Assessing independence when a customer is a refugee 001-04060060

If claiming, check the claim form to establish whether the customer is stating that they are a refugee without parents in Australia.

DSP

• Claim for Disability Support Pension (SA466), check Question 149 in Independent rate
• Claim for Disability Support Pension for a Terminal Illness (SA494), check Question 101
• Disability Support Pension Claim at age 16 (SA439), check Question 26
• The preferred method to assess independence is to use the DSP New Claim and Service Update Assessment script

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 visas and the residency status attached to a particular visa, see Common types of Australian visas.

Is the customer the holder of a refugee visa that confers permanent residence status?

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

Are the parents in Australia?

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

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. Note: 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?

• Yes, go to Step 4
• No, the customer is independent:
• for DSP go to Step 5
• for YA go to Step 6

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:

• parents cannot exercise responsibilities, or
• customer is an orphan

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.

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.

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

• Action, key the current independent status (i.e. 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?

• Yes, key 'Y' in the 'To update regional classification details, go to 'RLD' field, see Relocation Scholarship payment and coding
• No, press [Enter] to update the screen details.

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

If rejecting, consider other grounds for independence. See

• Independence for Youth Allowance (YA) customers, or
• Assessing payment rates and independence for Disability Support Pension customers under 21 years