Coding departures and returns for customers leaving Australia 061-02010000

If the customer is contacting about:

• future travel, go to Step 2
• past travel that was not already advised, go to Step 2
• past travel, and they state that they did not travel on the date shown on the Immigration Advised Movements (RSIM) screen, see Table 6

The person may contact after using the online Travelling outside of Australia service. If the online service has already coded the absence, details are recorded in a DOC.

The online service may refer them to:

• contact to have their absence coded, or
• explore further portability for their situation

In either case, the Service Officer is to run the Portability Script.

Tell the customer the interview can generally be done over the phone and takes around 15 minutes. In some circumstances, further information may be needed before making a final decision.

If they notify of an absence after they have left Australia, whether they are still overseas or have since returned to Australia, still:

• assess portability, and
• where possible, use the script

It is not mandatory for them to provide an address outside Australia but a current contact address is necessary.

Portability Script - Departures and Returns

Use this script to:

• accurately guide decisions about portability, and
• for hypothetical cases when a person wants information about the effect on their payments (except child care payments) before making a decision to travel outside Australia

While the script will provide accurate information to the person, the information about payment for a hypothetical situation is not a decision and therefore cannot be appealed until they advise a definite absence from Australia.

Note: the Portability Script cannot be run for child-only absences, Child Care Subsidy, ABSTUDY, Farm Household Allowance, Double Orphan Pension or non-income tested Pensioner Concession Card (PCC) holders.

Only issue the Pre Departure - Portability (XOB101) letter if the customer is definitely leaving Australia and has specifically requested a letter. If they require further information, refer them to the Services Australia website. The Resources page has a link.

If the Portability Script is not available, see Leaving Australia and portability of payments for a list of all payment specific and concession card portability procedures.

Does the customer want to continue with the interview?

• Yes, go to Step 3
• No, tell them the Department of Home Affairs will generally advise Services Australia when a customer leaves or returns and the system will assess their payments. They can find out what will happen to their payments on the Services Australia website, and might choose to discuss their planned absence with Services Australia later. Record a DOC noting the person has contacted and been given general advice about portability. Procedure ends here

Does the customer have a dependent child who is leaving Australia without them?

For example, a child who is going to Germany on a school trip may be travelling without the customer.

• Yes, the Portability Script cannot be used. See Family assistance and Paid Parental Leave scheme customer/child going overseas. Procedure ends here
• No, use the Portability Script - Departures and Returns. Go to Step 4

Is the person or partner receiving YA, Austudy or ABSTUDY?

• Yes, and if:
• they are receiving YA, see Youth Allowance (YA) customer going overseas
• they are receiving Austudy, see Austudy customer going overseas
• they are receiving ABSTUDY, the Portability Script cannot be used, see ABSTUDY student or Australian Apprentice going overseas
• only the partner is receiving ABSTUDY, the script can be used but select 'N' to the question 'is the customer's partner travelling as well'. Go to Step 5
• No, go to Step 5

As well as the portability rules, most payments require a customer to remain an Australian resident to continue to qualify for payment. If they leave Australia to live overseas, qualification is lost on departure as they are no longer an Australian resident.

Note: this does not apply to people receiving Age Pension or Disability Support Pension (DSP), (for customers exempt from the ongoing residence requirement), unless they are receiving the payment because they are a refugee and have a qualifying residence exemption (that is, they do not qualify for payment under the usual rules such as 10 years residence in Australia but rely on the refugee visa for qualification). Customers who have qualified for Age or DSP under these exemptions are not entitled to payment if they leave Australia to live overseas.

Is the person receiving Age Pension or DSP (for customers exempt from the ongoing residence requirement) without the need for a qualifying residence exemption?

• Yes, go to Step 6
• No, they either receive a payment other than Age or DSP or they are receiving one of these payments solely because they are a refugee:
• Check their residence including previous absences recorded on the RSIM and Customer Advised Travel Details (RSCD) screens
• If they have been outside Australia a number of times with only brief returns to Australia, they may not be residing in Australia
• This may apply even if they state they are leaving Australia short term
• A new decision may need to be made on whether the customer is residing in Australia, see Assessing if a customer is an Australian resident. Go to Step 6

Is the person receiving Carer Payment (CP) or Carer Allowance (CA) or are they a care receiver (CRA or CRP on the benefit status line)?

• Yes, go to Step 7
• No, go to Step 8

Before running the Portability Script - Departures and Returns identify if the carer or care receiver will be travelling overseas without the carer continuing to provide care. If this is the case, as respite will occur, check the Absences Enquiry (ABCE) screen to calculate manually when respite will be fully depleted.

Where respite applies, insert the day following the last date of respite when the script stops to ask 'Do you know or the customer know of any event that will happen and cause them to lose entitlement to Carer Payment/Carer Allowance before dd/mm/yyyy?' This date will appear in the letter issued when the script is finalised. Consider respite provisions independently and code manually where applicable. If the care receiver is going overseas without the carer, record the absence on the ABCE screen.

There is a current system limitation, which continues to count Temporary Cessation of Care (TCC) after expiration of portability. Where the carer's payments will suspend after 42 days the TCC end date should reflect only 41 days if care is provided on the day of departure. Unless there is evidence to the contrary, accept care was provided on the date of departure and TCC will commence from the following day. Code respite with start date equal to day after departure and end date equal to the end of the limited portability period. Therefore, the TCC period is 41 days, provided the carer has this number available.

Respite provisions do not apply when:

• the carer is travelling overseas with the care receiver, or
• the carer receives CA and is travelling by themselves, but the care receiver is a child and the child is remaining with the carer's partner. Respite will still apply to CP in these cases. Code these absences using the 'child with partner' code 'CWP' which will calculate a respite absence for CP but not CA

Respite provisions apply when:

• the carer is leaving Australia and an adult care receiver is remaining in Australia. Make sure respite is applicable and not cessation of care altogether
• the care receiver is going overseas without the carer
• the carer receives CP and is leaving Australia and the care receiver is a child who is remaining in Australia whether in the care of the customer's partner or not
• the carer receives CA and is travelling by themselves and the care receiver is a child who is not remaining in the care of the carer's partner
• The carer is leaving Australia with the care receiver but the care receiver will not be in the carer's care during part or all of the absence from Australia. For example, the care receiver will stay with other family members for 2 of the 6 weeks absence. If the person is a care receiver who is leaving Australia temporarily and the carer is remaining in Australia, this does not affect the care receiver's portability but the respite for the carer should be discussed with the care receiver
• See Temporary Cessation of Care (respite) provisions for Carer Payment (CP) and Carer Allowance (CA)

Run the Portability Script - Departures and Returns.

The purpose of the Portability Script is to assess portability rules associated with the payment and record the absence. It does not assess ongoing qualification.

The script will ask for the:

• date of departure and return
• destination country

Note: if the customer is unsure of their exact return date, choose an option with an approximate return date.

Even if they advise they are only outside Australia temporarily, the Service Officer can determine they are leaving Australia to live in another country. See Assessing if a customer is an Australian resident. In this case, the Service Officer should select 'is leaving to live in another country' when the script presents the option.

Is a Service Officer in Centrelink International Services (CIS) running the script?

• Yes, see Step 1 in Table 2
• No, go to Step 9

The script will check the person's record and the Service Officer's details and determine whether the Service Officer can make the portability decision or if a CIS Service Officer must make the decision.

Has the script advised CIS must do the interview?

• Yes:
• Tell the customer CIS must make this decision and transfer the call to CIS. See Centrelink International Services (CIS) - contact details for staff
• If the customer does not have time to be transferred, provide contact details and advise them to call at a suitable time and date, before their departure. See Centrelink International Services (CIS) - contact details for customers
• Record actions on a completed DOC
• Procedure ends here
• No, see Step 1 in Table 2

The script will ask the Service Officer to select all payments they want assessed. All payments received by the customer will usually be preselected.

The following payments may be preselected:

• Supplements (for example, Energy Supplement)
• Add-ons (for example, Rent Assistance)

Check they are eligible for the preselected payment(s). Some payment types may need to be removed from the list (for example, if not grandfathered for Energy Supplement) using the Add or Remove Payments function of the script.

Note: Energy Supplement grandfathering provisions apply for Family Tax Benefit (FTB) customers and Commonwealth Seniors Health Card (CSHC) holders. An overseas absence of longer than the allowable portability period for these payments means the customer will not be eligible for Energy Supplement if they reclaim FTB or CSHC when they return to Australia.

Once the options are chosen, the script will prompt the Service Officer to ask questions based on their record, departure dates and country of destination.

Depending on the payment types received, additional information may need to be obtained.

If they are receiving/or:

• travelling outside Australia to study as a full-time student or work/train as an Australian Apprentice and are receiving:
• Carer Payment (CP)
• Disability Support Pension (DSP)
• Parenting Payment (PP)
• Youth Allowance (YA)
• go to Step 7
• DSP and travelling for reasons other than to study, go to Step 2
• Special Benefit (SpB), go to Step 6
• JobSeeker Payment (JSP), see Step 1 in Table 3
• travelling to attend an Australian Defence Force Reserves training camp for longer than 6 weeks, see Step 2 in Table 3
• PP or a Family Assistance Act payment, see Step 3 in Table 3
• Parental Leave Pay (PPL), see Step 4 in Table 3
• CP or Carer Allowance (CA), see Step 6 in Table 3
• any other payment type, see Step 3 in Table 4

If they are leaving Australia for more than their available portability period, DSP may be payable if they are:

• terminally ill
• assessed as meeting the 'no future work capacity' portability provisions, or
• going to an agreement country that covers DSP

If they are noted on the Medical Conditions Details (MC) screen as manifestly qualified (excluding conversion CNV) or assessed under the 'no future work capacity' (NWC) portability provisions on the Customer Advised Travel Details (RSCD) screen, the script will automatically assess portability accordingly.

Note: if the customer is manifestly qualified for DSP and is advising of a departure after the departure, 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.

Otherwise, the script prompts the Service Officer to enquire whether they want to be assessed under the 'no future work capacity' portability provisions.

Service Officers must inform the customer:

• this assessment requires a full review of their DSP qualification under current impairment tables (this means it is possible that as a result of the review, the customer will no longer qualify for DSP and their payment will be cancelled)
• if they do not wish to undergo a DSP Medical Review, for assessment under the 'no future work capacity' portability provisions, they will be assessed under regular portability rules

Note: a customer who is manifestly eligible for DSP does not need to undergo a full medical assessment.

Medical information may be required if:

• they are going to an agreement country that covers DSP, and
• their payment will cease either on departure or during their absence. For example, they are a former resident or a refugee departing Australia to live overseas

If they will definitely return to Australia within their available portability period (usually 4 weeks in a rolling 12 month period) and DSP will be payable for the whole absence, see Step 3 in Table 4. Note: if they have indicated the reason for travel may be for an approved reason, assessment can be made under those provisions even if there are sufficient days of general portability remaining for the planned travel. See Step 1 in Table 3.

If they have already been assessed as terminally ill, or satisfying the 'no future work capacity' portability provisions, no medical assessment is required, see Step 3 in Table 4.

If they are manifestly eligible for DSP, but have not previously been assessed for indefinite portability (NWC is not already coded on the RSCD screen), go to Step 4.

If they (not a refugee or former resident) indicate they are terminally ill, or wish to be assessed under the 'no future work capacity' portability provisions, go to Step 3

If they are leaving Australia for more than their available portability period (usually 4 weeks in a rolling 12 month period) for an approved reason, see Step 1 in Table 3

If they are going to an agreement country that covers DSP for more than their maximum portability period, the script may indicate a medical is required. Go to Step 5

If none of the above apply, see Step 3 in Table 4

A person may be entitled to payment indefinitely if they are terminally ill or assessed as meeting the 'no future work capacity' portability provisions. Note: this does not apply to customers who are qualified for DSP solely because they are refugees or who are former residents.

Tell them that before the final decision can be made, a Medical Review and Job Capacity Assessment (JCA) will be required. Customers can choose to undergo this assessment. See Assessment for Disability Support Pension customers going overseas under the no future work capacity provisions.

Continuing with the Portability Script - Departures and Returns will give an interim decision pending receipt of the Medical Report form and JCA report dependant on their circumstances:

• If the departure is one where the person is determined to have stopped residing in Australia the decision will indicate that payment will stop on departure
• If the departure is temporary, the decision will indicate that payment will continue up to the maximum entitlement of 28 days in a 12 month rolling period

See Step 3 in Table 4.

If the customer meets the ‘no work capacity’ portability provisions because they:

• are manifestly eligible for DSP, and
• have contacted before departure

They do not need to undergo a Medical Review and JCA. Continue with the Portability Script which will correctly advise that the customer is eligible for indefinite portability.

Note: if the customer is manifestly qualified for DSP and is advising of a departure after the departure, 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.

See Step 3 in Table 4.

The person must complete the Certificate of location in a country with which Australia has a social security agreement (AUS172) (if not going to New Zealand). See Resources page for a link.

Issue this form to the customer and advise them to have it completed as soon as possible on their arrival in the agreement country.

They must be severely disabled to transfer to DSP under an agreement when autonomous entitlement ceases after leaving Australia. On completion of this decision, rerun the Portability Script - Departures and Returns.

Until the decision is made, continue with the Portability Script to give an interim decision advising that payment will stop when autonomous entitlement ceases after leaving Australia. See Step 3 in Table 4.

Is the person the holder of visa subclass 060, 070, 449, 786 or 787?

To find out their current visa subclass, check the Visa (Sub) Class Code field on the Legal Residence Details (RSLEG) screen.

• Yes, payment is not portable from the date of departure as the holder of one of these types of visas loses their Australian residence on departure from Australia. See Step 3 in Table 4
• No, see Step 1 in Table 4

• A student or Australian Apprentice receiving CP, DSP, or PP can study or work overseas for the length of time they require to complete units that are part of their Australian course
• Payment of CP or PP can generally continue for a temporary absence of up to 6 weeks (4 weeks in a rolling 12 month period for DSP) if departure is for any other reason

Add-ons may be included in the rate of payment for temporary departures if they remain otherwise qualified and payable.

They will be required to provide proof of the reason for their absence to Services Australia if they are leaving Australia to study or work as part of their Australian course.

See Student studying outside Australia for more details.

Service Officers in Centrelink International Services (CIS) approve the overseas study for students and Australian Apprentices receiving CP, DSP, or PP.

• Obtain any proof of the overseas study or work, scan onto the record. Transfer call to Centrelink International Services.

Transfer the call to the Centrelink International Services.

Centrelink International Services Staff - Once proof of the reason for their absence has been provided, see Step 3 in Table 4.

The customer receives a payment that may be considered for restricted portability.

Ask the customer why they are travelling outside Australia:

• If they are clearly not travelling for an approved reason, payment is not portable except for Disability Support Pension (DSP), which may be payable for all or part of their absence using their allowable 4 weeks in a rolling 12 month period
• If they may be travelling for an approved reason CIS will assess if they satisfy these conditions

Do they want payment to continue because they are travelling for an approved reason?

• Yes, refer to CIS. See Step 1 in Table 4
• No, continue with the Portability Script - Departures and Returns and advise them on what date their payment will cease. See Step 2 in Table 4

JobSeeker Payment (JSP), Youth Allowance (YA), Parenting Payment (PP) or Austudy customers may continue to receive payment for the length of the absence when they are temporarily overseas if their absence is for an Australian Defence Force Reserves training camp.

Service Officers in CIS make the decision to continue payment for the training camp. For more details, see Overseas absences for Australian Defence Force Reserves.

Is the absence to attend a Defence Force Reserves training camp overseas?

• Yes, see Step 1 in Table 4
• No, see Step 3 in Table 4

PP and/or Family Assistance Act payment.

PP customers who are subject to compulsory mutual obligation requirements have an automatic exemption from these requirements if they are payable whilst absent overseas. If they have an interview scheduled during their absence, reschedule it for a date after their return to Australia.

• Tell them about the procedure for Reconciliation of Family Tax Benefit (FTB), and
• Check if they or their partner is still required to lodge a tax return

They may have to continue to update their income estimate. Even though they are leaving to live overseas, their estimate must include all income they will earn during the entire income year, including any foreign income.

If they have returned to Australia after an absence that resulted in their PP, Family Tax Benefit (FTB) or Child Care Subsidy (CCS) being stopped for portability reasons, then PP, FTB or CCS is not payable for any reason if they leave Australia again within 6 weeks of their latest return to Australia.

The script will normally pick this up as long as the previous absence is recorded. If PP or FTB is cancelling for this reason and the Service Officer believes they should be payable, the problem could be incorrect recording of residence, arrivals or departures. Code the Country of Residence (CRES), Immigration Advised Movements (RSIM) and/or Customer Advised Travel Details (RSCD) screens.

Absences on the RSIM screen provided by the Department of Home Affairs cannot be amended. If they dispute an absence from Australia, the CIS must follow up. For assistance, see Referring inconsistencies in overseas departure and arrival information to Centrelink International Services (CIS).

Go to Step 4.

To find out their current visa subclass, check the Visa (Sub) Class Code field on the Legal Residence Details (RSLEG) screen.

If they are:

• The holder of visa subclass 060, 070, 449, 786 or 787payment will cease immediately on departure from Australia. See Step 2 in Table 4
• The holder visa subclass 309, 785, 790 or 820, payment of FTB or any other family assistance payment or Parental Leave Pay can only be made outside Australia if the absence is for an approved reason. If they:
• may be travelling for an approved reason, go to Step 1 in Table 4
• are clearly not travelling for an approved reason, go to Step 2 in Table 4
• Otherwise residentially qualified (including Australian citizens and permanent visa holders), go to Step 5

• For original date of departure:
• Family Tax Benefit (FTB) Part A, FTB Part B and Child Care Subsidy (CCS) are payable for up to 6 weeks
• Parental Leave Pay is portable for 56 weeks, although entitlement periods may be much shorter than this
• Single Income Family Supplement (SIFS) is portable for 6 weeks. If a SIFS grandfathered customer is overseas for more than 6 weeks, they will lose their SIFS grandfathering status
• See Step 3 in Table 4

After running the Portability Script - Departures and Returns, launch the Temporary Cessation of Care workflow in Customer First to record any absences and advise the customer payability while outside Australia is subject to the respite days remaining in the calendar year.

If respite will be fully depleted before the end of the allowable portability period, advise them Carer Allowance (CA) and Carer Payment (CP) will cancel from the day after the remaining respite days are used and they must reclaim on their return to Australia.

If they are receiving the transitional rate of pension, they will lose entitlement to this rate and be assessed under the new rules on reclaiming.

See Step 3 in Table 4.

Payments made where portability is restricted to absences for an approved reason or customer is going overseas for Australian Defence Force Reserves training camp reasons.

Tell the customer they may meet the requirement for payment overseas but they must speak to a Service Officer in CIS for a decision on their ongoing portability. The Portability Script - Departures and Returns will refer the case to CIS.

• Contact CIS and advise the Service Officer the person's details. They can then talk directly to the CIS Service Officer. For CIS contact details, see Centrelink International Services (CIS) - contact details for staff
• If they have documents proving their approved reason, scan the document onto the record

• Transfer the call to CIS and explain the person's circumstances. CIS will take over and complete the portability interview with them. For CIS contact details, see Centrelink International Services (CIS) - contact details for staff - contact details for staff.
• Once transferred, complete a DOC advising what action has been taken (call has been referred to CIS and details of travel, especially the reason)
• If it is not possible to refer them immediately to CIS, create a Fast Note:
• Select Auto text, use Centrelink International Services > Portability > CIS Restricted Portability Referral
• Record the travel details including dates, reason for travel, reason they cannot return to Australia and current telephone contact details
• Tell the customer an officer from CIS will contact them as soon as possible
• If the customer has provided proof of the reason for absence, complete any other work items
• If the customer has evidence for their travel, tell them that if they are registered for online services they can use Upload documents to provide the evidence. If they are not registered, they can either take the evidence to a service centre for scanning to their record, or post it. For address details, see Centrelink International Services (CIS) - contact details for customers

Service Officers in CIS make the decision to continue payment for an approved reason. For more information, see Restricted portability assessment procedure for Centrelink International Services Staff.

Procedure ends here.

Person receiving payments with restricted portability where the absence is not for an approved reason.

• Record the relevant reason when asked by the script
• If the reason is acute family crisis but the crisis is for a person other than a family member (for example, aunt), record the reason as 'AFC' and the person correctly (for example, aunt) in the script. This will correctly code the system and payment will suspend (SUS-DOT) on departure
• For all other unacceptable reasons, or situations where verification is unacceptable, choose the option 'other'. This will record 'OTH' on the system and payment will suspend (SUS-DOT) on departure
• Some customers may have to contact when they have returned to Australia

Go to Step 5.

Does the customer have dependent children?

• Yes, and:
• All the dependent children are travelling outside Australia with them, go to Step 4
• At least 1 dependent child is remaining in Australia, consider if:
• The children are still their dependent children and another person may be better off claiming payment for the children. For example, if a customer is remaining outside Australia for more than 6 weeks but the partner and children are remaining in Australia, FTB will reduce to base rate and their partner may be better off receiving the payment at the maximum rate
• Go to Step 4
• No, go to Step 4

Is the customer paid Age Pension or Disability Support Pension (DSP) and leaving Australia for more than 26 weeks?

• Yes:
• In these circumstances the Portability Script - Departures and Returns will assess their ongoing entitlement based on the information held on the Country of Residence (CRES) screen
• The script will proceed to the CRES screen to allow the Service Officer to check the details contained are correct. If blank or an update is required, the Service Officer must record the residence at this time or the decision made by the script will be incorrect
• If blank, ask them when they first arrived in Australia for residence. Record any other countries they have lived in
• For help, see Assessing if a customer is an Australian resident, Coding the Country of Residence (CRES) screen and Working Life Residence (WLR)
• Go to Step 5
• No, go to Step 5

Give the customer the correct advice about whether they will lose entitlement before they leave Australia or while they are overseas.

The Portability Script does not assess if a customer will remain qualified during their absence, so when a customer calls to advise they are travelling overseas, it is essential to look at their situation. Determine if they will lose entitlement:

• before they leave Australia or
• while they are overseas

If they will lose entitlement, when the script asks if any circumstance will result in loss of entitlement:

• answer 'Yes', and
• advise the date and a brief reason

The script will use this information in the XOB101 letter, which may be issued, if required, to give the person the correct date of cancellation. They must be manually advised of the reason for the cancellation during the portability interview.

If they are changing payment types before going overseas (for example now on PPS but will be on JSP before departure), use the Add or Remove payments button to select a different payment type.

The script will make a decision based on the choice of payment and give them correct information based on this payment type.

Important changes to consider include:

• Reporting and Employment Income: A 2 weekly reporting customer will be re-profiled as a notification reporter once the departure date is reached. The system will issue any entitlement calculated for the prior period. If they have employment income to declare before their departure, they must report their income on the business day before departure so they do not incur an overpayment. They will not be required to report while overseas unless they have overseas earnings. See Recording and correcting employment income details for more details
• PP customers may lose eligibility due to the age of their youngest child. If their youngest child is turning 6 (PPP) or 8 (PPS), their PP will stop regardless of the portability period unless they are eligible to transfer to another payment which is portable for that absence
• If a care receiver is temporarily leaving Australia, respite may apply to the carer's payment
• If a medical certificate ends
• Make sure all customers understand if they have to contact when they have returned to Australia

See Travel details required on the Resources page for other changes to consider when a customer is leaving Australia.

The Portability Script - Departures and Returns will also ask questions about possible other consequential actions and display these reviews on the Consequential Actions page.

Not all identified reviews need to be actioned.

Only the following consequential reviews are to be selected when identified on the Consequential Actions page:

Some reviews may auto select; therefore, if these are not required, deselect before continuing.

• Departure reviews:
• Respite Care or Carer/Caree Portability Review
• Return of outstanding SU19 forms
• Review Apprentice/Trainee Status
• Review Participation Agreement
• Review Student Status
• Section 24 Review
• Vacation of Home Property Review
• Return reviews:
• Agreement Payment check
• Code return to Aus
• Participation Requirements Review
• Section 24 Review
• SHC (Commonwealth Seniors Health Card) Reissue
• Transfer from I Environment
• Vacation of Home Property Review

Note: selecting any other consequential review type will generate an unnecessary work item in Workload Manager (WLM) or a WLM OWN work item in the staff members Inbox/Worklist.

The script will generate a Registered (REG) Reassessment (REA) activity for each review type selected on the customer's Activity List (AL) screen.

Where the Service Officer has the appropriate skills, they are to complete the review with the customer after finalising the Portability Script - Departures and Returns update. See the Resources page for information relating to consequential reviews.

Is the customer going outside Australia and their payment is payable for more than 12 months and their record will be transferred to Environment I on departure?

• Yes, the Portability Script - Departures and Returns will code the person's departure, however the departure will not be assessed until the Department of Home Affairs confirms they have left Australia. See Customer is going overseas long term – entitlement check and record transfer. Go to Table 5.
  Note: If the customer has already left Australia and the departure is on the RSIM screen, but they disagree with the departure date, go to Table 6.
• No:
• The Portability Script - Departures and Returns will code the person's departure, however the departure will not be assessed until Home Affairs confirms they have left Australia
• In some circumstances, their departure may not be coded immediately but a review will be created by the script on the Future Activity List (FAL) screen. When the review comes due and is received via WLM, re-run the Portability Script - Departures and Returns, which will ask if the Service Officer wants it to code the absence defaulting to 1 of 4 options, based on the previously collected information. If their details have not changed, select 'Next' and it will pick up the data DOC and automatically record the travel details provided on the RSCD screen
• If they leave Australia more than 3 days either side of the date advised (and recorded by the script) the country of destination will be recorded as 'XX' ('Unspecified'), even if they have provided details of their destination country
• If they are receiving a restricted payment (Disability Support Pension (DSP), JobSeeker Payment (JSP), Youth Allowance (YA), Austudy, ABSTUDY or Special Benefit (SpB)), and change their departure date by more than 3 days, any approved reason for the absence will not be recorded. The system will place 'OTH' in the Code field, which will cause payment to suspend on departure (or after 4 weeks in 12 months for DSP). The reason for this is that the customer's approval may no longer be relevant, therefore they must advise of changes to their departure dates so the reason for approval remains valid. It is therefore important to advise them to tell Services Australia if they change their date of departure
• If the customer has already left Australia and the departure is on the RSIM screen, but they disagree with the departure date, see Table 6

Go to Table 5.

Consequential reviews identified during completion of the Portability Script will display on the customers Activity List (AL) screen as a Registered (REG) Reassessment (REA) activity.

Only the following consequential reviews require action:

• Agreement Payment check
• Code return to Aus
• Participation Requirements Review
• Respite Care or Carer/Caree Portability Review
• Return of outstanding SU19 forms
• Review Apprentice/Trainee Status
• Review Participation Agreement
• Review Student Status
• Section 24 Review
• SHC (Commonwealth Seniors Health Card) Reissue
• Transfer from I Environment
• Vacation of Home Property Review

Are any of the above-mentioned REG consequential portability reviews on the customers AL screen?

• Yes, go to Step 2
• No, complete/cancel any other REG consequential portability review activity not listed above. Procedure ends here

Where the Service Officer has the appropriate skills, they are required to complete applicable consequential reviews with the customer after finalising the Portability Script.

The Resources page contains information to assist in completing the consequential reviews.

There is an expectation all Service Officers should be able to complete the following consequential reviews:

• Code return to Aus
• Participation Requirements Review
• Return of outstanding SU19 forms
• SHC (Commonwealth Seniors Health Card) Reissue
• Transfer from I Environment

Does the Service Officer have the appropriate skills to complete at least one of the outstanding required REG consequential portability reviews on the customers AL screen?

• Yes, go to Step 3
• No, go to Step 4

Action appropriate consequential portability reviews with the customer and complete the REA activity on the AL screen. The Resources page contains information to assist in completing the consequential reviews.

Complete/cancel any other REG consequential portability review activity that is not required to be actioned.

Are there any remaining REG consequential portability reviews on the customers AL screen?

• Yes, go to Step 4
• No, procedure ends here

To enable outstanding consequential reviews to be allocated in Work Load Manager (WLM), add a Keyword to the REG activity on the AL screen via the Activity Details (AY) screen.

Insert the following Keyword into the appropriate REG consequential portability review:

• AGRREF for Agreement Payment check
• RTAAUS for Code return to Aus
• RTAPARTI for Participation Requirements Review
• ACTCAR for Respite Care or Carer/Caree Portability Review
• RTASU19 for Return of outstanding SU19 forms
• RTAAPT for Review Apprentice/Trainee Status
• RTAAGREE for Review Participation Agreement
• RTASTU for Review Student Status
• INTL24 (for overseas residents) or S24REV (for Australian residents) for Section 24 Review
• SHCREI for SHC (Commonwealth Seniors Health Card) Reissue
• ENVITFR for Transfer from I Environment
• XOB140 for Vacation of Home Property Review

Note: complete/cancel any not required REG consequential portability review activities.

The date of departure and arrival on the RSIM screen is the date the customer passes through Australian customs, as advised via the Immigration Datalink.

Portability rules apply according to the date recorded on the RSIM screen, therefore if a customer did not actually travel on that date, they may be disadvantaged by the date of advised through the datalink. In these cases, a customer may request an update to their travel date.

This most often occurs when the customer passes through customs on the evening of one day, but the flight departs the following day. See Resources for an example. It may also occur when a person travels on a cruise.

Note: the customer cannot request a change to the departure date before leaving Australia, even if they believe the booked flight time may meet this situation.

Is the customer advising of an alternative date because they have travelled on a cruise?

• Yes, see Coding cruise travel. Procedure ends here
• No, go to Step 2

Reasonable evidence is required to determine the circumstances:

• the customer can provide a flight itinerary or ticket to show the date and time their flight left, or
• the time of departure can be found on the customer’s immigration record.

Check Document Tools to see if the customer has provided evidence of the flight time.

If the customer has not provided evidence, look up the customer in the Department of Home Affairs Movement Reconstruction (MR) database. Use ‘full screen mode’ on the Movements Details screen in the database to see the time of departure for the flight.

Is it reasonable, based on the departure time that the customer passed through customs the day before the flight departed?

• Yes, go to Step 3
• No, go to Step 4

Manually code the record correctly to:

• allow arrears to be paid, if applicable, and
• prevent the date being advised again via the Immigration Datalink

On the RSIM screen:

• Leave the original date of departure from Australia
• Add an arrival in Australia for the same date as the original date of departure
• Add the new date of departure from Australia

Take the activity to the Assessment Results (AR) screen.

If arrears are generated, ensure they are correct before finalising the activity.

Finalise the activity.

Create a DOC on the record clearly outlining the reason for the coding.

Procedure ends here.

The date of departure on the RSIM screen, as provided through the Immigration Datalink, is the correct date for the system to use to calculate portability of payment. No coding is required.

Create a DOC on the record explaining the reasons why the alternative date cannot be used.