Processing end of course and intention to study reviews for Austudy and Youth Allowance (YA) 110-07040020

Is the student able to provide full details of the new course, or their first course preference for the next study period?

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

If advising of study by distance education/correspondence or flexible learning, check that minimum workload criteria have been met.

Determine if the student's course can be approved, and they:

• meet the full-time study requirements for students on YA, or
• satisfy the activity test for Austudy, and
• are making satisfactory progress towards completing their course. See Assessing satisfactory progress for Youth Allowance (YA) tertiary students, or Assessing satisfactory progress for tertiary students for Austudy

Note: a maximum age limit applies to YA

Remind the student that if they are providing their first course preference and they are not accepted into that course, or they choose to start a different course, they must notify the change of study details within 14 days.

For students who intend on studying a Startup Year course to be considered a continuing student they must:

• be enrolled in the course
• have been selected for a STARTUP-HELP loan, and
• have their STARTUP-HELP loan verified

See Startup Year Courses for more information.

If the student is unsure if they will enrol in the Startup Year Course due to awaiting confirmation of a STARTUP-HELP loan, go to Step 3.

See Table 4 > Step 1

If course approval or full-time study requirements cannot be determined, refer to Local Peer Support (LPS).

If the student intends to study in the next study period but is unable to provide course details, they can continue to receive YA or Austudy until their study intentions have been confirmed.

Note: a maximum age limit applies to YA.

For a dependent student under 22 years of age receiving the away from home rate, determine if they continue to be entitled to the away from home rate.

Code the intention to study period as shown below:

• Key START into the Super Key
• Select the Study and Scholarship Details workflow from the Task Selector
• Select Customer Study Details and Newstart Education Status. Select Start
• On the Education Details table, note the student end date for the most recent course
• Select Add. On the Create Education Details screen, update these fields:
  • Participation Status Event Date: key the previous student end date+ 1
  • Participation Status (as appropriate, noting the Manage study details service does not ask customers what level their intended course is. If coding an intention to study based on a Change of Circumstance work item created by the service, use INT):
    INT – Intention to Study Tertiary
    INS – Intention to Study Secondary
  • Course Level (as appropriate):
    TXX - Tertiary - Unspecified intended course
    SXX - Secondary - Unspecified intended course
  • Course Start Date: key the same date used in the Participation Status Event Date field
  • Course End Date: key the day before the intended course is expected to start
  • Select Save
• Key:
  • Receipt Date
  • Channel
  • Service Reason: select the relevant Service Reason
• Select Save
• Select Next
• Check the Newstart Education Status screen to decide if it needs to be updated
• To update, select Add. On the Create Education Status screen, update these fields:
  • Start Date: if Not a Student is coded for student end date + 1 day for the previous intention to study period
  • Student Status: select FTS - Full-Time Student
  • Education Level Attained: select the relevant option where required
• Select Assess and address any errors/warnings on the Errors (SWE) screen
• Select Assess
• Select Finish. Record details of the update. Select Finalise

Note: if Not a Student is coded on the NES screen for student end date + 1 day for the previous intention to study period, the system may automatically cancel payments from this date. If required, check the XDS/XBS screens and restore via the Benefit Action (BA) screen.

The system will issue a Course details required letter to obtain actual study details 3 weeks before the end of the intention to study period. If the customer does not respond to this letter by the end of the intention to study period, their payments will Suspend - Failed to Provide Course Details (SUS-PCD).

Procedure ends here.

Has the customer responded to the Course details required letter?

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

If no contact has been made by the student end date, the student's payment will suspend with the reason Failed to Supply Course Details (PCD) from the student end date + 1 day. A letter advising of the suspension is automatically issued.

If the student:

• responds to the suspension letter within 13 weeks of the date of issue plus reasonable delivery time, go to Step 6
• has not returned to study, see Table 3 > Step 1
• has not responded to the suspension letter, the payment will automatically cancel 13 weeks after the suspension date for reason PCD. A cancellation letter will be automatically issued. If they respond within 13 weeks of the date recorded on the cancellation letter, the record can be restored if they have maintained qualification as a student throughout the entire restoration period. See Restoration of YA or Austudy for full-time students and Australian Apprentices

Procedure ends here.

If they advise:

• new approved course details, see Table 4 > Step 1
• new course details but the course is not approved, go to Step 8
• new course details where the course details are incomplete, or there are doubts about whether the course is approved, go to Step 9
• they no longer intend to study and are looking for work, go to Step 8
• they no longer intend to study and are working. Where they:
  • are under 22 they may continue to be eligible for YA as a job seeker (for example, they are working part-time and are seeking full-time work)
  • no longer want to receive YA or they are working full-time, go to Step 8
  • are 22 or over, they will no longer qualify for YA or Austudy and the payment will need to be cancelled, go to Step 8
• they still intend to study but are unsure of course details. Tell them that intention to study periods can be extended for up to 21 weeks (if the extension takes the total intention period beyond 21 weeks, they must then nominate a course to continue being assessed as a student)

If the student needs an intention to study extension:

• Select the Study and Scholarship Details workflow from the Task Selector
• Select Customer Study Details and Newstart Education Status. Select Start
• On the Customer Study Details screen select Edit on the most recent Intention to Study period entry
• On the Change Education Details screen, key the new intention to study end date in these fields:
  • Course End Date
  • Student End Date
• Select Save
• Key:
  • Receipt Date
  • Channel
  • Service Reason: select the relevant Service Reason
• Select Save
• Select Next
• The Newstart Education Status screen displays
• If Not a Student has been coded for student end date +1 day for the previous intention to study period:
  • Delete the Student Status of Not a Student for previous student end date + 1 day
• Select Save
• Select Assess and address any errors/warnings

Are payments suspended or cancelled Failed to provide course details (SUS-PCD) or (CAN-PCD)?

• Yes, go to Step 7
• No:
  • Select Assess
  • Select Finish
  • Record details of the update. Select Finalise

Procedure ends here.

Determine if the YA or Austudy payments can be restored. See Restoration of YA or Austudy for full-time students and Australian Apprentices.

Can the payment be restored?

• Yes, update the Benefit Action (BA) screen:
  • Select Add. On the Create Benefit Action screen, key these fields:
    Benefit Type Code: YAL
    Benefit Action: RES - Restore
    Select Save
  • Key:
    Receipt Date
    Channel
    Service Reason: select the relevant Service Reason
  • Select Save
  • Select Assess and address any errors/warnings on the Errors (SWE) screen
  • Select Assess
  • Select Finish. Record details of the update. Select Finalise
• No, and the customer requires further financial assistance:
  • refer them to the Payment and Service Finder on the Services Australia website, see Resources for a link
  • tell them to lodge a claim using online services via myGov
  • refer to Contact in relation to an intended claim

Procedure ends here.

Update the customer record with the date the student decided not to return to study or enrol in an unapproved course:

• Select the Study and Scholarship Details workflow from the Task Selector
• Select Customer Study Details and Newstart Education Summary. Select Start
• On the Education Details screen, select Edit on the education line that requires updating
• On the Change Education Details screen, edit the Course End Date and Student End Date fields, to the date the student decided not to return to study, or enrol in an unapproved course
• Select Save
• Key:
  • Receipt Date
  • Channel
  • Service Reason: select the relevant Service Reason
• Select Save
• Select Next
• Select Add on the Newstart Education Status screen
• On the Create Education Status screen, key:
  • Start Date: the student end date + 1 day
  • Student Status: NST - Not a Student
  • Education Level Attained: select the relevant option where required
  • Verification Document code: select the relevant option where required
  • Study Exemption Reason and Study Exemption End Date: fields are only required for customers under 18, see Mutual obligation requirements for Youth Allowance job seekers under 22 years of age who have not completed Year 12 or an equivalent level of education (Certificate III or higher) qualification
• Select Save
• Select Assess and address any errors/warnings on the Errors (SWE) screen
• Select Assess
• Select Finish. Record details of the update. Select Finalise

See Table 3 > Step 1.

If the information provided is unclear or incomplete, or if it cannot immediately be determined that the course is approved, collect as much information as possible.

Information that could be requested in this situation includes proof of enrolment, description of course from education institution website or handbook.

If details cannot be obtained verbally, issue a Request for Information to obtain details. See Requesting information (CLK).

Information can also be lodged via the Manage Study Details online service. In rare circumstances where details cannot be submitted online, a Study Details (MOD ST) form could also be requested via the Request for Information.

If the student knows the full course details, but it cannot be determined if the course is approved on National Course Approvals intranet page, see Referrals to Course Assessment and Liaisons Officers (CALOs)

If the customer makes updates online via the Manage study details option and the updates need manual action, the system will create ZCOC or ZALL activities.

Check the Document List (DL) and History Summary (HS) screens to determine which review the activity relates to.

If the review/activity being processed is the:

• You need to act now letter for an end of course review, go to Step 5
• Course details required letter for an intention to study review, go to Step 6
• Manual Follow-Up (MFU) for CED SY73 letter not sent - issue manually, go to Step 3
• Review Reason: Course End Date failed course end date review, go to Step 2

Where there are no new course details, an automatic review is created the day after the Student End Date (SED) to change student status on the Newstart Education Status (NES) table to NST - Not a Student.

If there is an error, this review cannot autocomplete. The system creates a work item that allocates for manual action. The reviews contain:

• Review Reason: Course End Date on the Activity Details (AY) screen
• Failed Course End Date Review, review and/or update EDC and NES in the activity notes
• the CEDERR keyword. To view keywords, in Customer First, select:
  • the activity from the Activity List (AL), and
  • (K) Keyword option

Failure to correctly complete these work items can result in payment continuing incorrectly.

If allocated a failed CED review:

• check the record for any uploaded documents or online study updates made after the SED (new course or intention to study)
• select the activity from AL
• view and resolve the error
• make any required updates in the activity
• finalise the activity and make sure that the outcome is correct – YA/JSK or YA/AUS/CAN-NST
• record a DOC where appropriate

YA customers under 22 years of age who are getting YA:

• can choose to stay on YA as a job seeker
• must book a Student to Job Seeker Transfer (SJT) appointment as part of their CED review

When actioning a failed CED review for a person under 22 years of age:

• check Appointments for an SJT appointment
• if the SED has passed and the customer has not booked a SJT appointment, code a manual cancellation:
  • Effect date: SED + 1 day
  • Reason: Not a full-time student (NST)

For help resolving complex issues, see Tier 0 technical support - self-sufficiency.

Procedure ends here.

Where a student payment claim is granted or updates are made and on the day of processing, the Student End Date (SED) is within 28 days, a CED SY73 letter not sent - issue manually MFU is created. This occurs because the system has been unable to issue the You need to act now letter that would usually issue 4 weeks before the SED.

Note: check the History Summary (HS) screen first to see if the letter has been sent.

Where the letter has been sent, complete the MFU with no further action required. If the letter has not been sent, attempt to contact the customer by phone to see if they intend to continue studying.

If contact with the customer is:

• successful, go to Step 5
• unsuccessful, and customer is:
  • still current go to Step 4
  • cancelled, record details of attempted contact on a DOC and finalise the CED SY73 letter not sent- issue manually MFU activity

Procedure ends here.

Generate a manual letter:

• Check and note the current Student End Date recorded on the Education Course Details (EDC) screen
• In Customer First Workspace, locate the Generic Letter guided procedure. Complete the following:
  • Letter Type, select Q999
  • Business Line, select STUDENTS
  • Letter Description, depending on the payment the customer is receiving, choose either AUS Course End or YAL Course End
• The appropriate advice text will display
• Manually key the Student End Date <DD Month YYYY> for the current course in the space provided on the letter
• Make sure the options at the bottom of the page are updated:
  • Create DOC - Completed
  • Finalise letter - Yes
  • Print - Central
  • Select Finish
• The system will create a Q999 letter and corresponding DOC on the record
• If the customer has a correspondence nominee, send the same letter to the correspondence nominee
• Finalise the CED SY73 letter not sent - issue manually MFU activity

Procedure ends here.

Four weeks before their student end date, an end of course review letter is sent to the student. If updates are made to the student end date so that it falls within the next 28 days, an automatic end of course review letter will not be generated and information needs to be gathered verbally or by sending a manual letter.

The student is encouraged to advise details of their future study intentions online or by phone but may advise their details in person or by mail.

If the information is being provided verbally, make sure full details of the new course are obtained.

Once obtained, determine if there are any complex issues, (for example, allowable time discrepancies, course pending approval) that may need further investigation and action. Seek technical support if required to correctly assess complex issues.

Go to Step 7.

Three weeks before their intention to study end date, a 'Course details required' letter is sent to the student to remind them that they are required to supply their new course details as their intention to study period is ending.

If the student does not respond to the 'Course details required' letter before the end of their intention to study period, their record will Suspend - Failed to Provide Course Details (SUS-PCD).

Intention to study periods for intending students can be extended up to 21 weeks, but should not extend past the next available study period for the student's course at their institution. (This does not apply to YA customers who have an intention to study during a temporary incapacity period. See Youth Allowance (YA) student or Australian Apprentice becomes incapacitated or impacted by unforeseen or extreme circumstances.)

To assess an intention to study review, see Table 2 > Step 4.

Does the student intend to continue studying in the next study period?

• Yes, the manual SY73 letter is not required, cancel the MFU activity. If the customer:
  • intends to start a new course, see Table 2 > Step 1
  • is extending their current course end date, go to Step 13
• No, and they:
  • will complete their course at the end of the current study period, go to Step 14
  • have ceased studying before the end of their course, go to Step 8

• Go to the Education Course Details History (EDC) screen and select the most recent course
• Update the Student End Date field with the last date the customer met their study requirements. If the new Student End Date is:
  • later than the date previously recorded, the Course End Date/Inst Course End Datefield will need to match the Student End Date field
  • earlier than the date previously recorded, the Inst Course End Date remains unchanged, unless it needs to be updated as per the Inst Course End Date
• Update the Date of Receipt as the date the customer provided this information
• Go to the Newstart Education Status (NES) screen
• Key the Event Date as student end date + 1 day
• For Student Status select Not a Student
• Update the Educ Level Attained where required
• Update the Y12/Equiv verified where required
• Study Exemption Rsn and Study Exemption End date: fields are only required for customers under 18, see Mutual obligation requirements for Youth Allowance job seekers under 22 years of age who have not completed Year 12 or an equivalent level of education (Certificate III or higher) qualification
• Select 'Ins'ert in the Action field

For a dependent student receiving the away from home rate, determine if they continue to be entitled to the away from home rate.

Go to Step 9.

Once the education details have been updated, determine the age of the student. If they are aged:

• under 22, go to Step 10
• 22 or older receiving YA or Austudy, go to Step 12

Has the student contacted before their student end date, or within 14 days after their student end date?

• Yes, go to Step 11
• No, cancel the payment on the Benefit Action (BA) screen:
  • Go to the Benefit Action (BA) screen and update fields:
    Svc Rsn: YAL
    Action: CAN
    Reason: NST (Not a full-time student)
  • Effect Date: student end date + 1 day
  • Finalise the activity via the AR screen. Tell the customer that a debt may be generated for payments received when not qualified as a student
  • Record details of contact and cancellation decision on a DOC
  • If the customer requires further financial assistance refer them to the Payment and Service Finder on the Services Australia website, see Resources for a link
    tell them to lodge a claim using online services via myGov
    refer to Contact in relation to an intended claim (CLK)

Procedure ends here.

The customer may continue to qualify for YA if they are under 22 years of age and willing to satisfy mutual obligation requirements as a job seeker or they have become an Australian Apprentice.

If they want to receive YA as:

• a job seeker:
  • finalise the activity via the AR screen
  • see Student to job seeker transfers
  • procedure ends here
• an Australian Apprentice:
  • finalise the activity via the AR screen
  • see Existing customer starts an Australian Apprenticeship
  • procedure ends here

If they no longer want to receive YA, cancel YA:

• go to the Benefit Action (BA) screen and update fields:
  • Svc Rsn: YAL
  • Action: CAN
  • Reason: NST (Not a full-time student)
  • Effect Date: student end date + 1 day
• finalise the activity via the AR screen. Tell the customer that a debt may be generated for payments received when not qualified as a student
• Record details of contact and cancellation decision on a DOC
• If the customer requires further financial assistance refer them to the Payment and Service Finder on the Services Australia website, see Resources for a link
  • tell them to lodge a claim using online services via myGov
  • refer to Contact in relation to an intended claim (CLK)

Procedure ends here.

Austudy or YA will auto cancel with reason NST - Not a Full-Time Student the date after the student end date. An automatic letter will be issued.

If study has stopped and contact has been made to test eligibility for another income support payment, tell the customer that a debt may be generated for payments received when not qualified as a student. If they want to claim payment as a job seeker, see Student to job seeker transfers. Discuss eligibility for other payments and services.

• If they indicate they will stop study within the next 28 days and want to transfer to JobSeeker Payment (JSP), see Student to job seeker transfers. Alert the customer that they will have access to a streamlined claim for JSP
• Record details of contact and cancellation decision on a DOC

Procedure ends here.

Does the customer meet the continuing/ intending student rules?

• Yes, go to Step 14
• No, and the customer is:
  • under 22 years of age on their student end date, see Table 3 > Step 3
  • 22 years of age or over on their student end date, their student payment will cancel from their student end date + 1 day. If the customer requires more help, refer them to the Payment and Service Finder on the Services Australia website, see Resources for a link. Tell them to lodge a claim using online services via myGov. Refer to Contact in relation to an intended claim (CLK)
  • record details of contact and cancellation decision on a DOC

Procedure ends here.

There may be a need to change or correct the date in the Course End Date/Inst Course End Date field and Student End Date fields on the EDC screen. Allowable time must also be considered.

For more on changing course end dates, see Effect of end of course on payments for students.

Note: the NES screen may need updating if the previously recorded Student End Date on the EDC screen is in the past. Delete the NES entry of Not a student to restore and correctly represent continuing study. If payment is cancelled from previous Student End Date + 1, check the XDS/XBS screens and restore via the BA screen if required.

Procedure ends here.

Is the student able to provide full details of the new course, or their first course preference for the next study period?

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

If advising of study by distance education/correspondence or flexible learning, check that minimum workload criteria have been met.

Determine if the student's course can be approved, and they:

• meet the full-time study requirements for students on YA, or
• satisfy the activity test for Austudy
• are making satisfactory progress towards completing their course. See Assessing satisfactory progress for Youth Allowance (YA) tertiary students, or Assessing satisfactory progress for tertiary students for Austudy

Note: a maximum age limit applies to YA

Remind the student that if they are providing their first course preference and they are not accepted into that course, or they choose to start a different course, they must notify of the change of study details within 14 days.

For students who intend on studying a Startup Year course to be considered a continuing student they must:

• be enrolled in the course
• have been selected for a STARTUP-HELP loan, and
• have their STARTUP-HELP loan verified

See Startup Year Courses for more information.

If the student is unsure if they will enrol in the Startup Year Course due to awaiting confirmation of a STARTUP-HELP loan, go to Step 3.

See Table 4 > Step 1.

If course approval, or full-time study requirements cannot be determined, refer to Local Peer Support (LPS).

If the student intends to study in the next study period but is unable to provide course details, they can continue to receive YA or Austudy until their study intentions have been confirmed. Note: a maximum age limit applies to YA.

For a dependent student under 22 years of age receiving the away from home rate, determine if they continue to be entitled to the away from home rate.

Code the intention to study period by updating the Education Course Details (EDC) screen manually as follows:

• On the Education Course History (EDCH) screen note the most recent student end date recorded for the most recent course. Once noted, select Add New EDC Details to move to a blank EDC screen
• On the EDC screen, update these fields:
  • Participation Status Event Date: key the previous student end date+ 1
  • Participation Status: as appropriate, noting the Manage study details service does not ask customers what level their intended course is. If coding an intention to study based on a Change of Circumstance work item created by the service, use INT):
    INT' - Intention to Study Tertiary
    INS - Intention to Study Secondary
  • Course Level (as appropriate)
    TXX - Tertiary - Unspecific intended course
    SXX - Secondary - Unspecific intended course
  • Inst Course Start Date key the same date used in the Participation Status Event Date field
  • Inst Course End Date field key the day before the intended course is expected to start
  • Source and Receipt Date
  • Action field: Select INS
• Select Continue
• Check the NES screen. If Not a Student is coded for student end date + 1 day for the previous intention to study period, update the Student Status to Full-Time Student in addition to the Level Attained if required
• Finalise the activity via the Assessment Results (AR) screen
• Record details on a DOC

Note: if Not a Student is coded on the NES screen for student end date + 1 day for the previous intention to study period, the system may automatically cancel payments from this date. If required, check the XDS/XBS screens and restore via the BA screen.

The system will issue a Course details required letter to obtain actual study details 3 weeks before the end of the intention to study period. If the customer does not respond to this letter by the end of the intention to study period, their payments will Suspend - Failed to Provide Course Details (SUS-PCD).

Procedure ends here.

Has the customer responded to the Course details required letter?

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

If no contact has been made by the student end date, the student's payment will suspend with the reason Failed to Supply Course Details PCD from the student end date + 1 day. A letter advising of the suspension is automatically issued.

If the student:

• responds to the suspension letter within 13 weeks of the date of issue plus reasonable delivery, go to Step 6
• has not returned to study, see Table 3 > Step 1
• has not responded to the suspension letter, the payment will automatically cancel 13 weeks after the suspension date for reason PCD. A cancellation letter will be automatically issued. If they respond within 13 weeks of the date recorded on the cancellation letter, the record can be restored if they have maintained qualification as a student throughout the entire restoration period. See Restoration of YA or Austudy for full-time students and Australian Apprentices

Procedure ends here.

Action the intention to study review according to the circumstances.

If actioning an update that has been allocated as a Change of Circumstances (CoC), edit the status of the CoC to ‘completed’ when the update is complete.

If they are advising:

• new approved course details see Table 4 > Step 1
• new course details but the course is not approved, go to Step 7
• new course details where the course details are incomplete, or there are doubts about whether the course is approved, go to Step 8
• they no longer intend to study and are looking for work, go to Step 7
• they no longer intend to study and are working. Where they:
  • are under 22 they may continue to be eligible for YA as a job seeker (for example, they are working part-time and are seeking full-time work)
    no longer want to receive YA or they are working full-time, go to Step 7
  • are 22 or over, they will no longer qualify for YA or Austudy and the payment will need to be cancelled, go to Step 7
• they still intend to study but are unsure of course details, advise that intention to study periods can be extended for up to 21 weeks (if the extension takes the total intention period beyond 21 weeks, they must nominate a course to continue being assessed as a student)

If the student needs an intention to study extension:

• Go to the EDCH screen and select the most recent Intention to Study period screen
• On the EDC screen, key the new intention to study end date in these fields:
  • Course End Date/Inst Course End Date field
  • Student End Date
• Enter the Source, Receipt Date and Change or 'C' the information on the screen
• The Newstart Education Status (NES) screen may require updating if Not a Student has been coded for student end date +1 day for the previous intention to study period
  • On the NES screen, delete the Student Status of Not a Student for previous student end date + 1 day
• If payments are suspended or cancelled - Failed to provide course details (SUS-PCD) or (CAN-PCD) determine if the YA or Austudy payment can be restored via the Benefit Action (BA) screen. See Restoration of Youth Allowance (YA) or Austudy for full-time students and Australian Apprentices
• Finalise the activity via the AR screen
• Record details on a DOC

Procedure ends here.

Update the customer record with the date the student decided not to return to study, or enrol in an unapproved course:

• Go to the EDC screen, correct the Course End Date/Inst Course End Date field and the Student End Date fields to the date the student decided not to return to study or enrol in an unapproved course
• On the NES screen, update Student Status to 'Not a Student' from the newly corrected student end date + 1 day

See Table 3 > Step 1.

If the information provided is unclear or incomplete, or it cannot immediately be determined that the course is approved, collect as much information as possible.

Information that could be requested in this situation includes proof of enrolment, description of course from education provider’s website or handbook.

If details cannot be obtained verbally, issue a Request for Information letter to obtain details using the guided procedure.

Information can also be lodged via the Manage Study Details online service. In rare circumstances where details cannot be submitted online, a Study Details (MOD ST) form could also be requested via the Request for Information letter.

If the student knows the full course details, but it cannot be determined if the course is approved on the National Course Approvals intranet page, see Referrals to Course Assessment and Liaisons Officers (CALOs).