Rejecting an ABSTUDY claim 106-07130010

Make sure the applicant and/or student or Australian Apprentice does not meet ABSTUDY qualifications, or recipient obligations, or the applicant wishes to voluntarily withdraw the claim and the decision to reject the claim is correct.

ABSTUDY claims that have been withdrawn can only be rejected if they have already been determined. If they have not been determined, the new claim will need to be cancelled. See Withdrawal of claims for more details.

Note: do not manually reject claims where ABSTUDY Living Allowance is not payable due to exceeding the income or asset test limits. These claims should be finalised as they still may meet entitlement to non-income tested ABSTUDY allowances

Is the decision to reject the claim correct?

• Yes, for rejecting the claim due to:
• Failed to supply documents, go to Step 2
• All other reasons, go to Step 3
• No, do not reject the claim. Procedure ends here

Claimants need to provide extra information for an ABSTUDY claim within 14 days or the claim will be rejected. While there is no deadline for submitting additional information under ABSTUDY policy, the claim is rejected as a workload management measure.

Once information is received, the original claim can be reassessed. The date of receipt is the date the additional information was provided unless the initial claim was lodged in the previous year. See Claiming ABSTUDY and Start and closing date for ABSTUDY claims.

Has the applicant been provided 14 days to supply the requested information?

• Yes, claim can be rejected. Go to Step 3
• No, claim cannot be rejected
• Attempt to contact the customer to remind them of the RFI
• DOC the outcome of the call
• Place the claim on Hold until day 14
• Procedure ends here

Once determination has been made to reject the ABSTUDY claim, match the rejection reason with the appropriate code. See Codes for ABSTUDY cancellation, suspension and rejection.

If rejecting a customer’s claim for one of the following reasons, refer the claim to the DVA Clearance Team for review. See Step 6 in Payments from the Department of Veteran’s Affairs (DVA) and referrals to DVA Clearance Team:

• Service Pension/ Income Support Supplement (DVA)
• DSS Age Pension paid by DVA (AGC)

Note: rejection code ‘OTH’ must only be used where no other rejection code is appropriate.

Once rejection code has been determined, go to Step 4.

In Process Direct, full claim coding is not required if the claim is to be streamline rejected because of one of the following reasons.

• FSD – Failed to Supply Documents
• COP – Another payment more appropriate
• FRC – Failed to reply to correspondence
• IMP – Customer in prison
• NAB – Customer not an Aboriginal, before using this code see Aboriginality or Torres Strait Islander status for ABSTUDY
• NAC – Enrolled in an unapproved course
• NAI – Not an approved institution
• NAS – Not a student
• OGA – Customer is receiving other government assistance

Note: use discretion when applying a streamline, manual or automatic rejection. An automatic rejection is the preferred option.

To reject a claim using:

• Streamline Reject, go to Step 5
• Process Direct, go to Step 6
• Customer First, go to Step 7

When a claim is finalised as a streamline rejection, no updates or circumstance changes are applied to the customer's record apart from the assessment outcome itself. This happens even where provisional updates have been recorded prior to the streamline rejection being actioned.

To streamline reject a new claim using Process from the Claim Application screen:

• Go to the BA screen via the Super Key icon
• Add a new entry
• Select from the dropdown menu available:
• Benefit Type Code
• Benefit Action (REJ-Reject)
• Streamline Rejection checkbox
• Reason for rejection
• Date of Effect will automatically default to the claim submission date
• Select Save. A new line will display on the BA screen, go to the Errors (SWE) screen via the Super Key icon
• Select Assess. This will navigate to the Entitlement (ELD) screen which will display rejection details
• Select Finish
• Finalise Comments will display. Add any additional information if required. Select Finalise

A message box will display with details of the rejection. Service Officers must check the content and update as required.

If rejecting Failed to Supplied Documents (FSD), the decision DOC must list the documents not provided at the time of rejection.

Contact the applicant and explain the reason for the decision. See Advising verbally of an unfavourable decision.

Procedure ends here.

Reject a new claim using Process from the Claim Application screen:

• Make sure all coding is complete for the claim assessment
• Go to the BA screen via the Super Key icon
• Add a new entry
• Select from the drop down menu available:
• Benefit Type Code
• Benefit Action (REJ-Reject)
• Streamline Rejection checkbox
• Reason for rejection
• Date of Effect will automatically default to the claim submission date
• Select Save. A new line will display on the BA screen, go to the Errors (SWE) screen via the Super Key icon

Once all errors, if any, have been addressed:

• Select Assess to go to the Entitlement (ELD) screen, make sure the correct rejection reason displays
• Select Finish, the finalisation DOC will appear, if extra information is needed, add this in the DOC
• Select Finalise

Note: if the rejection reason is OTH, no comments can be recorded in Notes. Record the reason for the rejection in claim finalisation notes.

Was the claim rejected with code OTH?

• Yes, go to Step 8
• No, procedure ends here

For claims processed in Customer Record/Customer First:

• Go to the Benefits Action (BA) screen by keying 'BA' in the Nxt field and press [Enter]
• Code the following fields:
• Service reason: choose the appropriate service reason
• Action: ‘REJ’
• Reason: use rejection code determined in Step 3
• Effect Date: Date will default to date of claim lodgement
• Notes: any additional comments
• Where the system requires the Accommodation Details (AC) screen to be coded before finalising the Rejection activity, update the customer's current circumstances as recorded in the claim. Where rent/board is paid and verification is required that has not yet been supplied, make sure the Rent Verification field is coded as NVE

Is the claim being rejected with code OTH?

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

Where a manual rejection with a reason of Other (OTH) is required for an ABSTUDY claim, the correct letter (Q134) must be issued.

To issue a Q134 letter for claims in:

• Process Direct, reject and finalise the claim before creating the Q134 letter
• Customer First, issue the Q134 letter within the rejection activity

When creating the Q134 letter:

• insert the following text into the free text paragraph:
• 'This rejection has been made under <insert relevant Policy for rejection here> of the ABSTUDY Policy Manual
• select the reference to the relevant act under which the decision was made. Select option 4 - 'This decision has been made under the Student Assistance Act 1973'

If the Q134 letter was issued after the claim was rejected within Process Direct, procedure ends here.

All other activities where the letter has been issued within the rejection activity in Customer First, the rejection activity can now be finalised, go to Step 9.

Go to the Assessment Results (AR) screen by keying AR in the Nxt: field

Finalise the activity by keying ‘Y’ in the Finished: field and press [Enter]

There are different ABSTUDY Rejection Fast Note’s depending on the rejection reason. Choose the one relevant to the ABSTUDY claim assessed.

Use Fast Note - Select: Auto Text, use Students, ABSTUDY & Apprentices > Claims - ABSTUDY >

• ABSTUDY Rejected FSD
• ABSTUDY Schooling A – Granted/Rejected
• ABSTUDY Board Granted/Rejected
• ABY Early Claim Rejected
• ABY Granted/Rejected
• ABY INC Granted/Rejected
• ABY LAW Granted/Rejected
• ABY PES Granted/Rejected
• ABY SEC Granted/Rejected
• ABY TAA Granted/Rejected

Record details of the decision and the relevant Policy references on a Fast Note.

See References page for Policy information.

For claimants wishing to test eligibility for FTB, see Claiming Family Tax Benefit (FTB) instalments for children in care other than a newborn or adopted child.