Integrated Care - Making and recording care determination 277-03060070

A care determination is required for all notifications of care, irrespective of whether there will be a change in the cost percentage.

If there are pended care details, make sure they are correct for each change in care notification received. Inaccurate information may impact on a customer's relevant assessments or family assistance entitlements.

• Cuba checks required:
• earliest date of notification
• date of event
• care period
• percentage of care
• date of effect
• care type
• names of children impacted
• Customer First checks required:
• earliest date of notification
• date of event
• care period
• percentage of care
• date of effect
• care type
• names of children impacted
• Customer Reference Number (CRN) of other carer
• rate outcome if the customer is in receipt of Family Tax Benefit (FTB) or Income Support Payment
• list all evidence in the document including scanned dates (for review procedures)

The final check must include:

• considering all relevant information provided by both customers
• checking the authorisation schedule, if authorised to make the decision. See References for Delegations and authorisations. Seek authorisation from the appropriate level if needed
• references to relevant sections of the legislation have been included:
• different sections of legislation may apply to individual customers in relation to the circumstances
• the legislation as it applies for Child Support purposes is different from that which applies for FTB purposes
  

See References page for links to policy and legislation

One genuine attempt to contact must be made with customer/s before making a care determination if the following have not already been discussed during the care change process:

Information/evidence considered in making a decision

• is incomplete or unclear
• to provide each customer an opportunity to comment on conflicting information/evidence provided by the other customer

Rejecting a care change:

• contact the notifying customer, to explain that a decision will be made to reject the care change

Customer/s unaware of an adverse decision:

An adverse decision is one that would result in unfavourable outcome/s including, but not limited to:

• Child Support debt or overpayment
• Child Support role reversal
• Centrelink payment reduction, suspension or cancellation
• Centrelink claim rejection
• Centrelink debt raising

Customer/s may advise they have more evidence that may change the outcome. Ask the customer to provide this evidence as soon as possible. Set a reasonable due date in line with the customer's circumstances.

Tell the customer they can use self service to provide information/evidence and manage other business with the agency. Help the customer to transition to self service unless the customer is not eligible or it is deemed inappropriate.

Note: if there are concerns about the customer's safety or they are experiencing vulnerability, use discretion and make phone contact to offer appropriate referrals and support. See Identifying customer vulnerability and risk issues.

Include a summary of all relevant details. Such as, all conversations, calculations, information and evidence considered in making the decision.

Note: whole notepads are not to be copied and pasted.

To document:

• open and complete the Care Decision macro
• for Cuba, save this document in the Care window notepad
• for Process Direct or Customer First, save this document in all carers' records using the Fast Note workflow (see Creating, reviewing and deleting documents for support on which system to create Fast Note):
• in the Extra Details field: record INC Care Decision
• in the Text field, record the care decision macro

Document in line with Documenting Child Support information and Online Document Recording (ODR).

For Centrelink customers, check and update as required:

• contact details
• income details, in line with Business Imperatives
• if the customer or their partner are in receipt of income support payments confirm relationship details. If there are changes to what is currently recorded action, or refer for action. See Assessment of relationship status – processes, roles and responsibilities

Apply the care determination to the customer's relevant assessments:

• for care decisions in Cuba, go to Step 3
• for care decisions in Customer First, go to Step 4

Open the pending Cuba care record and process the care decision to reflect the care determination made. See Care Cuba Process Help.

Note: more detailed actions are needed to process a disputed care decision. See Integrated care - Complex care.

If the information displayed in the Pre-confirmation Results window are correct, save Eligibility to process the care decision.

Once eligibility is saved, the case liability rates will be re-assessed. For mutual customers, Cuba will transfer the care percentage via the data exchange and apply it to the customer's family assistance payment.

As data exchange occurs overnight, check the customers' Centrelink records the next business day. Make sure the customers' relevant assessments are correct.

Go to Step 5.

Check keywords before taking action.

Note: always add Disagree or Disputed keywords to any work item, Fast Note or workflow before actioning.

To process the care decision in Customer First:

• check whether the relevant child is linked to a customer's record, see Linking a child to a customer's record
• assess FTB for each customer separately in separate activities, starting with the customer that has a reduction in care first
• select relevant child/ren from the Child Selection (CHS) screen. Record details on the FTB Shared Care screen and update other child details if necessary
• make sure the correct date of notification (this is the earliest date Services Australia was notified) and date of event are used when applying care decisions
• check and update the Care Alignment Details page (!CADDS) to 'finalised'
• finalise activity, record details on a DOC and process the care decision

See Notification and assessment of share care arrangements for Family Tax Benefit (FTB).

If any of the customers claim or receive a social security payment, a separate shared care/principal carer determination is required. Also check that the child is in the correct maintenance group.

Note: more detailed actions are needed to process a disputed care decision. See Integrated care - Complex care.

Once the care decision is finalised in Customer First, issue each customer a letter (Q805 or Q806) from the Child - Change in Care Arrangements script to notify them of the decision:

• Q805 when evidence has been used from all customers to determine the full 100% of care between the customers
• Q806 when the decision is made on the basis of evidence provided by one of the customers' only, that is, where other customer has not responded to the request for evidence

For mutual customers, the care percentage will transfer to Cuba automatically via the data exchange and apply it to the customer's child support assessment.

As data exchange occurs overnight, check the customers' relevant assessment the day after the care determination has been processed. Make sure the information reflects correctly on the customers' relevant assessments.

If any child is attracting Carer Payment and/or Carer Allowance use a Fast Note to send a request for the eligibility to be checked by appropriately trained staff. See Notification and assessment of shared care arrangements for Family Tax Benefit (FTB) – Table 1, Step 7.

Different rules apply for the way that notified care changes take effect for:

• child support, go to Step 6
• family assistance, go to Step 7

Care advised within 28 days

If Services Australia is notified within 28 days from the date the care changed, the child support assessment will be amended from the date of event (the date the care actually changed).

Care advised outside 28 days

If a care change occurred on or after 1 July 2018, or if a care change occurred before 1 July 2018 and Services Australia is notified on or after 30 December 2018, the new care determination will be used in the assessment from the date:

• of the care change, if the care percentage decreases, and
• of notification, if the care percentage increases

If a care change occurs before 1 July 2018 and we are notified before 30 December 2018 the care change will take effect in the assessment from the date of notification.

Exceptions:

There are 4 exceptions to the above date of effect rules when care is notified outside 28 days:

• Interim care determinations, when care changes within an interim care period a new care determination cannot take effect until after the interim care period ends. If a care determination would otherwise take effect within the interim period it will take effect from the day after the interim care period ends
• Below regular care determinations, when a below regular care determination is made and the Registrar was advised within a reasonable period of time, the care determination takes effect from either the date a:
• parent ceased a pattern of care or
• pattern of care is first used in the assessment. See References for link to The Child Support Guide 2.2.3: Below regular care determinations
• WA ex-nuptial children, if the change occurred before 1 July 2018 and the notification date is outside 28 days and before 15 May 2019, the effective date is the date of notification
• Reconciliation, when the care of either a relevant dependent child or a Claimed For child is updated because an assessment is suspended upon reconciliation or reinstated due to separation

Care suspension period

A care suspension period will apply if the agency is advised of a change in care outside of 28 days, but within 26 weeks, of the date of event and as a result of the care change:

• all eligible carers cease to be eligible carers, that is their care reduces below 35%, and
• a person who wasn't an eligible carer would become an eligible carer except for the date of effect rules effective from 1 July 2018

See Table 2, Step 7 in Notification of change in child support care levels.

Care terminating event

A care terminating event will occur if the agency is notified of a care change more than 26 weeks after the date of event and as a result of the care change:

• all eligible carers cease to be eligible carers, that is their care reduces below 35%, and
• a person who wasn't an eligible carer would become an eligible carer except for the date of effect rules effective from 1 July 2018

See Table 2, Step 10 in Notification of change in child support care levels.

Go to Step 8.

Most care changes are applied to family assistance assessments from the date of event for FTB purposes regardless of when the agency is notified of the care change, see References page for links to Family Assistance Guide 4.4.2.10 Change in non-income related circumstances and Family Assistance Guide 4.4.2.30 Date of Effect Rules – FTB payment Choice.

Determine and record the correct date the care occurred. This information may be used to determine a customer's FTB entitlement. If a customer requests further information about the effect of the care change on their family assistance entitlements, discuss this at the end of the conversation. Refer the customer to the Payment and Service Finder on the Service Australia website to find out what payments they might get and how much.

Where the parents of a child reconcile, the children of the relationship are automatically moved into a 'Current Relationship Group' for maintenance purposes. The care percentage is updated to 100% for the customer claiming FTB for the child. The date of notification will be the date the reconciliation occurred.

To issue letters using:

• Cuba, go to Step 9
• another system, go to Step 8

Automatic letters will only generate where there has been a change to the customer's family assistance or other entitlements such as an Income Support Payment (ISP) or Health Care Card.

Where contact with the customer is unsuccessful and there is a potential entitlement to income support payments:

• send the customer a Q999 letter. Key the following text:
  'Your income suggests that there may be additional help available. Please visit the Services Australia website (www.servicesaustralia.gov.au) or phone 13 6150 if you would like further information'
• leave as an 'STA' activity until an officer with the appropriate delegation has provided approval to issue
• once the letter has been approved, finalise and issue the letter
• record details of the action taken in a Note/DOC, including details of approving officer (name and/or logon and position)

Where the decision has been made in Customer First

For customers receiving FTB and/or ISP, customers who have lodged a claim for FTB or are intending to claim FTB for an additional child entering their care, use the Child - Change in Care Arrangements script to send:

• Q805 when evidence has been used from all customers to determine the full 100% of care between the customers.
  Note: the Child - Change in Care Arrangements script may display An error was detected when attempting to generate a Q805:
• select OK to continue issuing the letter
• on the Letter Type screen, remove the words 'Other Carer' from the line where there are no child details
• select Next
• occurrences do not need to be reported to mySupport
• Q806 when the decision is made on the basis of evidence provided by one of the customers' only, that is, where other customer has not responded to the request for evidence
• Q807 where at least one customer is claiming/receiving an ISP and a decision has been made about which one of them is to be regarded as the principal carer of a child. This is to be sent in addition to either a Q805 or Q806, not in place of
• Q808 where a Principal Carer determination has been made for members of a couple. This letter is to advise the members of a couple which parent is determined as the Principal Carer of the child. This is to be sent in addition to either a Q805 or Q806, not in place of

If rejecting the care change, send a Q999 letter. See the sample text provided on the Resources page of Notification and assessment of shared care arrangements for Family Tax Benefit (FTB).

If no response is received from either carer within the expected time frame:

• Cancel FTB where entitlement is potentially reduced or eligibility lost (to avoid possible overpayments)

See Notification and assessment of shared care arrangements for Family Tax Benefit (FTB) - Table 4 Step 11.

Where the decision has been made in Cuba

For customers receiving FTB and/or ISP, customers who have lodged a claim for FTB or are intending to claim FTB for an additional child entering their care, use the Child - Change in Care Arrangements script to send:

• Q807 where at least one customer is claiming/receiving an ISP and a decision has been made about which one of them is to be regarded as the principal carer of a child. This is to be sent in addition to either a Q805 or Q806, not in place of
• Q808 where a Principal Carer determination has been made for members of a couple. This letter is to advise the members of a couple which parent is determined as the Principal Carer of the child

Automatic letters and assessment notices are sent notifying customers of the changed percentage of care. One of the following letters will generate:

• MEA1-9 Change of Care
• MEA1-4 to advise payee that a terminating event has occurred
• MEA1-5 to advise payer that a terminating event has occurred
• MAC1-3 to advise multiple decisions have been made on case but no change to the annual rate has resulted
• MAC1-4 to advise multiple decisions have been made on case which have resulted in a change to the annual rate
• NOA-01 CS NOTICE OF ASSESSMENT AND COVERING PAGE issued to both parties. Sometimes the system:
• suppresses the Cuba letters, and
• issues a NOA-01 letter CS Notice of Assessment and covering page consolidating the above decision letters. Consider when NOA-01 letters issue
• MEA1-6 to advise payer and payee that the agency has rejected an application for care arrangement of the child

Note: all care changes including disputed decisions will create letters automatically. The MEA1-9 has been updated to include new paragraphs for disputed care decisions that result in an interim period being set.

Check all letters to make sure they are correct, see Letters Cuba Process Help.

See Integrated care - Managing issues after care determination.

Complete any open or on hold Integrated Care – Progress DOCs in Customer First.