Carer Payment (CP)/ Carer Allowance (CA) absence Manual Follow-up (MFU) 009-06010080

Check the Activity List (AL) screen.

If there is an absence expiry MFU with Activity notes indicating respite or hospitalisation respite will exceed and payment will cancel:

• check the Document List (DL) screen to for notes about discussion with the carer about the end of respite or hospitalisation allowances
• if there is a DOC and there has already been a discussion, go to Step 3

If there is no DOC or evidence the MFU has been actioned, the carer must be contacted about the expiry of respite or hospitalisation care.

Send a pre-call SMS to the carer if the customer is signed up for electronic messaging. See Centrelink letters online and Electronic Messaging. Make 2 genuine attempts to contact the customer.

Was contact successful?

• Yes, go to Step 2
• No, DOC the record to advise of contact attempts and discussion to be had. Do not close the MFU activity. Procedure ends here

Discuss the following with the carer:

• Is the absence temporary?
• Do they know the end date of the absence?
• Is the end date of the absence after the date on which the allowable absences expire? If so, discuss the circumstances for the absence with the carer:
• reasons the absence will exceed the allowable absences of that type for the calendar year and
• determine if the carer is eligible for the extended suspension period or if the absence should be extended

If the total period of temporary respite from care is more than 63 days over the calendar year, payment can continue if there is a special reason. An APS 5 Service Officer determines a special circumstance. Generally, a decision to continue payment would only be made if the reason for ceasing care was outside the control of the carer and consistent with the need for, and provision of, personal care and attention. For example, a special circumstance would not exist where the carer extends a holiday beyond 63 days.

Hospitalisation is limited to 63 days except for care receivers who qualify their carer for Carer Payment (CP) (child) or Carer Allowance (CA) (child), in which case there is no limit to hospitalisation days. However, the 63 day respite limit still applies, and all absences must still be coded

Note: if the absence is due to the CA care receiver undertaking Education, Training or Treatment, the payment may continue at a reduced rate for a child care receiver. See Carer Allowance (CA) child care receiver undertakes education, training or treatment.

Is the absence end date known?

• Yes,
• and the absence will not exceed 63 days in a calendar year, update respite coding. See Temporary Cessation of Care (respite) provisions for Carer Payment (CP) and Carer Allowance (CA). Once respite coding has been updated, record all details on a DOC and finalised the MFU. Procedure ends here
• and the absence will exceed 63 days in a calendar year, go to Step 5
• No, go to Step 4

Does the absence need to be assessed for an extension to the 63 days due to special circumstances?

• Yes, tell the carer their special circumstance will need to be reviewing by a Service Support Officer (SSO). To refer to a SSO to assess special circumstances, see Temporary cessation of care (respite) for more than 63 days. Go to Step 8
• No, go to Step 5

Review the carer’s record to determine if they are eligible for an extended suspension period. A carer is considered eligible for an extended suspension period if the carer:

• would have been cancelled because of exceeding respite days
• resides in Australia, and
• remains eligible for all other reasons

Discuss with the carer their eligibility for an extended suspension period of six months. Tell the carer:

• they will retain eligibility for their Pensioner Concession Card (PCC)
• they need to advise Services Australia when they have returned to providing care. Their record will be assessed, and they may have their payment restored

Note: the extended suspension period applies to CP only. If customer is in receipt of CA, CA will cancel when respite exceeds 63 days unless an extension is approved under special circumstances.

• If the carer is eligible and they want to access the extended suspension period, go to Step 6
• If the carer is not eligible for an absence extension or the extended suspension period or does not want to access the extended suspension period, tell the carer:
• their payment will cancel at the end of the 63 days
• they will need to claim another payment or reclaim if they return to providing care and meet eligibility for CP. To find the cancellation date, go to the Temporary cessation of care summary (ABCE) screen and select care receiver from the Care Receiver Summary (CRS) screen
• DOC the record with details of the discussion and outcome and close the MFU. Procedure ends here

Select the care receiver from Care Receiver Summary (CRS) screen. Go to the Temporary cessation of care summary (ABCE) screen. Note the date payment will cancel.

Go to the Activity List (AL) screen and 'S'elect the MFU.

Go to the Benefit Action (BA) screen. Code:

• Service Reason: CAR
• Action: SUS
• Reason: RBX for exceeding respite or HBX for exceeding hospitalisation allowances
• Date of event: same as the cancellation date
• Type AR in Next field
• Select Continue

Go to Step 7.

Assessment Results (AR) screen will show CP suspended from the date allowable respite/hospital days were exceeded.

From the left side menu under Customer, select Document (DOC). When the DOC opens, the following information must be manually recorded:

• Service Reason: CAR - Carer Payment
• Channel: choose relevant contact channel
• Enquiry Type: CSR - Cancellation/Suspension/Rejection
• Who:
• Source: choose relevant Source
• Receipt Date: DOR

The Summary details cannot be updated but the following must be recorded:

• Extra Detail field: Carer Payment Suspended
• Text field:
• Start date of absence:
• End date of absence:
• Date respite days exceeded:
• Carer Payment Suspended:
• Date of Effect of SUS:
• Reason for SUS:
• Social Security Administration Act S95CA

Finalise the activity. Procedure ends here.

Go to the AL screen and 'S'elect the MFU.

Code the absence on the Absences Details (ABSN) screen by keying a 'Y' in the Absence Extended field. This makes sure CP and/or CA will not cancel once the absence extends beyond the 63 allowable days per year. If the absence extension indicator is not coded, the payment will cancel at the expiry of the 63 nights of respite, whether the MFU is actioned or not.

For details on coding, see Temporary cessation of care (respite) for more than 63 days

Record all details on a DOC in the carer’s record, then go to the Assessment Results (AR) screen and complete the MFU activity. Procedure ends here.