Standards for helping customers complete claims and forms 106-02030000

Assisting customers in completing forms is central to Services Australia's aim of providing support. The type of assistance offered will vary from customer to customer to address their individual needs.

In all cases (except Medicare claims) where support is given, a DOC must be recorded on the customer's record to outline:

• the type of assistance provided (that is, completing the full form or individual questions), and
• where appropriate the language of the interpreter who also assisted

For Medicare claim forms make a note on the claim form or VG4 form that the customer is unable to complete or sign the claim form and reasons why. A note should also be recorded in CDMS.

Staff should not help customers complete the Private Company (MOD PC). Information needed for the form is only available from those who know the details of the company. Services Australia suggests the customer talks to the company tax agent or accountant and consider having them complete the form on their behalf.

The Service Officer can help complete claim forms for customers:

• who are vulnerable (for example, those with a disability or customers with language barriers) and
• ask for more assistance (or where the Service Officer in the Service Centre identifies that the customer is incapable of completing the form)

If the customer is incapable of filling out the form, it can be completed on their behalf. Always ask the customer to give an acceptable form of identification if their disability allows.

Note on the form (or for Medicare complete a VG4 form) that the customer is unable to complete or sign the form and reasons why.

Customers who cannot sign their name in English can print their name in block letters or use the script of their native language. The customer's signature should be accepted regardless of the script and there is no need to have it witnessed by a third party.

An interpreter should be provided to help customers from cultural and linguistically diverse backgrounds (CALD) who experience difficulty completing a claim form and to ensure the customer fully understands what they are signing.

Customers who cannot write, are illiterate or use a mark (for example a cross) to sign their name, should have a witness verifying their mark and to confirm their identity.

Ask the customer to provide one of the following forms of identification:

• current drivers' licence
• current passport
• health care card
• pension card, or
• proof of age card

For Centrelink customers, nominee arrangements should be considered.

For Medicare Claim forms, make a note on the VG4 form that the customer is unable to sign the thermal receipt and reasons why.

Centrelink

Customers who are unable to complete a claim form because of a disability may have the form completed on their behalf by a responsible person, preferably a relative or friend, who knows of their circumstances.

Arrangements must be made to verify the customer's existence before the claim is processed. This can be verified through contact with the third party such as a doctor, social worker etc.

Details of the person who completed the form should be included on the claim form, and both they and the customer must sign the claim form once it has been completed. If the customer is unable to sign, they:

• make a mark and the person should witness the mark, or
• provide (or have provided on their behalf) verification from a medical practitioner or health professional that they are unable to sign

If another person has completed the claim, nominee arrangements should be considered.

Medicare

Where a customer is unable to sign the claim form or receipt, and has an appointed Power of Attorney, Legal Guardian or Administrator, the appointed person may sign on their behalf.

Where a Power of Attorney, a Guardianship Order or an Administration Order is held, a full security check is not required. Before processing the claim, Service Officers must check under the Entitlements tab in CDMS whether the:

• Power of Attorney, Guardianship Order or Administration Order is still operative, and
• Power of Attorney, Legal Guardian or Administrator named in CDMS is the one lodging the claim for the claimant with a disability

If neither of these is the case, the claim cannot be processed. Where changes are required to an existing order, or a new order is sighted, refer to Power of Attorney.

Organisations or members of a caring team (who do not hold Power of Attorney, a Guardianship Order or an Administrative Order) can lodge claims on behalf of claimants who are unable to complete the forms. For example, care staff for a person with a disability living at home, or the elderly. These benefits can only be paid to the bank account details which are currently recorded on Medicare CDMS.

Carers can sign forms, however they must clearly indicate that the signature is not that of the customer. Service Officers must ensure the correct claimant is recorded when processing these claims.

There is no conflict of interest in providing assistance to a customer, as long as the staff member is simply asking the questions and recording the customer's answers. A Service Officer's role is not to interpret and reword a customer's responses, but rather to transcribe exactly what the customer has answered after having been explained the question and its purpose.

A Service Officer's role is to ensure that claims are received in accordance with the claim lodgement conditions. This includes making sure that a customer is aware of what information Services Australia requires, through assistance and explanation.

A Service Officer should not send a customer away if they cannot complete a form because of limited English language skills or if the customer is having communication issues. The customer should not be turned away to use a family member, friend, community agency or community centre to complete agency forms.

Where language is a barrier, the best option is for a bilingual officer to directly assist the customer. If a bilingual officer is not available, a Service Officer can utilise an interpreter (sessional, on-site or telephone) to assist.

Note: usually a Service Officer should not send the customer away to deal directly with an interpreter, except in the case of sessional interpreters. Even in this instance, the sessional interpreter should not be answering the customer's questions or issues of concern relating to the form, and should refer these back to the Service Officer for clarification.

Disadvantaged Centrelink customers may nominate someone else to deal with Services Australia on their behalf. These people may be known as payment nominees or correspondence nominees.

Some disadvantaged customers are alone and do not have people to assist them, that is, they do not have nominees, family, friends or community support networks.

Multicultural Service Officers (MSOs) conduct outreach and liaise with multicultural community agencies to inform customers from CALD backgrounds of the agency's programs, payments and services. If staff need cultural advice, assistance in referring the customer to other community agencies or engaging with an interpreter, they should contact their local MSO. MSOs can be found on locater by:

• Searching service centre in the 'Orgs' tab
• Navigate to the notes tab
• Scroll to specialists, the MSO's name and contact number will be listed