Determining the appropriate travel destination for ABSTUDY Fares Allowance (FAA) 010-02100080

If:

• a response has been received from the Level 2 Helpdesk, go to Step 12
• the customer is requesting FAA for graduation travel relating to a tertiary course, see Assessing eligibility for Fares Allowance (FAA) for ABSTUDY. Procedure ends here

For all other travel requests, go to Step 2.

FAA is generally only approved for students and non-student travellers for travel to and from the student's normal study location. If a student is attending a school activity at another location, FAA may be approved for travel to and from the activity location. The location of the school activity is considered a temporary study location.

School activities include (but are not limited to):

• work experience (evidence must be provided confirming this is an essential part of a course the student is undertaking)
• school based apprenticeship
• Country Week, or
• student in receipt of a Third Party Indigenous Scholarship and required to join a supervised group to travel to their school at the beginning of a school term

Travel between a temporary study location and the normal study location can only be approved for a student in receipt of a Third Party Indigenous Scholarship where:

• a broken journey has been approved as the student is required to participate in a compulsory school activity at the beginning of the term, and
• the location of the school activity is along the usual route, and
• the student will be supervised from the temporary study location to the usual study location

See the Resources page for examples.

Is the student requesting travel to or from a study location that meets the above criteria?

• Yes, go to Step 3
• No, FAA is not payable. See Table 2 > Step 7

FAA is paid to eligible students for travel to and from their permanent home. The only allowable exceptions to this are:

• unforeseen and exceptional circumstances
• an emergency or disaster
• to reunite with their immediate family who have temporarily moved
• the student cannot return to or travel from their permanent home temporarily due to adverse weather events outside of their control, or
• circumstances where it is deemed more convenient or appropriate for an approved traveller, who requires travel along their usual route, and needs to:
• terminate at a point before reaching the study location or permanent home
• commence their travel from a location along their usual route that is not their normal starting point, or
• have a break in their journey that cannot be avoided

The usual route is defined as the:

• most practical and cost effective mode of transportation for the journey that is reasonable in the circumstances, and:
• is between the study location and permanent home, or
• a location approved as destination other than the permanent home

The Resources page contains examples.

Is the student seeking FAA for one of the allowable exceptions above?

• Yes, go to Step 4
• No, and the student is travelling between a temporary study location and the permanent home or from a temporary study location to the normal study location that meets the criteria in Step 2, FAA is payable. If FAA is required to be:
• authorised and booked in advance of travel, see Authorising and coding pre-booked Fares Allowance (FAA) entitlements for ABSTUDY and ABSTUDY Pensioner Education Supplement (PES). Procedure ends here
• reimbursed after the travel has been undertaken, see Processing Fares Allowance and Away from Base entitlements in advance or reimbursements. Procedure ends here
• No, see Table 2 > Step 1

If the student:

• is required to travel to another location due to unforeseen and exceptional circumstances, go to Step 5.
• wishes to attend a funeral and the parents have left their permanent home to commence arrangements early, and there is no family to supervise the student, or to arrange transport for the student to the temporary location of the parents, go to Step 6
• wishes to reunite with their immediate family who have temporarily moved, go to Step 7
• is unable to return to or travel from their permanent home due to adverse weather events, go to Step 8

Where an approved traveller:

• who requires pre-booked travel along their usual route, needs to terminate at a point before reaching the normal study location or permanent home, or has an unavoidable break in their usual route, go to Step 9
• wishes to commence their pre-booked travel from a location along their usual route that is not their usual starting point, go to Step 9
• is not able to travel along their usual route due to an emergency or disaster, see Assessing eligibility for Fares Allowance (FAA) for ABSTUDY

Unforeseen or exceptional circumstances outside of the student's control, may prevent them from travelling to or from their permanent home. In this situation, their permanent home location does not change. FAA is payable for travel between the study location and the student's temporary location. Approval for a return journey would also apply.

For this to occur:

• The circumstances must be verified before approving FAA
• FAA to or from a location other than the home must be taken via the appropriate mode of transport for the journey
• A student who was not previously eligible for FAA will not gain eligibility solely due to the temporary location
• FAA is not available for travel between the permanent home and temporary location
• If the student can return to the permanent home before returning to study then FAA would again be assessed on the permanent home

For circumstances other than those listed under Unforeseen and exceptional circumstances, Travel and Away from Base Service Officers can seek approval to pay ABSTUDY Additional Assistance in lieu of FAA.

Does the student meet the above?

• Yes, go to Step 10
• No, to seek approval to pay ABSTUDY Additional Assistance in lieu of FAA, go to Step 11

The temporary home where the parents are residing is effectively taken to be the permanent home for the purposes of FAA. If the student retains eligibility for FAA based on the temporary home then FAA would be payable for travel between the study location and the temporary home. A return journey would also be approved.

Points to note:

• FAA to a temporary home location must be taken via the appropriate mode of transport for the journey. The Resources page contains an example
• A student who was not previously eligible for FAA will not gain eligibility solely due to a temporary move
• FAA is not available for travel between the permanent and temporary homes
• If the family moves back to the permanent home before the student returns to study, then FAA would again be assessed on the permanent home

Does the student meet the above?

• Yes, Go to Step 10
• No, FAA is not payable. See Table 2 > Step 7

If a student's immediate family moves temporarily, the move must be more than the family choosing to be in another location for short periods. It does not include such things as shopping, sporting participation, events, entertainment, or for a vacation.

A temporary move involves the family maintaining their permanent home, and taking up temporary accommodation in a new location.

The types of circumstances considered as a 'temporary move' are circumstances such as:

• undertaking work in another location
• access to significant health or medical treatments
• accessing education opportunities for children
• supporting extended family through ill health, or death in the family

Has the immediate family temporarily moved due to one of the reasons above?

• Yes, go to Step 10
• No, see Table 2 > Step 1

Adverse weather events outside of the student's control, may prevent them from travelling to or from their permanent home. In this situation, their permanent home location does not change. FAA is payable for travel between the study location and the student's temporary location. Approval for a return journey would also apply.

This includes:

• cyclones
• flooding
• road closures
• airport closures/flight grounding

Students travelling from their usual study location may be unable to reunite with their immediate family due to adverse weather events. This could include the immediate family becoming cut off within the home community due to floodwaters. Therefore, FAA may be payable for the student to travel to stay with another family member at an alternate location.

For this to occur:

• The circumstances must be verified before approving FAA. Verification can be completed by checking State/Territory government transport/emergency and travel provider websites and/or by contacting Corporate Travel Management (CTM)
• FAA to or from a location other than the permanent home must be taken via the appropriate mode of transport for the journey
• A student who was not previously eligible for FAA will not gain eligibility solely due to the temporary location
• FAA would not be available for travel between the permanent home and temporary location
• If the student can return to the permanent home before returning to study then FAA would again be assessed on the permanent home

Does the student meet the above?

• Yes, go to Step 10
• No, FAA is not payable. See Table 2 > Step 7

Where it is more convenient or appropriate, and the point/location is along their usual route, an approved traveller who requires FAA can request to:

• terminate at any point before reaching the normal study location/permanent home
• start from any location along the usual route to the normal study location/permanent home, or
• have a break in their journey that cannot be avoided along their usual route

Note: FAA will not cover any fares incurred after termination of the journey or before the commencement of the usual route, to and from the study location.

Points to consider:

• Determine the usual route for the journey first to ensure the point/s they need to start and/or stop are along that route
• If the approved traveller:
• Has travel pre-booked via their usual route, but
• Now wants to change the departure or destination location to a point along their usual travel route, follow the procedures regarding variations to pre-booked travel. See Authorising and coding pre-booked Fares Allowance (FAA) entitlements for ABSTUDY and ABSTUDY Pensioner Education Supplement (PES)

Does the student meet the above:

• Yes, Go to Step 10
• No, FAA is not payable. See Table 2 > Step 7

Travel costs must not exceed the level of FAA entitlement for previously approved.

A cost comparison must be completed:

• Review itineraries on 4-6 past bookings for travel between the permanent home and normal study location to determine the most expensive cost of previously approved travel
• Obtain a quote via email from Corporate Travel Management (CTM) using the 'Request for Quote' Quickstep template for the cost of travel to and/or from the alternative location. Note: if previously approved travel used a charter, request the cost from CTM in this email. See the Resources page for the ABSTUDY Travel Quickstep Guide

Do the travel costs exceed the level of FAA entitlement for previously approved travel?

• Yes, to seek approval to pay ABSTUDY Additional Assistance in lieu of FAA go to Step 11
• No, see Table 2 > Step 6

Where travel costs exceed the level of FAA entitlement for previously approved travel, or for circumstances other than those listed under Unforeseen and exceptional circumstances, the approved traveller may be eligible for ABSTUDY Additional Assistance in lieu of FAA. This is payable at the discretion of the Department of Social Services (DSS).

Travel and Away from Base Service Officers can seek approval by:

• completing a direct SSO referral, see Tier 0 technical support – self-sufficiency, and
• emailing the following template any supporting documents and/or details of verification of the circumstance and a copy of the quote from CTM to the ABSTUDY Travel and Away from Base SO5 after submitting the direct SSO referral:
  'We are seeking approval for (traveller/s) to travel (to/from) an alternative location due to (reason).
  Summary of case
• Travel dates:
• Traveller/s:
• Destination or departure location:
• Permanent home:
• Study location:
• ABSTUDY Award of student:
• Quoted cost of travel to/from alternative location: $
• Total cost of previously approved travel: $
• Additional costs for ACM/MEA: Yes/No
• Number of nights:
• Reason for request:'
• Do not change the Booking Status of the traveller/s until a response is received. If the Booking Status is Pending Approval, place the work item/s on Hold to User
• Record details of the travel request on the traveller/s booking/s

The ABSTUDY Travel and Away from Base SO5 will escalate the enquiry to the Level 2 Policy Helpdesk and will advise the assessing Travel or Away from Base Officer of the outcome.

Procedure ends here.

The assessing Travel or Away from Base Officer will be provided with the Level 2 Policy Helpdesk response via the ABSTUDY Travel and Away from Base SO5.

Has travel to/from the alternative location been approved?

• Yes, see Table 2 > Step 6
• No, see Table 2 > Step 7

A student's permanent home may change during the study period if the student's immediate family have moved permanently to a new residence.

Where the student's immediate family have moved house permanently, the new residence is taken to be the permanent home for FAA purposes.

Has the student completed or discontinued their course?

• Yes, go to Step 2
• No, go to Step 3

A student who completes or discontinues their course is expected to travel home within 3 months of ceasing study.

If the student does not return to the permanent home within 3 months, it would be assumed that they remained at the study location for reasons other than for study. This suggests that they have now established their permanent home at the study location. They would, therefore, forfeit further FAA to the previous permanent home location.

Check the Student End Date field in Process Direct on the Customer Study Details (EDC) screen or in Customer First on the Education Course Details (EDC) screen to determine the date the student ceased study in the course. That date must be less than 3 months from the travel date.

Note: if the student did not return home within the 3 months due to circumstances beyond their control, such as illness or injury, they will not be regarded as having changed their permanent home. The student would need to provide a medical certificate to confirm their condition.

Has the student returned home within 3 months of ceasing study (or has been prevented from returning by circumstances beyond their control such as a verified injury or illness)?

• Yes, FAA is payable. Go to Step 6
• No, the student's permanent home is now deemed to be their current address. FAA to return to the previous permanent residence is not payable. Go to Step 7

A continuing student who does not return to the permanent home for the long vacation at the end of the year will be deemed to have established a permanent home at the study location unless they did not return because:

• they were prevented by illness or injury. A medical certificate will be required to confirm this
• they had obtained ongoing part-time employment during the study year which they would lose if they went home, or
• they must undertake a deferred exam or attend a summer school program as part of their study and appropriate study facilities are not available at home

Did the student remain at the study location at the end of the year for any other reason?

• Yes, the student's permanent home is now deemed to be their current address. FAA to return to the previous permanent residence is not payable. Go to Step 7
• No, go to Step 4

Has the student applied for and /or obtained:

• rental accommodation through the local State/Territory Housing Authority, or
• purchased housing

Note: check the Type of Rent field on the Accommodation (AC) screen to determine if student is in government housing or has purchased housing.

• Yes, go to Step 5
• No, go to Step 6

The student is considered to have established permanent residency at the study location.

Eligibility for state or territory housing is only available for people who declare themselves as permanent residents of the particular location offering the housing.

FAA to travel to the former permanent residence is not payable.

Go to Step 7.

Tell the student they are approved for FAA.

If the student is claiming:

• in advance of travel, see Authorising and coding pre-booked Fares Allowance (FAA) entitlements for ABSTUDY and ABSTUDY Pensioner Education Supplement (PES)
• after travel has been undertaken, see Processing Fares Allowance and Away from Base entitlements in advance or reimbursements

Students claiming reimbursement must complete an ABSTUDY Fares Allowance Claim (SY032). The Resources page has a link to this form.

All claims for ABSTUDY Fares Allowance are processed by the ABSTUDY Smart Centre Processing Team.

Procedure ends here.

Tell the student they are not eligible for FAA.

If the travel request has been received by:

• ABSTUDY Smart Centre Telephony:
• record details of discussion on a DOC
• explain to student their review and appeal rights
• procedure ends here
• ABSTUDY Smart Centre Travel Team:
• finalise the travel Booking Status as Rejected in the Travel Management Application (TMA)
• record details of the decision on the Notes tab. See Coding pre-booked FAA entitlements for ABSTUDY and ABSTUDY Pensioner Education Supplement (PES)
• procedure ends here