Skip to navigation Skip to content

Assessing independence when a customer is a refugee 001-04060060

Expand/Collapse all sectionsExpand all



This document outlines how to determine a customer’s eligibility for the independent rate of Disability Support Pension (DSP) or independent rate of Youth Allowance (YA) on the basis of being a refugee.

Assessing independence when a customer is a refugee

Expand table

Step

Action

1

Disability Support Pension (DSP) or Youth Allowance (YA) customer indicates that they meet the criteria for independence because they are a refugee

For claims, check the claim form to establish if the customer is stating they are a refugee without parents in Australia.

DSP

YA

  • Check Independence, question 110 on the claim for Youth Allowance form (SY001)

A person is a refugee if they have been granted a visa under the Department of Home Affairs Humanitarian Program. There are 3 categories of visa:

  • Refugee
  • Special Humanitarian, and
  • Special Assistance

For information about accepted visa subclasses for refugee, permanent and special humanitarian entrants, see Refugee, Humanitarian and Permanent Protection Visa sub-classes.

Is the customer the holder of a permanent refugee, humanitarian or protection visa?

  • Yes, go to Step 2
  • No, the customer is not independent on these grounds. Ask for parental income details or consider other grounds for independence, go to Step 7

2

Check if the customer has parents living in Australia

Are the parents in Australia?

  • Yes, the customer is not independent on these grounds. Ask for parental income details or consider other grounds for independence, go to Step 7
  • No, go to Step 3

3

Check if the customer has been substantially dependent on someone else on a long-term basis

To establish whether the customer has been dependent on someone else on a long term basis, the following should be taken into consideration:

  • How long the customer has been in the country and who they have lived with in that period
  • What is the nature of the relationship of the customer with the person/s they have lived with since arriving in the country
  • How long does the person intend to care for the customer. Explain payment options and implications, for example, Family Tax Benefit (FTB) verses YA independence. See the Resources page for a link to online estimators
  • Whether anyone has received FTB payments for the customer prior to the customer claiming YA

Is the customer substantially dependent on someone else on a long-term basis?

4

Customer is not considered to be independent

For YA customers, if the person they have been dependent on has assumed a parental role, their income and assets details should be requested for assessment under the Parental Means Tests.

If the customer's natural parent(s) are missing, dead or presumed dead, consider whether the customer is independent under the criteria of:

If the person the customer has been dependent on is a partner, consider whether the customer is independent as a member of a couple.

Go to Step 7.

5

Coding independent rate for DSP

To pay the independent rate go to the Pensions Disability Information (PDI) screen, in the following fields:

  • Independent Living Code, key 'PRE'
  • Event Date, key the commencement date for independence
  • Source and DOR (Date of Receipt), key details

Go to Step 7.

6

Coding independent status for YA

Go to the Independent/Homeless/Away From Home Details (NIH) screen. In the following fields:

  • Action, key the current independent status (that is, IND)
  • Start/Reject Reason, key the independent code PRE
  • Start Date, key the commencement date for independence
  • Source and DOR, key details

Is the customer a full-time student undertaking an approved scholarship course?

Complete the activity on the Assessments Result (AR) screen.

7

Record details of decision on a DOC listing reasons for grant or rejection

If rejecting, consider other grounds for independence. See: