Determining who can be the applicant for Assistance for Isolated Children (AIC) 010-03020020

If the current AIC applicant has passed away, before continuing to determine the new applicant, see Death of an applicant for Assistance for Isolated Children (AIC).

If the applicant is:

• an organisation, go to Step 2
• anyone else, go to Step 4

Does the student live with their parents/guardians in the organisation or the institution and the parent has at least some responsibility for the student?

• Yes, the parent is the approved applicant. Check the other eligibility criteria for AIC. Procedure ends here
• No go to Step 3

An organisation or institution may be the approved applicant if it is a non-government body and the following conditions are met:

• the student boards with organisation during school term and their permanent home address satisfies one of the geographical isolation rules
• the student normally lives with the organisation/institution (including school vacations), but needs to board away to access an appropriate school due to the geographic isolation of the organisation/institution
• the organisation is a special institution where the student resides because of the nature of a disability or other health related condition

An organisation who does not have primary responsibility for a student living continuously at the institution (due to a disability or other health-related condition), is not the applicant. The applicant would be the parent with whom the student would normally live, but for the need to board. To determine the applicant in this case, go to Step 5

Does the organisation have full responsibility for the student?

• Yes, the organisation has primary care of the student and is a:
• non-government organisation, it is an approved applicant. Check the other eligibility criteria for AIC. Procedure ends here
• government organisation, it is not an approved applicant. However, to determine if there is another approved applicant, go to Step 4
• No, see Table 2 > Step 3

Is the applicant in prison, lawful custody or a psychiatric institution?

• Yes, the applicant is not an approved applicant. However, to determine if another person may be an approved applicant, go to Step 5
• No, go to Step 5

Is the student in state authorised foster care?

• Yes, the foster parent is an approved applicant. Check the other eligibility criteria for AIC. Procedure ends here
• No, go to Step 6

Is the student not in the care of a parent/guardian or the State?

• Yes, the student should apply for Youth Allowance (YA) or ABSTUDY if they are an Indigenous student. Tell the student how to claim YA online or claim ABSTUDY by phone. Issue relevant paper forms to the student, if appropriate. See:
• Initial contact with students or Australian Apprentices claiming Youth Allowance (YA), or
• Claiming ABSTUDY
• Procedure ends here
• No, go to Step 9

Are the parents or guardians of the student divorced or separated?

• Yes, go to Step 8
• No, either parent/guardian may be an approved applicant. Check the other eligibility criteria for AIC. Procedure ends here.

Does the student normally live with one of their parents/guardians?

• Yes, the parent/guardian the student normally lives with is the approved applicant. If the student normally lives with one parent and their partner, either that parent or their partner may be the approved applicant. Check the other eligibility criteria for AIC. Procedure ends here
• No, go to Step 9

Does the student live with each parent/guardian at different times?

• Yes, consider the following factors:
• the approved applicant is the parent who has legal custody of the student, or
• if there is no legal recognition of who has care of the student, the approved applicant is the parent:
  - with whom the student normally lives and has lived for the last 12 months or lives with during holidays
  - who is responsible for the care (provides food and shelter) of the student
  - who contributes regularly to the student's living and education costs
  - who receives Family Tax Benefit (FTB), holds a Medicare card or receives other allowances for the student, or
• if neither parent has sole responsibility for the care of the student, the parent who has principal financial responsibility for the student is the approved applicant
• No, in cases where the parents are equally sharing the care of the student and the student spends an equal amount of time living with each parent, the approved applicant can be either parent or either parent's partner. See Table 2

Can the approved applicant be determined?

• Yes, check the other eligibility criteria for AIC. Procedure ends here
• No, and the applicant is:
• the parent/guardian of the student or the parent's partner, go to Step 3
• neither the parent/guardian of the student nor the parent's partner, go to Step 2

If the claim form is lodged by a person other than a parent or parent's partner, consider the following:

• Does the person have primary (or joint) responsibility for the student's care?
• Does the person support the student wholly or substantially?
• Is the arrangement bona fide?

If the parent (or parent's partner) is supporting the student in the other person's home or directly or indirectly providing financial assistance to the student, the person is not an approved applicant.

Can the approved applicant be determined?

• Yes, check the other eligibility criteria for AIC. Procedure ends here
• No, go to Step 3

If the approved applicant cannot be determined from the information provided, make one genuine attempt to contact the applicant. Verbally request documents that confirm the applicant:

• is either the primary carer, or
• has joint responsibility for the student's care

If a claim form:

• has been lodged, go to Step 4
• has not been lodged, tell the applicant a claim form needs to be provided. See Initial contact with customers claiming under Assistance for Isolated Children (AIC)

When a claim has been lodged, and a determination cannot be made that the applicant has primary care of the student, reject the application at the end of the assessment.

See Processing an Assistance for Isolated Children (AIC) claim.