Customer is going overseas long term – entitlement check and record transfer 061-02020000

The procedure is to be used by Service Officers in CIS to transfer the customer's record and manually code the portability decision after the Portability script has been run. The script is not able to code the InterEnvironment Change of Address (ICoA) and therefore must be coded manually.

Before using this procedure, the Service Officer must make sure:

• the portability decision has already been made based on the information provided by the customer, and
• it has been confirmed that the customer is going overseas and is payable for more than 12 months.

If further payments are due and yet to be paid to the customer, do not start transfer action until the payments have been made.

Are further payments due before departure?

• Yes, put the portability activity on hold for the day after the delivery date of the final payment. Procedure ends here. Note: if the customer requests final payment(s) be issued into their overseas account, go to Step 3
• No, go to Step 3

Consider the following:

• Add-ons and income supplements are not payable for absences where customer is leaving to live in another country
• Add-ons are not payable to customers saved under the pre 20 September portability rules
• Add-ons are not payable to customers paid under an international agreement in most situations
• If the customer remains qualified for their main payment Rent Assistance is payable for the first 26 weeks of a temporary (including long term) absence, provided they continue to pay rent in Australia. If they stop paying rent, the Rent Assistance will need to be cancelled manually
• The full Pension Supplement is payable for the first 6 weeks of a temporary absence. If the customer is still overseas after 6 weeks, only the basic amount of the Pension Supplement is payable. For absences where customer is leaving to live in another country the basic amount of the Pension Supplement is payable if the customer remains qualified for the main payment. Note: Remote Area Allowance (RAA) is only payable for 8 weeks from the date of temporary departure from the remote area. For more information regarding add-ons see Portability of add-ons
• For family payments, see Family Tax Benefit (FTB), Child Care Subsidy (CCS) and Paid Parental Leave scheme customer/child going overseas. These entitlements cannot be paid into an overseas bank account
• If a customer receives Mobility Allowance (MOB), the customer's record must be left in their home environment until MOB is cancelled
• To avoid cancellation of concession card prior to customer’s overseas departure their payment must remain current or suspended (SUS), for reason departed overseas (DOS), in the home environment

The customer's preferred method of payment should be noted in the portability interview DOC. If not, contact the customer to confirm which method of payment is preferred. The possible payment methods are:

• direct deposit into an Australian bank account every 4 weeks (available to customers in all countries)
• direct deposit to an overseas bank account every 4 weeks (available in certain countries only)

The payment method available depends on where they live or where they are going to.

Note: if the customer is still in Australia and their record is cancelled 'DOS’ their concession card will also cancel. To make sure a customer can continue to use their concession card before departure, their record must remain in the home environment, and either remain current or suspended for reason ‘DOS’ until they depart Australia.

To cancel the record in the home environment:

• Go to the Benefit Action (BA) screen in the losing environment and cancel payment by coding:
• The Svc Rsn: field with the applicable payment type code that is, 'AGE' or 'DSP'
• 'CAN' in the Action: field
• 'DOS' (departed overseas) in the Reason: field
• Check the PS screen for the date Paid To. Code the date after the Paid To date in the Effect Date: field. For example, if paid to 22 May, the Effect Date must be 23 May. Note: if an incorrect date is used, and a part payment is generated, the record will not be able to be transferred until the payment has been made
• The Source: and DOR: fields
• If an Age Pension customer has a carer who gets Carer Payment and one or both are leaving to live in another country, the CRES screen must be updated first before payment is CAN-DOS
• Finalise details on Assessment Results (AR) screen and inhibit advice
• Check Benefit Status (Bst) in the header to see if the record has been cancelled
• Finalise any documents and activities already started, except FTB and overpayments
• Go to I Environment
• Schedule transfer on the Start InterEnvironment Transfer (ITST) screen
• Wait for record to transfer. The Transfer Status on the ICOA Log Information (ITLG) screen must be COM if the transfer is successful

View the Nominee Link Summary (NOLS) screen. If a nominee arrangement is in place check that the arrangement is still suitable while they are outside Australia. Cease the nominee appointment where the arrangement is no longer suitable.

Use the Payment Destination Update - Record Overseas Direct Deposit Details script to code payment to an Australian or overseas bank account. Note: If coding an overseas bank account see Overseas Bank Account Details (OBAD) for country specific coding requirements, for example; U.S. has specific coding requirements for ‘HOM’ (home address)

• Record the change of address on Address Details (AD) screen. Code address as type 'HOM' (home address) and delete any 'POS' (postal address) or 'TEM' (temporary address)
• Code overseas telephone number if available on the Telephone Details (TD) screen
• Record any change in accommodation. For example, the customer has sold their home or has ceased paying rent. If the customer has sold or vacated their home, ensure a Vacation of home review is created by coding the Reason Home Vacated: field on the Accommodation (AC) screen
• If the customer is receiving Rent Assistance (RA), check rent information on AC is still correct. Update rent information if the customer has ceased paying rent. Cease any payment deductions being made for the customer (for example, to a State Government Housing authority)

• Record the change of address on Address Details (AD) screen if the customer has provided new address details. Note: it is not mandatory for the customer to provide an address outside Australia but generally it is appropriate if the customer is leaving Australia for more than 12 months
• Update the Customer Advised Travel Details (RSCD) screen

Where the customer is in receipt of:

• Age Pension, see Step 1 in Table 3
• Disability Support Pension (DSP), see Step 1 in Table 4

Is the customer saved from a proportional rate under the pre 20 September 2000 portability rules?

• Yes, update the Proportional Portability Savings on the Additional Residence Details (ARD) screen, See Table 4, Step 4
• No, go to Step 2

Update the ARD screen.

• Record the date of departure as date of event
• Update the Australian working life residence if required. Note: under the pre 20 September 2000 portability rules, the customer may be able to use their partner's or deceased partner's WLR. See Working Life Residence (WLR) for more information
• See Step 4 in Table 4

For further information see:

• Disability Support Pension (DSP) severely disabled assessments for International Agreements
• DSP overseas absence for terminally ill customers
• Assessment for Disability Support Pension (DSP) customers going overseas under the no future work capacity provisions

It may have already been determined that customer is payable indefinitely under the 'no future work capacity' portability provisions.

Check the Pension Disability Information (PDI) screen for Severely Disabled coding:

‘YES’ will be coded in the Severely Disabled Code: field if the customer is severely disabled or terminally ill. Note: if the customer is saved under the pre 1 July 2004 portability rules and granted before 12 November 1991 the customer does not have to be severely disabled and this field will be coded with 'UNK'

Is the PDI screen coded with ‘YES’ or ‘UNK’?

• Yes, the customer is payable indefinitely under the 'no future work capacity' portability provisions. Go to Step 4
• No, go to Step 2

Check the Manifest Code: field on the Medical Conditions Details (MC) screen for a manifest medical condition:

• TRM
• BLI
• INT
• NHM
• HV4
• DVA/TPI (Disability Compensation Payment at Special Rate (Totally and Permanently Incapacitated (TPI))

Note: if the Manifest Code: field has either of the discontinued manifest codes ‘MNF’or ‘APP', a No Work Capacity (NWC) assessment is required to determine if the customer has a current manifest medical condition.

Is the MC screen coded with a current manifest code?

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

A decision that the customer is eligible for indefinite portability must be made before the customer departs Australia. If the customer contacts after they have departed, and did not contact before departure, they cannot be retrospectively approved for indefinite portability for that departure.

A NWC portability assessment is considered to have occurred (and the customer is eligible for indefinite portability) if either of the following happens before departure:

• the Portability Script is run, or
• the customer advises of the departure (normally done online through the Travel Outside Australia Online Service)

If a customer only contacts the agency after they have departed Australia (including when they have returned to Australia), they:

• are not eligible for indefinite portability for that departure
• need to contact before their next departure in order for staff to assess them for indefinite portability

Note: the NWC decision only has to be made once. Once the decision has been made, it applies to all future departures.

Is ‘NWC’ coded on the RSCD screen and was this coded before this departure

or

it has been coded since departure because the customer contacted before departure?

• Yes, the customer is entitled to indefinite portability. Go to Step 4.
• No, the customer is not eligible for indefinite portability for this departure. For more information see Assessment for Disability Support Pension (DSP) customers going overseas under the no future work capacity provisions. Procedure ends here.

If CITW/Blind Residence: field is coded with:

• ‘AUS’ the inability to work or blindness occurred in Australia, the payment will not be proportional. Advise the customer of this. Go to Step 6
• ‘OVE’ the inability occurred overseas, the payment will be proportional. Advise the customer of this. Go to Step 6
• ‘NOT’ if the residence of the customer when the inability occurred has not yet been assessed. Go to Step 5.

To receive indefinite portability under the NWC provisions, a customer must have ‘No future work capacity'.

The NWC assessment will usually require completion of a medical review, which will include a medical report by the customer's treating doctor and a Job Capacity Assessment (JCA) that must be conducted before the customer departs Australia.

Customers who want to test their eligibility under the ‘No future work capacity' portability provisions, must be referred to CIS.

Does the customer wish to discuss undergoing an NWC assessment?

• Yes, and if
• a Service Officer in CIS, see Assessment for Disability Support Pension (DSP) customers going overseas under the no future work capacity provisions
• not a Service Officer in CIS, transfer the call to CIS. If the customer cannot wait, give them the phone number for CIS so they can call back at a convenient time.
• No, go to Step 6

If customer is leaving Australia to live overseas, record new residence details on the Country of Residence (CRES) screen:

• Change office code on OC screen to 'WTW'
• Check Accommodation (AC) screen. If the customer owns their home in Australia, issue an XOB140 letter regarding property overseas or inside Australia to gather information required regarding possible sale or rental of the property. The VHP review will be automatically coded. Check other income and assets and ensure any changes have been followed up. For example, if the customer has an overseas property coded on the Foreign Income/Asset Detail (FID) screen, check if they will be living in that property overseas and update as applicable.
• Go to the BA screen and complete the following fields:
• In the Svc Rsn field, key appropriate payment type. For example, 'AGE' or 'DSP'
• Key 'RES' in the Action field
• Leave the Reason and Effect Date fields blank. The system will automatically restore from the cancellation date
• Go to the Assessment Results (AR) screen
• Check Payment Summary (PS) screen. Check amount of arrears and destination are correct. Note: the arrears will be sent to the destination on the PS screen once the activity is finalised. There is no way to alter the destination after finalising the activity so make sure it is correct before finalising. To avoid rejected payments of amounts below the minimum banking limit of USD25.00, arrears less than AUD50.00 should be inhibited and released with next regular 4-weekly payment.
• Finalise the activity on the AR screen after checking that all the correct action has occurred. Inhibit the advice if desired
• Send an 'Information for Pensioners living outside Australia' (XOB075) letter. Make sure the AUS178 country specific bank form is also issued to enable payment to an overseas bank account
• Record details in a DOC. Note: if income or assets have been updated or any other changes have been made to pension details this will also need to be recorded in a separate DOC

• Check the Immigration Advised Movements (RSIM) screen to see if the customer is still outside of Australia.
• If the RSIM screen shows the customer has not returned to Australia, refresh the Immigration Datalink on the Immigration Enquiry (RSIMME) screen to ensure the most current information is on the record

Is the customer still outside Australia?

• Yes, go to Step 2
• No, no further action is required, go to Step 5

Check the customer’s record to determine if they are currently receiving the correct rate of payment.

This includes checking the:

• Australian Working Life Residence (AWLR) screen
• Additional Residence Details (ARD) screen

This will ensure the Australian Working Life figure matches for customers paid according to their own AWLR.

Staff must correct the figure so that the customer is receiving the correct proportional rate if the:

• figure on the AWLR screen does not match the figure on the ARD screen, and
• customer cannot use their partner or late partner’s WLR

If the customer has less than the maximum amount of AWLR, check the Pensions Rate Calculation (PRC) screen to ensure that the payment is being proportionalised.

Correct any issues identified, if possible.

Is the customer’s rate of payment correct?

• Yes, no further action is required, go to Step 5
• No, further information is required from the customer so they are paid the correct rate, go to Step 3

The agency may have already sent the customer a questionnaire that requests details of their overseas travel.

Check Document Tools for a returned XOBS32 questionnaire.

Is there a returned questionnaire?

• Yes, update the record with the answers in the questionnaire, and complete any subsequent actions, go to Step 5
• No, go to Step 4

Staff must send an XOBS32 questionnaire letter to the customer. It must outline the information that the customer must provide to ensure they are on the correct rate.

The letter must ask if they still live in Australia, or are they living overseas long-term?

If the customer is:

• still living in Australia, then:
• which country/countries are they travelling in, and
• what date do they expect to return to Australia
• living overseas, then:
• which country are they living in, and
• what is their overseas address and phone number

Note: staff must send the letter to the current postal address on the ADS screen. If the customer has not already provided an overseas address, the letter will be sent to their address in Australia. If they have provided an overseas address, the letter should be sent to that address.

Staff should place the Manual Follow Up (MFU) on hold for 42 days for return of the questionnaire. When the MFU is due it will be allocated to the next available officer for actioning.

Procedure ends here.

Select the MFU and go to AR.

Finalise the activity.