Disability Support Pension (DSP) customer going overseas 008-03120000

A DSP customer contacts to advise of departure from Australia.

If the Portability Script - Departures and Returns is available, code the absence from Australia. Use the script for hypothetical cases as well.

The customer may contact after using the online Travelling outside of Australia service. If the customer used the online service to code the absence, the system records the details in a DOC. The online service may advise the customer to contact Services Australia to have their absence coded or to explore further portability for their situation. In either case, the Service Officer must run the script.

Is the script working?

• Yes, go to Coding departures and returns for customers leaving Australia. Procedure ends here
• No, go to Step 2

Check if there is a country recorded in the Agreement Country field on the Additional Residence Details (ARD) screen.

Is the customer currently paid DSP under an international agreement?

• Yes, see Step 7 in Table 2
• No, go to Step 3

Ask the customer:

• which country they are going to
• the date of departure
• the planned length of absence, or if they are leaving Australia to live in another country

Check the customer's contact phone number is correct before recording their departure. If available, obtain their overseas contact number.

In Customer First, go to the Travel Outside Australia Details (TOAD) screen, (keying 'TOAD' in Next opens TOAS, either key 'TOAD' in Next again or select one of the hyperlinked dates to get to the TOAD screen), select DSP Portability Calculator and key the planned departure date into the Portability Assessment Date field.

Take note of the provisional assessment provided by the system on the number of days available and the portability end date (date zero days available) in relation to the 4 weeks in a rolling 12 month portability period.

Check:

• the date of grant of the pension on the Pensions General Information (PNGI) screen. If it’s within the last 2 years, check the date of last arrival into Australia for residence on the Country of Residence (CRES) screen
• if customer has transferred to or from an international agreement assessment in the last 2 years on the Additional Residence Details (ARD) screen
• absences on the Immigration Advised Movements (RSIM) screen. If the customer has had lengthy and/or frequent absences, a residence assessment may be required

Check if the customer meets all of the following criteria:

• previously resided in Australia
• left Australia to reside in a country other than Australia that was not Norfolk Island, and
• has returned to reside in Australia and was granted or transferred, including a transfer from an international agreement, to their current pension and is departing again within 2 years of the latest return to Australia as a resident

Does the customer meet all of the criteria checks above?

• Yes, go to Step 6
• No, go to Step 7

The customer is a former resident. See Former resident provisions to make sure the record is correctly coded with former resident details.

Payment will cease on departure unless the customer is:

• going to an agreement country and qualifies using an international agreement, see Transfer to international social security agreements, or
• receiving financial assistance under the Medical Treatment Overseas Program (MTOP), either because they are receiving treatment or are accompanying such a person. For more details, see Discretion to extend portability period. Note: DSP may cease to be payable if the customer is leaving Australia to live in another country

Is the customer going to an agreement country that covers DSP or eligible under the MTOP provisions?

• Yes, see Step 9 in Table 2
• No, payment will cease on departure, see Step 2 in Table 4

If a person does not otherwise meet the qualifying residence requirements for DSP, they may be entitled for a qualifying residence exemption if they are a refugee, or a former refugee.

Check the QRE Visa (Refugee) field on the Residence Results Display (RSRD) screen. If the person is or was a refugee, this field will display with a 'Y'. The qualifying residence exemption only applies while the person resides in Australia. The customer will therefore lose qualification for DSP if they depart Australia to live in another country.

For more details, see Residence assessment for customer's claiming Disability Support Pension (DSP).

Check if the customer meets all of the following criteria:

• a current or former refugee (check RSRD)
• they do the not meet the DSP residence requirements without the QRE, for example, the customer has not accrued sufficient qualifying residence and CITW did not occur in Australia (see Exemptions from residence requirements in Residence assessment for customers claiming Disability Support Pension), and
• the departure is permanent

Does the customer meet all of the criteria checks above?

• Yes, customer's payment will stop from the date they leave Australia, as the qualifying residence exemption will cease to apply. As residence qualification ceases, the customer is no longer qualified for DSP. If the customer is moving to an agreement country that covers DSP, see Step 9 in Table 2
• No, go to Step 8

Check if the customer is saved under the pre 1 July 2004 portability provisions.

Generally, a customer saved under the pre 1 July 2004 portability rules, assessed as severely disabled, will be assumed to remain severely disabled for any subsequent departure, unless they provide information to the contrary.

Is there a 'Y' in the DSP Port. 1 July 2004 status field on the Residence Savings (RSS) screen?

• Yes, DSP is payable indefinitely under the same conditions as previously. Customer must be assessed by CIS, see Step 9 in Table 2
• No, go to Step 9

Check if the customer is saved from the 1 July 2014 AWLR changes.

Is there a 'Y' in the 300 month denominator Ind field on the RSS screen?

• Yes, DSP is payable under the same conditions as previously. Customer must be assessed by CIS, see Step 9 in Table 2
• No, go to Step 10

Is the customer leaving Australia for more than 4 weeks in a rolling 12 month period or for longer than the number of days of portability remaining? Note: this includes customers who are leaving Australia to live in another country (ceasing residence).

• Yes, go to Step 1 in Table 2
• No, customer has enough portability days left to cover their travel, payment can continue for the length of the absence, see Step 1 in Table 5

Check if the customer already satisfies the 'no future work capacity' portability provisions. Check the 'Portability Specific Medical Outcome' on the Pension Disability Information (PDI) screen shows a 'Y', and/or check if the customer has a current manifest qualification recorded on the Medical Conditions Details (MC) screen. If the customer meets these provisions, DSP is portable indefinitely.

Note: if the customer is manifestly qualified for DSP and is advising of a departure after leaving Australia, they may not be eligible for indefinite portability under NWC provisions. See Assessment for Disability Support Pension customers going overseas under the no future work capacity portability provisions.

If the customer has not already been assessed as satisfying the ‘no future work capacity’ portability provisions, they can elect to undergo the assessment. CIS specialist International Disability Officers (IDOs) must complete an assessment before the customer's departure from Australia. This is required even if the customer has had a recent medical assessment or not (unless that assessment was done for portability reasons). Note: if the customer meets the current manifest guidelines for grant of DSP, and has contacted prior to departure, they do not need to undergo a Medical Review and JCA.

If a customer has a medical assessment, the current impairment tables will be used to conduct it. The customer may find they no longer satisfy the medical requirements for DSP. This may result in cancellation of their DSP. It is important the customer is aware of this possibility before making a decision to have the assessment done.

If the customer has had a serious accident, or been hospitalised and is unable to return to Australia before the end of their current portability period as a result, consider if they may qualify under these provisions. To qualify for the 'no future work capacity' portability provisions while overseas, the customer's medical condition must meet the manifest eligibility criteria for DSP. Only staff in CIS can make this determination. For more information, see Assessment for Disability Support Pension (DSP) customers going overseas under the no future work capacity provisions.

Is the customer eligible for indefinite portability under the 'No future work capacity' portability provision?

• Yes, because the:
• 'Portability Specific Medical Outcome' on the PDI screen shows a 'Y'. Assessment must be done by CIS, go to Step 9
• customer has a current manifest qualification of BLI, HV4, INT, NHM, TPI or TRM recorded on the MC screen. Assessment must be done by CIS, go to Step 9
• No, and the customer:
• wants to test their entitlement to indefinite portability under the 'no future work capacity' portability provisions. Assessment must be done by CIS, go to Step 9
• does not want to test their entitlement to indefinite portability under the 'no future work capacity' portability provisions, go to Step 2

Is the customer leaving Australia to live in another country?

• Yes, go to Step 3
• No, go to Step 5

Check if the customer is terminally ill.

Payment of DSP can continue indefinitely if the customer is terminally ill and leaving Australia to live in another country (ceasing Australian residence).

Handle this subject sensitively. Check if 'TRM' is recorded in the Manifest Code field on the Medical Conditions Details (MC) screen. If not recorded, do not ask the customer at this point.

Tell the customer if they are leaving Australia to live in another country (ceasing Australian residence), payment will cease from the date of departure unless they are terminally ill and leaving Australia to return to their country of origin or to be with family.

Note: it is up to the customer to indicate they satisfy these criteria.

Does the customer's record show they are terminally ill or have they indicated they may be terminally ill?

• Yes, assessment must be done by CIS, go to Step 9
• No, go to Step 4

The customer is leaving Australia to live in another country and is neither terminally ill, nor meets the 'no future work capacity' portability provisions and doesn’t want to be assessed under the NWC provisions.

Is the customer going to an agreement country that covers DSP?

• Yes, assessment must be done by CIS go to Step 9
• No, DSP will cease on departure as they are no longer residing in Australia, see Step 2 in Table 4

Customer will continue to remain an Australian resident for DSP but is going overseas for more than 4 weeks in a rolling 12 month period.

Is the customer leaving Australia to complete full time study as part of an Australian course?

Note: overseas study provisions do not override former resident provisions.

• Yes, payment can continue for the duration of overseas study as long as the customer stays enrolled in full time study in Australia. A customer may be paid for an overseas holiday before studying overseas, between overseas study periods or after an overseas study period only if the total period paid DSP overseas (including the approved overseas study period) has not, or will not, exceed 28 days in a 12 month period. See Student studying outside Australia. Assessment must be done by CIS, go to Step 9
• No, go to Step 6

The customer must be:

• assessed as severely disabled, and
• substantially dependent on and living with the family member for the period of the family member's overseas posting. CIS must make an assessment under this category.

Is the customer leaving Australia because they are substantially dependent on a family member who is temporarily posted outside Australia for work?

• Yes, payment can continue for the period of the family member's overseas posting. For more information, see Discretion to extend portability period. Assessment must be done by CIS, go to Step 9
• No, go to Step 7

Is the customer leaving Australia for an approved temporary absence reason?

• Yes, assessment must be done by CIS, go to Step 9
• No, go to Step 8

DSP will cease after the customer has been absent from Australia for 4 weeks in a rolling 12 month period.

Note: do not count days paid outside Australia for an approved temporary absence reason in the 4 weeks.

Is the customer travelling to an agreement country that covers DSP?

• Yes, CIS will assess qualification using the agreement, go to Step 9
• No, Smart Centre or service centre is responsible for the departure interview, see Step 3 in Table 4

Is the customer contacting a Service Officer in CIS?

Yes, see Step 1 Table 3

No, if the departure is:

• within 7 days, transfer the call to CIS
• after 7 days and if the customer:
• does not have time to be transferred immediately to CIS, provide the customer with contact details and tell them to call at a time and date suitable to them, before their departure. See Centrelink International Services (CIS) - contact details for customers
• has provided evidence of their reason for travel, scan this to the customer’s record (scan to store)
• record actions in a completed DOC

If the customer is paid under an international agreement, go to Portability under agreements. Procedure ends here.

Is the customer saved under the pre 1 July 2004 portability provisions?

Check for a 'Y' in the DSP Port. 1 July 2004 status field on the RSS screen.

• Yes, customer is portable indefinitely. A 'severely disabled' decision is not required. Rate will continue under the pre 1 July 2004 conditions. See Step 4 in Table 4
• No, go to Step 2

If the customer meets the 'no future work capacity' portability provisions DSP is portable indefinitely. To determine if the customer meets these conditions, CIS IDOs must complete an assessment before the customer's departure from Australia. This is required even if the customer has had a recent medical assessment (unless that assessment was done for portability reasons). Note: if the customer meets the current manifest guidelines for grant of DSP, a medical assessment is not required, make sure NWC is coded on the RSCD screen, then see Step 1 Table 4.

If the customer has an assessment, the current impairment tables will be used to conduct it. The customer may find they do not satisfy these conditions, and they may no longer satisfy the medical requirements for DSP. This may result in the cancellation of their DSP. It is important the customer is aware of this possibility before making a decision to have the assessment done.

Does the customer wish to test their entitlement to indefinite portability under the 'no future work capacity' portability provisions?

• Yes, go to Assessment for Disability Support Pension (DSP) customers going overseas under the no future work capacity provisions. Procedure ends here
• No, go to Step 3

Has the customer advised they are terminally ill and leaving Australia to live in another country (ceasing Australian residence), either to be with family or to return to their country of origin?

• Yes, an IDO in CIS must do an assessment under this category. See Disability Support Pension (DSP) overseas absence for terminally ill customers. Procedure ends here
• No, go to Step 4

Is the customer leaving Australia because they are substantially dependent on a family member who has been temporarily posted outside Australia for work?

• Yes, an IDO in CIS must do an assessment under this category. See Discretion to extend portability period. Procedure ends here
• No, go to Step 5

Is the customer leaving Australia to complete full time study as part of an Australian course?

• Yes, a specialist Service Officer in CIS must do an assessment under this category. See Student studying outside Australia. Procedure ends here
• No, go to Step 6

Is the customer leaving Australia or the agreement country for an approved temporary absence?

• Yes, a specialist Service Officer in CIS must do an assessment under this category. See Restricted portability approval procedure for Centrelink International Services staff. Procedure ends here
• No, go to Step 7

The customer's payment will either stop on departure from Australia or after 4 weeks in a rolling 12 month period, unless the customer is going to an agreement country that covers DSP and satisfies the rules of that agreement.

Is the customer going to an agreement country that covers DSP?

• Yes, go to Step 8
• No, see Step 3 in Table 4

In order to be paid under an international social security agreement the customer must be assessed as severely disabled.

Previous severely disabled decisions may still be acceptable if all the following conditions are met:

• Severely Disabled Code field on the Pensions Disability Information (PDI) screen has been coded as 'YES' within the last 2 years
• The decision on the Document List (DL) screen was made by an IDO in CIS
• The customer has had nil or less than 8 hours per week of employment recorded on the Employment Income Summary (EANS) or Real Estate/Business Summary (REBS) screen since the previous severely disabled decision

Is a previous severely disabled decision still acceptable?

• Yes, a new medical assessment is not required. Make sure PDI is correctly recorded. See Step 1 in Table 4
• No, if the customer is:
• a former resident or is leaving Australia to live in another country (ceasing Australian residence), see Step 2 in Table 4
• leaving Australia temporarily but for more than 4 weeks in a rolling 12 month period, see Step 3 in Table 4

For more details, see Disability Support Pension (DSP) severely disabled assessments for International Agreements.

The rate of DSP will be affected after departure from Australia in the following circumstances:

If the customer:

• has to be transferred to an agreement DSP, payment will be made according to the customer's working life residence (WLR) from the date their autonomous entitlement ceases after leaving Australia (this may be the date of departure from Australia if the 28 days in a rolling 12 month period has been depleted, or the customer is a former resident)
• is terminally ill, meets the 'no future work capacity' portability provisions, or saved under the pre 1 July 2004 portability rules, and their inability to work or permanent blindness occurred while they were not an Australian resident (see the CITW/Blind Residence:field on the PDI screen), payment will be made according to their working life residence after 26 weeks absence from Australia (proportional portability rate)
  Note: if the inability to work or permanent blindness occurred while they were an Australian resident they are saved from the proportional rate
• continues to remain an Australian resident for DSP purposes, the basic rate of pension and the Pension Supplement, or the Transitional pension rate inside Australia, will be paid for up to 6 weeks from date of departure. Add-on payments may continue, if qualified, for a limited period. If the customer is still entitled to DSP after 6 weeks absence, they will receive the basic rate of pension and Pension Supplement Basic Amount or the Transitional pension rate outside Australia:
• Remote Area Allowance can be paid for up to 8 weeks from the date they left the remote area
• Telephone Allowance can be paid for up to 6 weeks from departure from Australia for customers under 21 without dependent children
• Pharmaceutical Allowance (for customers under 21 without dependent children) and Rent Assistance can be paid for up to 26 weeks from departure if DSP is payable indefinitely, otherwise these add-ons cease after 6 weeks. See Portability of Add-ons for further information
• is no longer an Australian resident but has indefinite portability, the basic rate of pension and only the Pension Supplement Basic Amount will be paid from date of departure. Transitional rate customers will receive the Transitional pension rate outside Australia from the date of departure. Any add-on payments received, such as Rent Assistance (RA), will be cancelled from the date of departure where the customer leaves Australia to live in another country

Is the customer transferring to DSP paid under an agreement, or did the customer's continuing inability to work or permanent blindness occur while they were not a resident of Australia?

• Yes, customer's payment rate may become proportional. If applicable, make sure the customer is aware the rate of payment will decrease after the relevant period of absence from Australia. Obtain details of the customer's residence in Australia, go to Step 4
• No, customer's payment rate will not become proportional, go to Step 4

Customer's payment will stop immediately on departure if the customer:

• is no longer an Australian resident
• is a former resident, or
• has already been paid while overseas for 4 weeks in a rolling 12 month period and is not leaving Australia for an allowable portability reason, and
• they are either:
• not going to an agreement country that covers DSP, or
• waiting on a decision as to whether they qualify under an international agreement or they do not qualify under the relevant agreement

Note: if the customer is waiting for a severely disabled medical assessment or qualification under an agreement, tell the customer this is an interim decision pending the outcome of the assessment.

If a DSP customer's payment stops when they leave Australia temporarily, restore their payment from the date of their return to Australia if they have returned within 13 weeks of the payment ceasing. If this is the case, tell the customer about the continuation of payment on their return to Australia. A claim is not required unless significant changes have occurred indicating the customer is no longer qualified for payment.

If a customer who is no longer an Australian resident does return to Australia, they must re-establish Australian residence and lodge a new claim for DSP. Payment cannot be restored.

Check if the customer has employment income

If they do, code changes on the Employment Income Paid Details (EAPP) screen. For more information, see Recording and correcting employment income details.

Finalise interview

Tell the customer of the contact details for CIS so they can contact Services Australia while outside Australia:

• record all details of the decision in a DOC
• if requested by the customer, issue a Pre Departure Interview - Portability Decision (XOB101) letter
• see Step 1 in Table 5

Tell the customer payment of DSP will cease at the end of their approved reason period or after 4 weeks in a rolling 12 month period absence from Australia.

If the duration of the customer’s absence has changed since they advised of their travel plans, see Changing the reason for leaving Australia or the length of an approved absence. If the customer returns to Australia within 13 weeks of stopping their payment, restore payment. However, if the customer was receiving a transitional rate of pension they will lose entitlement to this rate.

If the customer is granted payment for an approved reason after departure, but before their return to Australia, payment can be restored. This will be coded by CIS specialist officers. See Coding specialist portability assessments for Centrelink International Services (CIS) staff.

Ask the customer for their contact address and phone number while outside Australia. Note: it is not mandatory for the customer to provide an overseas address, but it is important to make sure the customer is aware they must continue to respond to any mail from Services Australia during their absence:

• ask the customer if they wish to nominate an agent to act on their behalf while they are overseas. If so, record the details in a DOC
• tell the customer about the continuation of payment on their return to Australia

Check if the customer has employment income

If they do, code changes on the Employment Income Paid Details (EAPP) screen. For more details, see Recording and correcting employment income details.

Finalise interview

Check with the customer if any income or asset details have changed and, if so, update the system with the new information:

• give the customer contact details for CIS so they can contact Services Australia while outside Australia
• record all details of the decision in a DOC
• if requested by the customer, issue a Pre Departure Interview - Portability Decision (XOB101) letter
• see Step 1 in Table 5

Payment can continue indefinitely if the customer:

• is going to an agreement country and satisfies the agreement transfer requirements (see Transfers to international social security agreements), or
• meets the 'no future work capacity' portability provisions, or
• is terminally ill and leaving Australia to live in another country (ceasing Australian residence), either to be with a family member or to return to their country of origin, or
• is saved under pre 1 July 2004 portability rules

If paid using an agreement, the customer is paid according to that agreement. If the customer is paid under the terminally ill provisions or the pre 1 July 2004 portability rules they will either receive the Pension Supplement Basic Amount immediately on departure or if a transitional rate, will receive the Transitional pension rate outside Australia immediately on departure.

Ask the customer if they have a contact address or phone number while outside Australia:

• if they do, check if they want their mail to go to their overseas address or continue to their normal Australian address. Note: it is not mandatory to provide an overseas address, but make sure the customer is aware they must continue to respond to any mail from the agency during their absence
• ask if they wish to nominate an agent to act on their behalf while they are overseas. If so, record the details in a DOC
• tell the customer about continuation of payment on their return to Australia

Check if they have employment income

If they do, code changes on the Employment Income Paid Details (EAPP) screen. For more details, see Recording and correcting employment income details.

Finalise interview

Check with the customer if any income or asset details have changed and, if so, update the system with the new information:

• give the customer contact details for CIS so they can contact while outside Australia
• record all details of the decision in a DOC
• if requested by the customer, issue a Pre Departure Interview - Portability Decision (XOB101) letter
• see Step 1 in Table 5

Record the change of address on Address Details (AD) screen if the customer provided one. Note: it is not mandatory for the customer to provide an address outside Australia.

Record the overseas telephone number if available.

Update any change in rent details or accommodation.

On the RSCD screen, key the date of departure in the Event date field:

• key the destination country in the Country field. Key 'XT' if the customer is travelling to multiple destinations, the destination country is unknown, or they are travelling outside Australia on a cruise
• leave the Reason, End date and Ext Rsn fields blank except when processing an absence for an approved reason CIS only
• key Source and DOR fields if required
• press [Enter]
• if the customer knows their exact return date, return to the RSCD screen and record a second line with the date of return in the Event date field and Australia in the Country field but leave the Reason, End date and Ext Rsn fields blank

Is the customer ceasing to remain an Australian resident for DSP purposes?

• Yes, go to Step 3
• No, the customer will continue to remain an Australian resident for DSP purposes, go to Step 4

Add the Source and Receipt date details in the appropriate fields.

Go to the Country of Residence (CRES) screen:

• record the date of departure in the Residence Start Date field
• record the new country of residence in the Country of Residence field
• select Add > Continue

Go to Step 5.

Does the customer have any dependent children who are also leaving Australia?

• Yes:
• go to the Child Selection (CHS) screen, select a child leaving Australia, key 'CHRSCD' in the Nxt field and press [Enter]. The Customer Advised Child Travel (CHRSCD) screen will display
• key the date of departure in the Event date field
• key the destination country in the Country field, key 'XT' if the child is travelling to multiple destinations, the destination country is unknown, or they are travelling outside Australia on a cruise
• leave the Reason, End date and Ext Rsn fields blank
• key Source and DOR fields if required
• press [Enter]
• if the customer knows the child's exact return date, return to the CHRSCD screen and record a second line with the date of return in the Event date field and Australia in the Country field. Leave the Reason, End date and Ext Rsn fields blank
• repeat steps for all children leaving Australia
• go to Step 5
• No, go to Step 5

Are any of the customer's dependent children leaving Australia to live in another country?

• Yes:
• go to the Child Selection (CHS) screen, select a child leaving Australia, key 'CHCRES' in the Nxt field and press [Enter].The Child Country of Residence (CHCRES) screen will display
• add the Source and Receipt date details if required
• key the date of departure in the Residence Start Date field
• key the new country of residence in the Country of Residence field
• select Add > Continue
• repeat steps for all children leaving Australia to live in another country
• go to Step 6
• No, go to Step 6

For Centrelink International Services staff only

Is the customer transferring to an agreement at the end of their maximum portability period?

• Yes, go to Step 7
• No, customer is not to be transferred to an agreement pension in the future at all, go to Step 8

Is the customer transferring to an agreement within the next 4 weeks?

• Yes, go to Australian pensions paid outside Australia - the proportional rate. Procedure ends here
• No, go to Step 8

Go to the Assessment Results (AR) screen and finalise the activity.

Do not inhibit the advice.