Determining an exclusion from Vulnerable Welfare Payment Recipient (VWPR Youth) Income Management and enhanced Income Management 103-01180080

To record an exclusion decision, the customer must be on, or eligible for, automatically triggered VWPR Youth Income Management as they are:

• aged under 16 years and in receipt of a Special Benefit (SpB-USY)
• aged 16 years or over and in receipt of an independent rate of Youth Allowance, Disability Support Pension or ABSTUDY Living Allowance due to meeting the Unreasonable to Live at Home (UTLAH) criteria, or
• under 25 years and received a Crisis Payment (CrP) within the last 13 weeks due to release from prison or release from psychiatric confinement

To create a new exclusion there must not be a current or pending (incomplete) exclusion on the customer's record.

For information about other exclusions, see Exclusions for automatically triggered Vulnerable Welfare Payment Recipients (VWPR Youth) Income Management and enhanced Income Management for Service Officers

Customers are automatically granted an exclusion if they have received less than 25% of their maximum basic rate of payment for at least 4 out of the last 6 fortnights.

Where this has not occurred, and the customer believes they meet the criteria, Service Officers will send a Fast Note to the Income Management Exemption and Assessment Team (IMEAT) requesting a manual assessment of the exclusion. Select Auto Text, use Income Management > Update > IM Exemption Request.

To confirm the customer meets the criteria for this exclusion, check the Payment Summary screen and view payment history for the last 6 fortnights.

Note: Non-Payment Periods or reduced rates of payment due to non-compliance are not included when determining eligibility.

Once eligibility has been determined, record the outcome via the Vulnerable youth IM exclusion workflow

The outcome of the exclusion request must be recorded via the Vulnerable youth IM exclusion workflow.

Note:

• Running the workflow will create an automatic DOC on the customer's record with the outcome of the exclusion decision
• VWPMEX ISP resource is required to code an exclusion for VWPR Youth Income Management measure

The workflow must be run for all exclusion assessments, even where the outcome is to reject the exclusion.

Interpreter requirements

Interpreter requirements must be updated when the customer has a language other than English recorded on the Other Contact Details (OCD) screen of their record.

If a language is not recorded on the OCD screen, an error message is displayed indicating that interpreter language details must be recorded before any update can proceed.

Record interpreter details

Is the Customer Present? Select Yes or No

Customers Spoken Language: This will default to the interpreter language recorded on the OCD screen

Interpreter Required: This will default to Yes

Is an interpreter being used? Select from the drop down menu:

• Yes
• No
• Not Required, or
• Not available

If Yes is selected, no other information is required.

If No is selected, select the applicable reason from the drop down menu:

• Appointment not booked
• Conflict of interest
• Customer declined an interpreter
• Customer wishes to use agent or family member
• Deaf or hearing impaired, or
• Services Australia does not have an interpreter who speaks the customer's language

If Not available is selected, select the applicable reason from the drop down menu:

• Interpreter did not attend interview
• Interpreter service for that language not available, or
• Same gender interpreter not available

If Not required is selected, select the applicable reason from the drop down menu:

• No contact required, or
• Speaks and understands English

More Information: If an interpreter is not available, not being used, or not required, additional information can be recorded in addition to the standard reasons selected above. For example, where 'Customer wishes to use agent, or family members' is selected, the agent or family member's details can be recorded in this field.

Complete the exclusion fields below:

Exclusion Type: IM Not Practicable

Exclusion Category: <25% of max payment

Factor - Customer usually receives less than 25% of the basic rate of their payment: Yes or No

Source of Request:

• Customer Request or
• Other

Eligible for exclusion: Yes or No

Continue: to save provisional data. Finalise the activity on the Income Management Summary page

Cancel: to cancel provisional data and exit the workflow

An exclusion will be applied for 12 months from the date the assessment is finalised.

Finalising the exclusion workflow will issue a letter to the customer advising of the outcome.

Customers have the right to apply for a formal review of the decision to reject their exclusion due to the rate of payment.

Note: refer customers to a social worker for an assessment who:

• do not meet the criteria for an exclusion due to their rate of payment,
• are requesting an exclusion from Income Management. See Determining and reviewing an exclusion from automatically triggered Vulnerable Welfare Payment Recipient (VWPR) Youth Income Management and enhanced Income Management by social workers

Procedure ends here.

IMEAT can manually end an automatic exclusion where the customer was incorrectly granted an exclusion from VWPR Youth Income Management as they had received less than 25% of their maximum basic rate of payment for at least 4 out of the last 6 weeks.

Examples include the system incorrectly included Non-Payment Periods or reduced rates of payment due to non-compliance in the assessment; correction of earnings were not taken into consideration.

If a customer who has been automatically granted an exclusion requests to be placed back on Income Management, they should be offered Voluntary enhanced IM, as the IM program is closed to new customers from 4 September 2023.

Launch the Vulnerable youth IM exclusion workflow from the Workspace in Customer First.

The current exclusion type will display, with the following information:

Exclusion Type: IM Not Practicable

Exclusion Category: Auto <25% of max payment

To end the exclusion, complete the following fields:

Customer usually receives less than 25% of the basic rate of their payment: Select No

Source of Request:

• Customer Request or
• Other

Eligible for exclusion: Select No

Continue: to save provisional data and continue to the Income Management Summary screen.

Cancel: to cancel provisional data and exit the workflow.

Clearly record the reason for ending the exclusion in a DOC.

Service Officers who have additional ISP access and are trained in enhanced IM manual processes will assess the exclusion or end participation request.

Is the Service Officer trained in manual processing for enhanced IM?

• Yes, go to Step 2
• No, if the customer is present, warm transfer the customer to the SmartCard eIM hotline, procedure ends here.
• No, if this is a work item, return the work item to the pool, Procedure ends here

Is the request for a VWPR Youth customer who:

• no longer has VWPR automatic trigger, go to Step 3
• has received less than 25% of their basic rate of payment, go to Step 4
• has become a full-time student or Australian apprentice, go to Step 5

The customer may contact Services Australia or Workload Manager will allocate the work item to enhanced IM Service Officers who have additional ISP access and are trained in enhanced IM manual processes

To end participation on VWPR Youth enhanced IM, the customer must be on, or eligible for, automatically triggered VWPR enhanced IM as they are:

• aged under 16 years and in receipt of a Special Benefit (SpB-USY)
• aged 16 years or over and in receipt of an independent rate of Youth Allowance, Disability Support Pension or ABSTUDY Living Allowance due to meeting the Unreasonable to Live at Home (UTLAH) criteria, or
• under 25 years and received a Crisis Payment (CrP) within the last 13 weeks due to release from prison or psychiatric confinement

and are no longer eligible for the automatic trigger, such as:

• no longer meet the Unreasonable to Live at Home (UTLAH) criteria of independence
• do not receive Under 16 years Special Benefit (SpB-USY), or
• are no longer under 25 years and release from prison or psychiatric confinement (Crisis)

For example:

• customer turns 22 and transfers to Jobseeker Payment (JSP)
• customer no longer meets UTLAH criteria
• prison/psychiatric confinement release customer turns 25

Is the customer no longer eligible for the VWPR Youth automatic trigger?

• Yes, go to Ending enhanced Income Management, Table 2, Step 1.
• No, DOC the record.
• If the customer would like to test their eligibility under rate of payment or full-time student status, go to Step 2.
• Procedure ends here

Customers will be identified and are granted an exclusion if they have received less than 25% of their maximum basic rate of payment for at least 4 out of the last 6 fortnights.

The customer may contact Services Australia or Workload Manager will allocate the work item.

Determine if customer meets '<25% max payment' exclusion criteria

Confirm the customer meets the criteria for this exclusion.

In Customer First, go to the Payment Summary (PS) screen:

• Display payments for: the customer's payment type eg: JSP
• Number of months in past: 4
• Select the delivery date, note the Basic rate

When calculating basic rates ensure consideration is given around the 6 monthly indexation in March and September. For more information, see Rates and Thresholds index

Note: Non-Payment Periods or reduced rates of payment due to non-compliance are not included when determining eligibility.

Does customer meet eligibility for an exclusion from VWPR Youth due to their rate of payment?

• Yes, and the exclusion will be granted. Go to Ending enhanced Income Management, Table 2, Step 1
• No, and the exclusion is rejected. DOC the record using the enhanced IM exclusion rejected Fast Note. Go to Step 6

Customers may receive a full-time student or an Australian apprentice payment such as YAL/CUR-STU, or YAL/CUR-APT, or Pensioner Education Supplement (PES) or an ABSTUDY (ABY) scheme that includes an amount identified as living allowance, in these circumstances customers are no longer eligible to remain on VWPR enhanced IM.

In Customer First:

• Check the Benefit Status Line for either YAL/CUR-STU, or YAL/CUR-APT, PES/CUR or an ABSTUDY (ABY) scheme that includes an amount identified as living allowance
• Go to the Education Course History (EDCH) screen to check for any full-time study details

In Process Direct:

• Select the icon and select Participation Summary
• Select 'Job plan' then 'View plan'
• Review the plan for full-time study or Australian apprenticeships

Is the customer a full-time student or Australian apprentice?

Yes, the customer is eligible to end participation. Go to Ending enhanced Income Management, Table 2, Step 1.

No, in Customer First go to the Notes Detail (Q2NT) screen in, and DOC:

• End participation for VWPR Youth decision:
• End Type: VWPR Youth
• Reason: Full-time student or Australian apprentice
• Decision: Customer is not studying full-time or an Australian apprentice and remains eligible for VWPR Youth
• Source of Request: Customer Request/Other (delete ones that are not applicable)
• Request date: Date of decision outcome.
• Procedure ends here

Service Officers should contact the customer to discuss the exclusion decision outcome. Two genuine attempts to contact the customer must be made to inform them of the decision.

• In Customer First, go to the:
• Other Contact Details (OCD) screen to check if the customer requires an interpreter. If the customer does require an interpreter, see Contacting an on-demand telephone interpreter (Interpreter Connect) or Accessing an Indigenous interpreter to arrange an interpreter
• If the contact is successful, advise the customer the exclusion request has been rejected as they did not meet the criteria due to their rate of payment, and:
• enhanced IM will continue
• a letter will be issued to advise them of the outcome, and
• they have the right to apply for a formal review of the decision to reject their exclusion due to the rate of payment

Go to Step 7.

In Customer First, go to the OLA Accepted Service Reason (OASR) screen and enter:

• Required Service Reason: IQN
• Advice letter code: enter Q888
• Find the template for ‘Exclusion rejected less 25 per cent base rate – SW’ on the Payment delivery site
• If needed, refer to ‘A guide to letters to enhanced Income Management customers’ on the site to confirm that the appropriate letter has been selected for the customer

Complete the letter by following the instructions at the start of the template.

Complete a draft version of the completed letter and submit for quality checking with an APS5 (or above) staff member.

Note: APS5 staff completing this work will require their line manager to quality check their letters.

When the letter has been approved, finalise the letter.

Service Officers who have additional ISP access and are trained in enhanced IM manual processes can manually end an exclusion where the customer was incorrectly granted an exclusion from VWPR enhanced IM as they had received less than 25% of their maximum basic rate of payment for at least 4 out of the last 6 weeks.

If a customer who has been granted an exclusion requests to be placed back on enhanced IM, they should be offered Voluntary enhanced Income Management.

Service Officers will need to commence customer on VWPR Youth enhanced IM, ensuring the end date is the original end date (eg: 12 months from the original ‘ON’ date).

Navigate to the Notes Summary (Q2NS) screen in Customer First, locate the ‘Commencement of eIM’ DOC noting the ‘Notice end date’.

To commence customer on enhanced IM as a new VWPR Youth (CrP, SpB or UTLAH), see Enhanced Income Management processes for manual processing staff

Procedure ends here.