Aged care means assessment – protected person 065-18120742

Change in circumstances apply to post 1 July 2014 assessments only.

Is this a new means assessment or has a Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) Request for Centrelink Confirmation form been received via email?

• Yes, go to Step 2
• No, this is a change in circumstances. The Protected person is no longer eligible. If the Protected person is a:
• carer or close relative, go to Step 10
• partner, go to Step 11
• dependent child or student, go to Step 13

The care recipient has indicated there is a protected person living in their former principal home.

Where the protected person is:

• the care recipient's partner, go to Step 3
• a dependent child or student, go to Step 4
• a carer or close relative, go to step 5

If the care recipient is a member of a couple the partner is a protected person if:

• they are the care recipient's current partner on the means assessment date of event (DOV), and
• the partner was living in the principal home on the DOV, including when the home is a:
• granny flat interest
• life interest in a property, or
• a temporary address as the principal home was sold and the partner is intending to purchase a new home with the proceeds of sale within 12/24 months of sale. See Sale of principal home

Confirm these details from the current recorded information when care recipient and/or partner are in receipt of an income support payment.

The protect person (partner) exemption does not apply if:

• both members of a couple enter care on the same day
• the couple is determined as living separately and apart, see Assessment of circumstances for a couple separated due to illness

See Frequently asked questions on the Resources page for examples.

Does the partner meet the protected person criteria?

• Yes:
• Update the Home Ownership Status field in the Residential Care Asset Assessment (RCAA) screen with code PLV Partner home exemption has been claimed and approved (PLV)
• Procedure ends here
• No, protected person exemption does not apply, go to Step 11

Where a care recipient advises they have a dependent child or student living in the principal home the following criteria must be met at the DOV.
Note: there is no requirement to provide supporting documentation.

Children must:

• be under 16 years of age
• not be in full time work, and
• not be in receipt of an income support payment (ISP)

Students must:

• have reached 16 years of age, but be under 25 years of age and receiving full time education at a school, college or university
• not be in full time work, and
• not be in receipt of an ISP

Dependent children or students temporarily living away from the former principal home to receive fulltime education qualify as a protected person. They must return to the principal home during holidays and breaks.

Does the dependent child/student qualify as a protected person?

• Yes:
• Update RCAA screen with code DLV Dependent child/student home exemption has been claimed and approved (DLV)
• Procedure ends here
• No, go to Step 13

To confirm the person meets the qualification criteria, the carer or close relative must give consent to access their ISP details in Customer First. They can give consent::

• verbally (if the protected person is available to provide consent), see Authenticating a Centrelink customer
• via the Aged Care Calculation of your cost of care form, or
• via a DVA Request for Centrelink confirmation form

Where the protected person is:

• a carer or close relative and they have:
• given consent to access their ISP details in Customer First, go to Step 6
• not given consent to access their Customer First record, issue an Aged Care Carer or close relative assessment (SA483) form, go to Step 7
• completed an SA483, go to Step 8
• a DVA carer or close relative request and there is:
• consent to access details, check the email or scanned document (UNS011) to confirm the signed authority checkbox has been ticked, go to Step 6
• no consent to access details, reply to the email advising the form has not been actioned due to missing consent. Record details in a Fast Note: - select Auto Text, use Aged Care > Assessment > DVA protected person validation check.
  Procedure end here

Where consent is given, confirm in Customer First that at the DOV, the carer or close relative:

• had been living in the former principal home with the care recipient for the past:
• 2 years for a carer, or
• 5 years for a close relative
• is in receipt of, (or is eligible to receive) an ISP.
  Note: Carer Allowance is not an ISP

See Frequently asked questions on the Resources page for examples. If Customer First cannot confirm the information, such as confirming that protected person has lived in the home for the required period, an Aged Care Carer or close relative assessment (SA483) is required.

Is an SA483 required to confirm protected person eligibility?

• Yes:
• SA483 to be issued, go to Step 7
• SA483 has already been issued, go to Step 8
• For DVA requests, SA483 has already been issued, go to Step 15
• No:
• Customer First record confirms details, go to Step 9
• For DVA requests, if the Customer First record confirms details, go to Step 14

Where Service Officers cannot confirm protected person status for a carer or close relative through Customer First or because consent has not been received by Services Australia, they must issue the following to the care recipient. An:

• SA483, and
• aged care Request For Information (RFI) letter asking them to have the carer or a close relative complete the attached form and provide supporting documentation

See Frequently asked questions on the Resources page for examples.

On the care recipients record, annotate or record a Fast Note - select Auto Text, use Aged Care > Assessment > Progress of Aged Care Assessment with details of the RFI.

Do not close Fast Note. Place it on hold for 21 days.

For DVA Request for Centrelink Confirmation

Check the request has been uploaded to Centrelink record as word document UNS011, if not temporarily save word document in email and upload to record via document tools.

To save DVA Request word document file:

• select File
• select Save As
• select the Customer Information folder located on your team's shared drive. Do not save customer information to desktops or personal H drives
• change the file name to care recipient name DVA Request for Centrelink Confirmation
• change the Save as type: field to word document
• select Save

When uploaded to Customer Fist via Document Tools, delete the file from the Customer Information folder:

• right select on the saved document
• select Delete

Check the care recipients address is recorded on the DVA Request for Centrelink Confirmation form.

If the address on the form does not match what is on the care recipient's record and the care recipient is:

• in Permanent Residential Care, use the Residential Care Provider's location address from ACSP when issuing SA483
• not in permanent care, contact DVA to confirm correct postal address

For DVA requests, record a Fast Note- select Auto Text, use Aged Care > Assessment > DVA protected person SA483 issued.

Do not close the Fast Note. Place it on hold for 21 days. The SA483 is available on the Resources page.

Procedure ends here until the form has been returned.

When the completed form and required documentation have been returned, determine whether the carer or close relative:

• has lived in the former principal home with the care recipient for the past:
• 2 years for a carer, or
• 5 years for a close relative, and
• is in receipt of (or is eligible to receive) an income support payment (ISP). Note: Carer Allowance is not an ISP

See Frequently asked questions on the Resources page for examples where the protected person is a carer or close relative.

Does the carer or close relative qualify as a protected person based on information contained within the questionnaire and supporting documentation?

• Yes, go to Step 9
• No:
• The criteria has not been met, or
• SA483 and/or supporting documentation was not returned within 21 days
• Go to Step 10

Where the carer or close relative is a protected person and is currently in receipt of an ISP, complete all updates as required on the RCAA screen:

Date of effect:

• New means assessment - date of entry to permanent residential care
• Change in circumstances after entry - date of change

Date of Entry into Care:

• New means assessment - date of entry to permanent residential care
• Change in circumstances after entry - field is blank

• Carers - update the Home Ownership Status field on the RCAA screen with:
• CLV Carer home exemption has been claimed and approved and the carer is receiving an income support payment (CLV), or
• CNV Carer home exemption has been claimed and approved and the carer is eligible to receive an income support payment (CNV)
• Close relatives - update the Home Ownership Status field on the RCAA screen with:
• CCV Close relative home exemption has been claimed and approved and the close relative is receiving an income support payment (CCV), or
• CEV Close relative home exemption has been claimed and approved and the close relative is eligible to receive an income support payment (CEV)

Procedure ends here.

Where a carer or close relative does not meet or no longer meets the protected person eligibility criteria, the value of the care recipient's share of the principal home is an assessable asset.

Complete all updates as required on the RCAA screen:

Date of effect:

• New means assessment - date of entry to permanent residential care
• Change in circumstances after entry - date of change

Date of Entry into Care:

• New means assessment - date of entry to permanent residential care
• Change in circumstances after entry - field is blank

Home Ownership Status:

• Carers - key CLN (Carer home exemption has been claimed but was not approved)
• Close relatives - key CCN (Close relative home exemption has been claimed but not approved)

CMV of Principal Home:

• use the current market value of the principal home, excluding where the home is part of a retirement village. This is the gross value with no deductions or ownership percentages applied

• Code any other fields as required
• If protected person exemption is being rejected call the care recipient to advise there is not an eligible protected person exemption. See Advising verbally of an unfavourable decision for more details

Note: customers who receive Carer Pension or Carer Allowance must notify Services Australia of a change of address within 14 days of moving. See Change of address for Carer Payment (CP) and Carer Allowance (CA) for more details.

Procedure ends here.

Where a partner does not meet or no longer meets the protected person eligibility criteria, the value of the care recipient's share of the principal home is an assessable asset.

If the partner:

• leaves the principal home to enter permanent residential care, the principal home is an assessable asset for both members of the couple from the date the partner enters into care
• has died, the principal home is an assessable asset from the date the partner dies and its value is capped to the equivalent value of the First Asset Threshold. See the Resources page for a link to the Department of Health and Aged Care - Schedule of fees and charges

Refer to the initial means assessment and confirm if the value of the principal home was provided. When more details need to be requested, any review of circumstances will not be conducted prior to 16 weeks after the date of death of partner, unless notice is received earlier. See Bereavement reviews for more details.

Is there a record in the initial means assessment of the value of the former principal home?

• Yes, go to Step 12
• No, if a partner:
• has died within last 16 weeks, place activity on hold until 16 weeks from partner's death, procedure ends here until due
• does not qualify as a protected person or has died more than 16 weeks ago, issue a Request for Information in Process Direct to request value of former principal home. See Requesting information (CLK). Procedure ends here until information is returned

See Aged care means assessment - home ownership and real estate estimates to determine if value of home can be coded or if valuation is required.

Complete all updates as required on the RCAA screen:

Date of effect:

• New means assessment - date of entry to permanent residential care
• Change in circumstances after entry - date of change

Date of Entry into Care:

• New means assessment - date of entry to permanent residential care
• Change in circumstances after entry - field is blank

Home Ownership Status:

• PLN - (Partner home exemption has been claimed but was not approved)
• HOM - partner has died and care recipient a homeowner
• HRV - home is part of retirement village. Care recipient is a homeowner for aged care purposes, regardless of entry contribution amount

CMV of Principal Home:

• Use the current market value of the principal home, excluding where the home is part of a retirement village. This is the gross value with no deductions or ownership percentages applied

• Code any other fields as required
• If protected person exemption is being rejected as partner does not meet criteria, call the care recipient to advise the partner is not/no longer an eligible protected person exemption. See Advising verbally of an unfavourable decision for more details

When a care recipient is in receipt of an ISP, key updates on the Accommodation Details (AC) screen:

• Event Date: date that partner left the principal home
• Reason home vacated: INH
• Date home vacated: date that partner left the principal home

Note: Customer First does not allow updates to both the customer and partner's RCAA screens in the one activity. Where the partner has moved into residential care, update the partner's RCAA screen in a separate activity.

Procedure ends here.

See Aged care means assessment - home ownership and real estate estimates to determine if value of home can be coded or if valuation is required.

Where a dependent child or student does not meet (new assessment) or no longer meets (change of circumstance) the protected person eligibility criteria, the value of the care recipient's share of the principal home is an assessable asset.

Complete all updates as required on the RCAA screen:

Date of effect:

• New means assessment - date of entry to permanent residential care
• Change in circumstances after entry - date of change

Date of Entry into Care:

• New means assessment - date of entry to permanent residential care
• Change in circumstances after entry - field is blank

Home Ownership Status:

• Key DLN (Dependent child/student home exemption has been claimed but was not approved)

• CMV of Principal Home:
• Use the current market value of the principal home, excluding where the home is part of a retirement village. This is the gross value with no deductions or ownership percentages applied
• Code any other fields as required
• If protected person exemption is being rejected call the care recipient to advise there is not an eligible protected person exemption. See Advising verbally of an unfavourable decision for more details

Where the carer or close relative is a protected person and is currently in receipt of an ISP and consent has been signed, complete all updates as required.

Open DVA Request for Centrelink Confirmation from the email received and complete Section B with relevant details.

Service Officers must respond to the email and copy in their Team Leader. See Resources for DVA protected person email template.

Record details in a Fast Note - select Auto Text, use > Aged Care > Assessment > DVA protected person validation check.

Procedure ends here.

When the completed form and required documentation have been returned, determine if the carer or close relative:

• has lived in the former principal home with the care recipient for the past:
• 2 years for a carer, or
• 5 years for a close relative
• is in receipt of, (or is eligible to receive) an ISP.
  Note: Carer Allowance is not an ISP

See Frequently asked questions on the Resources page for examples where the protected person is a carer or close relative.

Can a determination for DVA protected person status be made based on information contained in the questionnaire and supporting documentation?

• Yes, go to Step 16
• No:
• SA483 and/or supporting documentation was not returned within 21 days
• Go to Step 17

To complete the DVA Request for Centrelink Confirmation:

• locate held Fast Note - DVA protected person SA483 issued
• open UNS011 Request for Centrelink Confirmation form
• select View UNS011 from Document Tools list
• in Do you want to open or save? select Save as
• save this form temporarily to the Customer Information folder located on the team's shared drive as a word document
• complete Section B with relevant information from the SA483, then save the word document as a PDF

Check all required fields in the DVA Request are complete.

Go to Step 18.

Locate held Fast Note titled DVA Request for Centrelink Confirmation:

• Open UNS011 Request for Centrelink Confirmation form
• Select View UNS011 from Document Tools list
• In Do you want to open or save? select Save as
• Save this form temporarily to the Customer Information folder located on the team's shared drive as a word document
• Complete Section B with relevant information that could not be verified to establish eligibility, then save word document as a PDF

Check all the required fields in the letter template are complete.

Go to Step 18.

To save DVA Request word document as PDF file:

• select File
• select Save As
• select the Customer Information folder located on the team's shared drive. Do not save customer information to desktops or personal H drives
• change the file name to care recipient name DVA Request for Centrelink Confirmation
• change the Save as type: field to PDF
• select Save

Service Officers must create an email and copy in their Team Leader. See Resources for DVA protected person email template.

Attached the PDF to the email and send.

Delete the PDF file from the Customer Information folder:

• right select on the saved document
• select Delete

Annotate the Fast Note DVA protected person SA483 issued with actions taken and complete.