-partner with ABSTUDY for some or all of the period of arrears?

• Yes, go to Step 7
• No, go to Step 8

An ABSTUDY customer may receive RA with their ABSTUDY.

If the customer or their partner/ ex-partner then makes a claim for FTB, and FTB is granted, it may include arrears of RA. The arrears of RA are not to be reduced by the RA amount already received with ABSTUDY by the customer or their partner/ ex-partner.

Are there possible duplicate payments other than this situation?

• Yes, go to Step 8
• No, go to Step 18

Make a note of the dates of the arrears to be paid to the customer and/or partner/ex-partner. See the Resources page for how to locate information.

Compare the dates and amounts to the RA payment history of the customer and partner/ex-partner.

Has RA already been paid to the customer and/or their partner/ex-partner for some or all of the period of the arrears?

• Yes, and the customer:
• is claiming FTB, and RA was received by them or their partner/ex-partner with an income support payment, (not including ABSTUDY), go to Step 9
• is not claiming FTB and has already received RA with an income support payment, or ABSTUDY, go to Step 10
• has a partner/ex-partner who received RA for the period and will now have an RA debt, go to Step 11
• has another circumstance where RA has already been paid, go to Step 12
• No, go to Step 14

The customer's FTB arrears must be reduced by the amount of RA that has already been received with the income support payment for the duplicate period. RA paid to the customer and/or partner/ex-partner is to be taken into account. The customer received the benefit of any RA paid to the partner in that period.

Once arrears have been adjusted, are there further arrears to still be paid?

• Yes, go to Step 12
• No, go to Step 18

Once arrears have been adjusted are there further arrears to still be paid?

• Yes, go to Step 12
• No, go to Step 18

Both the arrears for the customer and the debt for the partner/ex-partner are correct.

Check the arrears period and the debt period.

Is the period of arrears the same as the period of the debt?

• Yes, go to Step 18
• No, it includes another period, go to Step 12

If the system identifies a debt/possible debt:

• It assesses the customer's entitlement as if the customer has returned the money
• If a later update determines the customer was entitled to receive it, the system will attempt to pay it again

Before paying arrears, check for RA debts which cover all or some of the period of the arrears:

• Go to Workspace > Debts > Debt Information
• A list of the debts for the customer will appear on the Debt information overview tab

If the debt has been assessed and determined to be a debt, the debt reason will appear. If there is a debt with a reason RA:

• Make a note of the start and end dates of the debt
• Select the hyperlinked Debt ID number
• Scroll down to Debt calculators, select ADEX (Debt information tool)
• Select the dates to open and check the detailed information
• Make a note of the Debt ID number
• Return to the Debt information tab

If there is an undetermined debt(s), select the hyperlinked Debt ID number. The reason for the debt will be in Components (of the estimated amount). If the reason is RA:

• Scroll down to Debt calculators, select ADEX (Debt information tool)
• Select the dates to open detailed information. Make a note of the:
• Debt ID number
• start and end date of the debt

Is there an RA debt(s) which covers all or part of the period of the RA arrears?

• Yes, and:
• at least one of the debts has been assessed and determined, go to Step 13
• only undetermined debts(s) exist, go to Step 14
• No, go to Step 15

• Adjust the arrears to zero any monies included in the debt(s)
• Use Fast Note > Debts > Debt Raising > Debt Raising ACTion DOC Request
• Include the AMR number of the RA update
• Include the action taken and reason for customer's RA entitlement
• Debt Staff will either zero all or part of the debt, and/or refund repayments made to the customer

Is there also an undetermined debt(s) with overlapping dates?

• Yes, go to Step 14
• No, go to Step 15

If the dates of an undetermined RA debt cover all or some of the period of the arrears:

• Manually adjust the arrears to zero any monies included in the undetermined debt
• Go to the AL screen. An activity called 'Debt Management System/New DMIS Debt' will display
• Add a note to the activity to alert Debt Staff to check for a DOC
• Debt Staff will set all or part of the undetermined debt to zero
• Notify Debt Staff action is needed for the undetermined debt:
• Use Fast Note > Debts > Debt Raising > Debt Raising ACTion DOC Request
• Add the details to the DOC including the AMR number and why the debt should not be raised
• For some FTB cases offsetting may occur. See Debt offsetting during Family Assistance reassessment, reconciliation and claim processing

Will arrears still be paid?

• Yes, go to Step 15
• No, go to Step 18

Check the arrears:

• commence from the correct date, see the Resources page for explanation of date of effect. Note: for ABSTUDY see Change of circumstances for ABSTUDY customers
• are not impacted by system issue KE10772 that affects some stimulus customers. See Resources for more information and check the NOHL rule for the update by selecting NOHL Rule Explanation (DOER) available from the left hand menu of the Assessment Finalise Workflow.
• are paying the correct amount when there has been a rate change for a past period, for example, RA received with income support payment and now paid with FTB
• check the date of arrears are within review and reassessment periods

Are the arrears correct?

• Yes, go to Step 18
• No, and
• arrears are incorrect due to system issue KE10772 that affects stimulus customers, go to Step 16
• arrears are paying that need to be stopped, adjust the arrears. Go to Step 18
• arrears the customer is entitled to are not paying, go to Step 17

Select from the below options

Go to the Rate Component Override (RCO) screen.

• For NOHL Rule 10:
• Code the start date as the Entitlement Period Start Date.
• Code the end date as the correct RA date of effect minus 1
• See Resources for the correct RA date of effect
• For NOHL Rule 99:
• Code the start date as the identified date (CPI, Restoration or Reassessment)
• Code the end date as the correct RA date of effect minus 1
• See Resources for the correct RA date of effect
• Record the Type as 'VRM’ and Reason as ‘SYS’
• In the Amount field:
• If the customer was previously receiving a rate of RA and a new higher rate is being applied, code the Amount with the previous fortnightly rate of RA
• If customer was not previously receiving RA, code the Amount with ‘0’
• Go to Step 18

Follow the instructions in Non NSS systems coding for manual rate of payment to:

• set the daily manual rate of rent assistance to ensure the correct total amount of RA is paid for the impacted period and
• return the customer to an automatic rate from the relevant EPSD

See Resources for the correct RA date of effect.

Go to Step 18.

The ROA screen is used to manually change the date of effect. It is used for payments made under the Social Security Act where the system is not using the correct date of effect.

For arrears to be correctly paid, use the ROA screen. The start date will be the date the RA reassessment is to commence. This will be the earliest of either the:

• date of receipt, or
• date the verification code changed to Not Verified - NVE/Rent Verification Required - RVR

• Finalise the RA activity
• Record details on a DOC
• Store any documents provided by the customer
• Check the record for any related or duplicate work item/s
• Complete scanned images relevant to the work item/s, for example, rent verification document

An update to the customer's accommodation details can mean follow-up action is needed. For example:

• where a customer is current on JobSeeker Payment (JSP) and enters a residential aged care facility, a request for an Employment Services Assessment (ESAt) is required
• the Living arrangements question set has led to a review of marital status
• a professional referral is needed, for example social work
• the customer has moved in or out of a property they own and an update to Real Estate and Business (REBS) is needed
• the customer is operating a business from a rented principal home address and updates to business income or assets are needed

If the customer is present and can be asked about their circumstances, where possible, complete the follow-up action.

Are there related or duplicate work items with accommodation updates that need action?

• Yes, go to Step 19
• No, procedure ends here

Check the customer record for any outstanding accommodation updates. These may be part of an Address, Accommodation, and Contact details update.

Check if there is:

• a started AC update on the AL screen in Customer First, or
• an activity with open status in interaction summary in Customer First, or
• an incomplete Transaction in Process Direct, or
• accommodation details in a DOC/Note that have not been applied because of a failed online update or review. Check both:
• Customer First, go to DL screen and view the DOC/s 'Cus COA UPD CLI Cust AAC Online Update', and
• Process Direct, go to Notes icon and view Note/s 'Change of circumstances CoC ID'

Review the information in the work item.

To review information in Process Direct:

• Select to view the summary the customer provided
• Select to expand the summary in a new window, if needed

See Process Direct navigation, common screens and functions for general information.

Only process this work item if the information has not been updated onto the customer’s record.

Cancel the work item if it is a duplicate and does not need processing in Process Direct:

• select Status from the Icon menu
• select Edit, then Cancelled from the drop-down options
• select Save
• procedure ends here

If the work item needs processing, see relevant Operational Blueprint files and action as needed.