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Processing proof of a child's birth 007-07030080

Before starting this process, staff must read the Operational Message.



For appropriately trained Families and Child Care processing staff only.

This document explains what to do when proof of a child's birth is scanned to a customer's record.

For Add Newborn work items created in Process Direct select the Process Direct tab

For Add Newborn work items created in Customer First select the Customer First tab

Process Direct

On this page:

Process proof of a child's birth

Finalise Add Newborn activity

Process proof of a child's birth

Table 1

Step

Action

1

Check date of receipt + Read more ...

Date of Receipt

Code and process Work items using the correct date of receipt. This date can differ from the 'capture date' for confirming the date of a claim that has been scanned. Staff can confirm the correct date using the Documents icon in Process Direct. This screen displays both the 'date of receipt' and the 'capture date'. The Resources page contains a date of receipt matrix.

2

Check claim status or intention to claim + Read more ...

If the customer (or their partner):

If the customer and partner both have claims assessed pending proof of birth and only one member of the couple has completed the Add newborn service or uploaded the fully completed FA081, go to Step 6.

3

Medicare enrolment only + Read more ...

Self service option is available Customers can enrol a newborn for Medicare online.

Customers can lodge a FA081 to enrol the child in Medicare. This includes the Medicare Safety Net and My Health Record. The FA081 must be complete and signed.

The customer can also provide other acceptable proof of birth and lodge a Medicare Enrolment Application (MS004) form. The Resources page contains a link to this form.

If the completed FA081 indicates to only register the newborn for Medicare:

  • Cancel the families scan activity in Customer First. Make sure the Medicare Newborn Manual Enrolment (MAENROL) DOC remains open. If the original MAENROL DOC closes:
    • create this manually in Customer First for processing by Medicare
    • make sure the Date of Receipt (DOR) matches the original MAENROL DOC. See Fast Note, use Auto Text > Families > Update > Medicare Enrolment
  • Check if the customer's partner already has a claim for payments. If yes, use the proof of birth to assess the claim. Note: customers claiming PPL must advise if applied to register the birth with their state, territory or agency

Despite what the customer states on the form, Centrelink and Medicare can use this proof of birth.

Procedure ends here.

4

No claim for child on record + Read more ...

Check the FA081 to see if the customer wants to claim payments for their newborn child. Check their response to the PPL question and the Medicare-only question.

When a FA081 is scanned to the customer's record, a Social Application (SOA) shell Work Item is generated. This SOA activity contains no information apart from:

  • the CRN
  • personal details, and
  • the receipt date

Relevant information will need to be manually updated within the Work Item using information from the scanned FA081 and any associated documentation.

Where a scanned FA081 did not create a SOA activity, manually create a SOA shell via the Process Direct Landing page.

If the customer lodged a FA081 and is:

  • not FTB current and does not have a claim, go to Step 5
  • FTB current (FTB/CUR or FTB/CZR), and
    • wants to claim PPL, go to Step 5
    • does not want to claim PPL (or rejected PPL) and has a complete FA081, reassess FTB by manually coding the provided details within the Add Newborn SOA activity, go to Step 8
  • does not have a pre-birth claim and the FA081 is incomplete or needs more information go to Step 5
  • does not have a pre-birth claim or acceptable Proof of Birth (POB) (e.g. FA081 back page), go to Step 5

If the customer is not FTB current and lodged other acceptable POB, contact to discuss claim options.

  • issue a manual Q777 letter. The Resources page contains the instructions and suggested letter text
  • update the status of the SOA to ‘not required’. Record details on a Note/DOC

Procedure ends here.

5

Customer claiming payments + Read more ...

Call the customer to discuss claim options and invite them to claim payments for the child.

If the customer is subscribed to Desktop Messaging, send a pre-call notification SMS through Desktop Messaging before calling them. For pre-call messages, allow a lead-in time of 5 minutes in case there is a delay sending the message.

Before calling the customer, check the customer has registered or applied to register the birth with their state or territory agency. If the customer has not answered, or answered 'no', tell them Paid Parental Leave or Newborn Supplement cannot be paid until they have registered or applied to register the birth.

If contact with the customer is successful:

If contact with the customer is not successful, check the address details and update if needed. If the customer lodged:

In Customer First:

Make sure the MAENROL DOC remains open. If the original MAENROL DOC closes:

  • create this manually for processing by Medicare
  • make sure that the Date of Receipt (DOR) matches that of the original MAENROL DOC. See Fast Note: Auto Text > Families > Update > Medicare Enrolment

Check if the customer's partner has a claim for payments. If yes, use the proof of birth for their claim.

Discuss potential entitlement to another Centrelink payment (e.g. Parenting Payment (PP)) with the customer or send a Q999. See Resources page for letter text.

Procedure ends here.

6

FTB/PPL claim assessed pending proof of birth + Read more ...

Select the appropriate option below:

Customers using the 'Add newborn child' service online or the 'Add child' service via the Express Plus Centrelink mobile app + Read more ...

For customers whose pre-birth claim is pending proof of birth and who used the 'Add newborn child' service online or the 'Add child' service via the Express Plus Centrelink mobile app to provide child details and upload proof of birth:

Customers who have not used the 'Add newborn child' service online or the 'Add child' service via the Express Plus Centrelink mobile app but their partner has + Read more ...

Customers whose pre-birth claim is pending proof of birth and who have not used the ‘Add newborn child' or the 'Add child' service, but their partner has, can have their claim assessed using the details the partner has supplied in their Add newborn:

  • Automatic processing will sometimes occur when the partner’s Add newborn is processed. If it has not, process the Add newborn manually
  • Create a Social Application (SOA) shell with benefit type: Add Newborn from the Process Direct landing page.
  • Use the same date of receipt that was used to assess the partner’s Add Newborn/FA081
    Note: the Add Newborn/FA081 supplied by the partner cannot be used to finalise the customer’s PPL claim if it indicates the child’s birth has not been registered. Tell the customer proof of the child’s birth must be submitted separately for their own PPL claim.
  • Go to Step 8

Customers who have not used the ‘Add newborn child’ service online or the ‘Add child’ service via the Express Plus Centrelink mobile app but now have a post birth claim lodged on the record + Read more ...

Customers or their partners who have lodged a full FA081 + Read more ...

If the customer or their partner have lodged an FA081, check that all questions have been answered in full. If:

  • minimal questions have been missed and the child's name has been provided, collect the missing information over the phone. Assess the Add Newborn using the new information along with the information from the initial claim
  • the customer has the original FA081, ask the customer to complete the missing questions and upload the fully completed FA081

If the FA081 is scanned on the partner’s record, the customer can have their claim assessed using those details.

When a FA081 is scanned to a customer's record, a Social Application (SOA) shell Work Item is generated. This activity contains no information apart from:

  • the CRN
  • personal details, and
  • the receipt date

Relevant information will need to be manually updated within the Work Item using information from the scanned FA081 and any associated documentation.

Where a scanned FA081 did not create a SOA, create a SOA with benefit type: Add Newborn via the Process Direct landing page. See Process Direct navigation, common screens and functions for more information. The Add Newborn can be assessed in the newly created activity using the information from the FA081 along with the information from the initial claim.

Contact the customer if there are any concerns that their circumstances have changed since the initial claim was submitted.

Go to Step 8.

Lodged/uploaded FA081 with back page only, or without the back page and without child's name/details or only other acceptable proof of birth provided + Read more ...

Contact the customer, send a pre-call notification SMS through Desktop Messaging before calling, and tell them:

  • to access the 'Add newborn child' service online or the 'Add child' service via the Express Plus Centrelink mobile app and answer all questions displayed, or
  • if the customer has the original FA081, complete it in full and upload all pages of the completed FA081

Place the SOA on hold, reason Pending customer contact. See Information requests for FTB and PPL claims, and Add Newborn and PPL change of circumstances activities for further information.

Document the record to advise outcome of discussion.

Note: if the customer provides the back page of the FA081 with the Doctor/Midwife section complete, but the customer section at the top of the back page is incomplete, the back page is acceptable proof of birth providing the full serial number is also included.

If the customer is not available:

If the customer provides the requested information within the required time, go to Step 8.

Where proof of birth is not provided, the claim will automatically NEF-POB 56 days after the nominated start date. The status must be changed to ‘Not Required’ for the SOA created when FA081 lodged and customer has not completed ‘add newborn service’ online or provided FA081 in full. Procedure ends here.

Note: if the requested information not provided is due to a secretary initiated review of decision of the pre-birth PPL claim, change the Add Newborn activity status to 'Not Required'. Reassess and reject the pre-birth claim with the relevant rejection code. See Not effective, rejection or withdrawal of claim for Parental Leave Pay (PPL).

For PPL claims when processing the Add newborn activity + Read more ...

The PPL scheme changed for children born or adopted on or after 1 July 2023.

The system compares the PPL start date with:

  • the Expected Date of Birth (EDOB), and
  • the Actual Date of Birth (DOB)

The system will automatically update the start date, if required.

Do not update the PPL start date if there are any days falls between the EDOB and DOB.

Note: some customers change their NSD:

  • after their pre-birth claim has been assessed, and
  • before their Add Newborn assessment has been finalised

Staff can find this information via notes on the customer record or via the PPL Summary (P1FLX) screen.

Where two customers:

  • are partnered at the date of the Add Newborn is submitted, and
  • both have lodged PPL pre-birth claims, including a combined FTB/PPL pre-birth claim, for the same birth event for a child who is born or adopted on or after 1 July 2023, and
  • both claims are linked with the same Approval ID, and
  • the relationships between the claimants is either
    • birth mother (BMO) - partner of birth mother (BMP)
    • adoptive parent (ADP) - partner of adoptive parent (APP), and
  • both PPL claims are ASSessed - Pending proof of birth (PCB), and
  • child’s birth has been registered on the Child Registration (CHR) screen, and
  • proof of birth/placement is verified on the Change Child (CCH) screen

then

  • one customer provides proof of birth via an Add Newborn activity and their PPL claim is granted
  • the system will assess the same proof of birth for the partner and automatically grant their PPL claim

If any of the above criteria is not met, automatic processing of the partner’s PPL claim will not occur. The partner’s Add Newborn claim will need to be processed manually.

Check also if the partner has claimed FTB as automatic processing does not occur for the FTB claim. Manually create a FTB NCL SOA to assess the FTB using the same Date of Receipt as the PPL Add Newborn activity.

Automatic processing of the partner’s PPL claim will also not occur if the birth mother:

  • lodges a PPL claim as a single person, and
  • advises after the claim submission date that they were partnered to the child’s biological father on a date before the claim submission date

The partner’s Add Newborn claim will need to be processed manually.

Where:

  • automatic processing of the partners PPL claim does not occur, and
  • the Add Newborn activity is not for a birth mother or biological father in normal circumstances e.g. Gaining parent in surrogacy arrangement, then
  • the Approval Giver’s claim needs to be processed first to ensure the correct outcome

See Claiming payments for children entrusted to care as part of the process of adoption or surrogacy.

Go to Step 8.

7

Pre-birth claim and Post-birth claim lodged for the same birth event + Read more ...

8

Action the Add Newborn activity + Read more ...

Prior to completing the necessary updates in the Add Newborn activity, on the Transaction Summary (TS) screen, link the child and complete any partner updates. This action must be completed before selecting Process or the data load from the Add Newborn will not complete correctly on the customer's record. See Table 2 in Process Direct navigation, common screens and functions.

Note: do not create a newborn child record in Process Direct outside of:

  • an existing claim
  • an Add Newborn activity, or
  • associated non-new claim transaction

If a child has been adopted or there is a surrogacy arrangement, a child record can be created in Customer First before linking to the customer, where directed by Operational Blueprint.

Action the Add Newborn activity:

  • Select Process
  • In the customer's record, check/update as appropriate the following screens from the SAP Warnings and Errors (SWE) screen:
  • Note: for a manually created Social Application (SOA) the PPL Claim Details (P1CLM) screen is required to be updated with the original claim data
  • For children born or adopted before 1 July 2023 and a customer advises they have returned to work since becoming the primary carer, the return to work date will need to be updated on the PPL Employment Dates (P1ED) screen
  • In the child's record check/update as appropriate the following screens from CHTS on the SWE screen:
    • Child Registration Details (CHR)
    • Child in Primary Care (CIPC) - only PPL claims for children born before 1 July 2023
    • Child in Care (CHC)
    • Customer Person Details (CPDS)
    • Shared Care Assessment (SCA) - FTB only
    • Care Alignment Details Screen (CADDS) - FTB only
    • Change Child (CCH)
    • Child Relationships Details (CHRE)
    • Newborn Supplement Questionnaire (NBSQ) - FTB only
    • Residency task Selector (RETS)
    • Travel Outside of Australia (TOAS) (view only)
    • Residency Details (RSLEG)
    • Country of Residence (CRES)
    • Immigration Enquiry (RSIMME)
    • For more information on updating these screens see Processing standalone and combined claims for family assistance and/or Paid Parental Leave scheme payments
  • Complete all updates in the first initial ‘Add Newborn child’, including if the partner is FTB PND POB
  • If an FTB current (FTB/CUR or FTB/CZR) customer/partner has claimed PPL only, assess FTB eligibility for the child within the Add Newborn activity, see Processing standalone and combined claims for family assistance and/or Paid Parental Leave scheme payments

Note: if completing the Add Newborn activity for the customer results in partner’s PPL being assessed, the partner’s outcome only will be Noted advising PPL has been granted. Create a new Note on the partner’s record with the outcome of the assessment. See the Resources page.

As the 'Add Newborn' Service is not a claim, any duplicate 'Add newborn child' service activities completed by the customer for the same child should not be deemed not effective (NEF). Complete all updates within the first initial 'Add newborn child' service.

If there is a manual follow up (MFU) on the record that is preventing processing, action via the Activity List (AL) screen in Customer First.

To finalise the Add Newborn activity, see Table 2.

9

Pre-birth claim finalised as 'NEF' + Read more ...

If the Add Newborn activity is for PPL only, FTB only or combined PPL/FTB status - NEF/PCB:

10

Pre-birth claim lodged, not yet processed + Read more ...

Select the appropriate option below.

Paper pre-birth claim + Read more ...

Using the existing Social Application (SOA) shell, the claim can be assessed as a post-birth claim using the information from the pre-birth paper claim (FA100/FA080) in addition to the fully completed FA081/Proof of birth.

  • Determine the correct date of receipt (DOR) = Date proof of birth (POB) received
  • Manually enter relevant claim data using the information from the pre-birth and post birth claims and Proof of Birth provided

See Processing standalone and combined claims for family assistance and/or Paid Parental Leave scheme payments.

Incomplete FA081 or only the back page has been provided + Read more ...

If the customer has lodged:

  • an incomplete FA081, contact them to collect the missing information
  • the back page only of the FA081, contact them and ask to provide full FA081 or complete the Add Newborn online service (if prebirth claim has been assessed)

If the customer cannot be contacted, issue a written request. If the customer lodged a full FA081 with missing information, print the FA081 lodged and send this with the request.

See the Resources page for suggested letter text.

Online pre-birth claim + Read more ...

Paid Parental Leave (PPL)/Family Tax Benefit (FTB)

If the claimant is the biological father or partner of the birth mother and they have submitted a pre-birth PPL claim, prior to processing, do more checks to work out if the claimant meets the exceptional circumstances criteria.

Attempt to contact the claimant to determine if the claim has been incorrectly made.

Before calling Desktop Electronic Messaging Capability (DEMC) may be used to advise the customer they will be receiving a phone call. See Centrelink letters online and Electronic Messaging.

If the claim was incorrectly lodged, help the claimant to withdraw the claim. See Withdrawal of claims.

Otherwise, process the pre-birth claim as a post birth claim in Process Direct. To do this:

  • regenerate the claim
  • change the status of the online pre-birth claim to Not Required:
    • go to the Transaction Summary (TS) screen
    • select Status
    • select Edit
    • in the Change Status dialogue box, select Not Required
    • select Save
  • cancel the started claim new claim activity:
    • go to the Activity List (AL) screen
    • Select Cancel
    • Select OK to confirm cancellation
  • create a Social Online Application (SOA) shell using the details from the pre-birth claim and proof of birth. Select the relevant claim type (Paid Parental Leave, Family Tax Benefit or Combined Families claim). See Process Direct Navigation, common screens and functions for creating a SOA shell

Note: determine the correct date of receipt (DOR) = Date proof of birth (POB) received.

Contact the customer if there are any concerns that their circumstances have changed since the initial claim was submitted.

See Processing standalone and combined claims for family assistance and/or Paid Parental Leave scheme payments for assistance with manually coding the relevant screens within the SOA shell.

Other scenarios + Read more ...

The Resources page contains a date of receipt matrix for all other scenarios.

Record action details on a DOC in Customer First.

11

CCS only claim + Read more ...

If the customer has submitted combined claims (CCS and FTB/PPL), the child adding and linking processes must be completed as part of the Families legacy claim process. See Pre-processing checks for standalone and combined claims for family assistance and/or Paid Parental Leave payments. Procedure ends here.

Customers whose child does not have an existing record and have submitted a standalone CCS claim with acceptable proof of birth, see Helping customers provide proof of a child's birth for family assistance, Child Care Subsidy (CCS) and Paid Parental leave scheme claims. For customers providing the following as proof of the child's birth:

  • a completed paper FA081 or birth certificate
  • an incomplete FA081, or
  • the back page of the FA081 only

the child will need to be added in a separate activity. See Linking a child to a customer's record. Note: where the FA081 is used to verify the child's date of birth, the unique serial number must be coded.

In Customer First, complete the families scan activity. If the customer has lodged a fully completed FA081, make sure the MAENROL DOC remains open.

If the original MAENROL DOC is closed:

  • create this manually for processing by Medicare
  • make sure that the Date of Receipt (DOR) matches the original MAENROL DOC. See Fast Note: Select Auto Text, use Families > Update > Medicare Enrolment

Procedure ends here.

Finalise Add Newborn activity

Table 2

Step

Action

1

Assess the Add Newborn activity + Read more ...

In the customer's record:

  • Resolve edits or errors, and assess the Add Newborn activity
  • After completing all required updates, return to the SWE screen to view errors, warnings and messages in the Message Log. These need to be addressed to finalise the claim
  • Once all errors have been addressed select Assess

Are MNGS updates required?

2

Maintenance + Read more ...

Review both sections below.

Maintenance coding + Read more ...

Maintenance coding in Process Direct is performed on the Maint Ent Grp Summary (MNGS) screen. This screen is a post assess screen, which means all other claim updates will need to be completed before making updates to MNGS.

Before updating MNGS complete all claim updates and select Assess on SWE screen.

  • If a new maintenance group is required, an error shows on SWE after selecting Assess. Go to the MNGS screen and code the necessary updates
  • If other updates are required on MNGS screen for children already grouped, go to the MNGS screen from the ELD screen after selecting Assess

Once updates are complete, go to the SWE screen and select Assess again to go through to the ELD screen and continue to finalise the claim as per Step 3.

Note: if additional updates are made after navigating to ELD the updates on MNGS will need to be coded again before finalising the claim.

Child support details for an FTB child from a previous relationship:

  • Make sure children are grouped correctly on MNGS screen. Further information on coding is provided in the steps below
  • If there is a requirement to obtain child support, a Maintenance Action Requirement letter will automatically issue to the customer if they are in the 13 week (91 day) DMA (deciding maintenance action) grace period when the FTB claim is granted. In most cases, a customer will be given an automatic DMA period of 13 weeks (91 days) for a child from the relevant date of event. A manual workaround may be required to simulate a DMA period for the customer
  • In Process Direct, go to MNGS screen. Select the relevant child using the drop down option, go to Maintenance Action Results (MNMA) table. On MNMA table, if the DMA period has not stimulated correctly, escalate the case to the National ICT Referral Officer (NIRO). See Maintenance Action Test (MAT) for FTB customers
  • If an exemption from seeking maintenance action has been requested, or a child has re-entered care and an exemption was previously recorded for the child. See Exemptions from seeking child support for Family Tax Benefit (FTB) customers
  • For shared care, Child Support will register one child support case instead of 2. See MAT for customers with shared care

Update maintenance details + Read more ...

Customer has indicated they have taken action to obtain child support. Update maintenance data using current procedures. See MAT for FTB customers.

Go to MNGS screen. Check that all children are correctly grouped according to child support entitlement.

Before creating a new group, check if the child should be placed in an existing group. When adding a child, the preference is that the child is placed in a:

  • group that child's other parents name against it (option 1)
  • group with any full sibling (option 2), or
  • new group if the above options do not exist

Only one current relationship or non-biological group can be created. A separate entitled group must be created for each paying parent.

Creating a new group

  • Go to MNGS screen in the FTB customer's record
  • A warning will show about disclosure of MNGS information, after reading the warning, select Close
  • Select Add to create a new Maintenance group. Note as above this will only activate once Assess is selected for the first time
  • Select the Group Type Code
  • Select Save

Manage child grouping

  • Select Manage Child Grouping
  • In the Manage Child Grouping dialogue box, in the From Group table, select either the customer or the partner, select the Group ID
  • Select the child from the Child List table
  • From the To Group, select the customer or partner, select the Group ID
  • Select Move

To remove a child from a group

  • Select Manage Child Grouping
  • In the Manage Child Grouping screen, in the From Group table, select the customer or partner, select the Group ID
  • Select the child from the Child List table
  • Select Delete

Go to SWE and select Assess.

3

Check the outcome + Read more ...

If payments have been reassessed when processing the Add Newborn activity, investigate the reassessment via:

  • Assessment Consequences (ASC) screen for debt details. If PPL is granted from a date in the past, an income support payment (ISP) debt may be calculated as PPL is treated as income for ISP
  • the Daily Rate Component (RAC) screen for details on debts, adjustments or arrears

Inhibit letters if necessary (e.g. FTB letters for a customer who is deceased should not be generated):

  • From the Entitlement (ELD) screen, go to the Action (ASC) screen
  • Go to Letter Action column
  • Select the drop down option for the Benefit Type
  • Select Inhibit Letters

Check if a manual adjustment is required

If the negative adjustment is an excess payment or is not a legally recoverable debt, the negative adjustment amount can be manually changed.

To make adjustments to an overpayment or arrears from the ELD screen:

  • Zero negative adjustment
    • Go to the RAC screen
    • Identify which Rate Component Line requires adjustment
    • Enter the amount in $ Man Adj field next to the daily rate component
    • Select the appropriate reason code e.g. ADJ
    • Zero all adjustment boxes
    • Repeat steps for all periods that require adjustment
    • Select Update
  • Reduce negative adjustment
    • Go to the RAC screen
    • Identify which negative adjustment line(s) require correction
    • Enter the amount in $ Man Adj field next to the daily rate component
    • Repeat steps for all periods where the negative adjustment requires correction
    • Select the appropriate reason code
    • Select Update
  • Adjust Arrears
    • Go to the RAC screen
    • Identify which arrears adjustment line(s) require correction
    • Enter the amount in $ Man Adj field next to the daily rate component
    • Repeat steps for all periods where the arrears adjustment requires correction
    • Enter the appropriate reason code for the manual adjustment

Select Update

Select Finish once satisfied with the outcome

4

Recording the outcome of the Add Newborn activity + Read more ...

A finalisation DOC template displays with the details of the Add Newborn activity outcome, relevant dates and sections of the relevant Act.

  • Record any additional Notes or Document annotations in the Finalise window
  • Select OK
  • To close relevant scans, select the associated scans and select Save

Where a partner's pre-birth PPL and/or FTB claim automatically finalises in the customer’s PPL/FTB Add Newborn activity, go to the partner's record. Create a Note on the Notes/DL screen using the text suggested on the Resources page.

Close all duplicate FA081 and relevant 'child' scan activities.

Check Transactions tab in Process Direct. If a SOA activity has been created due to customer lodging a FA081 in addition to the Add Newborn, the SOA can be marked ‘Not Required’.

5

Partner has also lodged Add Newborn task + Read more ...

If the partner's PPL claim is automatically completed, the Add Newborn task will no longer display in the partner's online services, as no further action is required.

If the partner’s PPL claim automatically completes, check for an Add Newborn activity on the partner’s record.

If the partner’s PPL is already assessed and an Add Newborn activity is ‘In Process’ for the same child on the partner’s record, mark the Add Newborn activity as ‘Not Required’. See Process Direct navigation, common screens and functions for more information on changing the status of a work item.

Is the customer and or their partner receiving an ISP?

6

ISP customers granted PPL + Read more ...

PPL is treated as income for ISP. Granting PPL may have resulted in a reduced ISP rate, an employment income nil rate period or ISP cancelling.

If PPL is granted from a date in the past, an ISP debt may have been calculated. Attempt to make one outbound contact to affected customers to discuss potential payment impacts claiming PPL will have on their income support payment.

Where appropriate, the customer may change their nominated start date to another date in the future to prevent being overpaid their income support payment.

If the customer is subscribed to Desktop Messaging, send a pre-call notification SMS through Desktop Messaging before calling them. For pre-call messages, allow a lead-in time of 5 minutes in case there is a delay sending the message.

If contact is unsuccessful complete processing and action the debt shell. See General debt raising information.

To enable ISP entitlement to be followed up at the end of the PPL period, in Customer First create a review DOC on the ISP customer's record using the Fast Note template Families> Claims> PPL income and ISP.

Add the appropriate PPL keyword and the payment type as per the keyword information provided on the Resources page in Processing standalone and combined claims for family assistance and/or Paid Parental Leave scheme payments.

Select DOC on AL screen and enter the PPL end date + 1 in the Resubmit date field to put the started DOC activity on hold until the end of the PPL period.

See Resumption of income support payments (ISP) after the end of Parental Leave Pay (PPL).

Customer First

Customer lodged proof of a child's birth

Step

Action

1

Check date of receipt + Read more ...

Date of Receipt

Code and process claims using the correct date of receipt. This date can differ from the 'capture date' for confirming the date of a claim which has been scanned. Staff can confirm the correct date in Document Tools in Customer First. This screen displays both the 'date of receipt' and the 'capture date'. The Resources page contains a date of receipt matrix.

2

Check claim status or intention to claim + Read more ...

Check the claim status or intention to claim for both the customer and their partner.

If the customer (or their partner):

3

Medicare enrolment only + Read more ...

Customers can enrol a newborn for Medicare online.

Customers can lodge a FA081 to enrol the child in Medicare. This includes the Medicare Safety Net and My Health Record. The FA081 must be complete and signed.

The customer can also provide other acceptable proof of birth and lodge a Medicare Enrolment Application (MS004) form. The Resources page contains a link to this form.

If the completed FA081 indicates they only want to register the newborn for Medicare:

  • Cancel the families scan activity. Make sure the Medicare Newborn Manual Enrolment (MAENROL) DOC remains open. If the original MAENROL DOC closes:
    • create this manually for processing by Medicare
    • make sure the Date of Receipt (DOR) matches the original MAENROL DOC. See Fast Note. Select Auto Text. Use Families > Update > Medicare Enrolment
  • Check if the customer's partner already has a claim for payments. If they have, use the proof of birth to assess the claim. Note: customers claiming PPL must advise they have applied to register the birth with their state, territory or agency

Despite what the customer states on the form, Centrelink and Medicare can use this proof of birth.

Procedure ends here.

4

No claim for child on record + Read more ...

Check the FA081 to see if the customer wants to claim payments for their newborn child. Check their response to the PPL question and the Medicare-only question.

If the customer lodged a FA081 and is:

  • not FTB current and does not have a claim, go to Step 5
  • FTB current (FTB/CUR or FTB/CZR), and
    • wants to claim PPL, go to Step 5
    • does not want to claim PPL (or rejected PPL) and has a complete FA081, reassess FTB. Procedure ends here
    • does not have a pre-birth claim and the FA081 is incomplete or needs more information go to Step 5
    • does not have a pre-birth claim or acceptable Proof of Birth (POB) (e.g. FA081 back page), go to Step 5

If the customer is not FTB current and lodged other acceptable POB, contact to discuss claim options.

Create a manual Q777 letter. The Resources page contains the instructions and suggested letter text.

Cancel the scanned image. Record details on a DOC.

Procedure ends here.

5

Customer claiming payments + Read more ...

Invite the customer to claim payments for the child.

Call the customer to discuss claim options. If the customer is subscribed to Desktop Messaging, send a pre-call notification SMS through Desktop Messaging before calling them. For pre-call messages, allow a lead-in time of 5 minutes in case there is a delay sending the message.

If contact with the customer is successful:

If the customer is not available at the time of contact, check the address details and update if needed. If the customer lodged:

  • an FA081: issue a Q776 letter using the FA081 Customer to claim Q776 guided procedure
  • other acceptable POB: issue a Q999 letter. See Resources page for letter text

For more information, see Information requests for FTB and PPL claims, and Add Newborn and PPL change of circumstances activities.

Complete the families scan activity. Make sure the MAENROL DOC remains open. If the original MAENROL DOC closes:

  • Create this manually for processing by Medicare
  • Make sure that the Date of Receipt (DOR) matches that of the original MAENROL DOC. See Fast Note. Select Auto Text. Use Families > Update > Medicare Enrolment

Check if the customer's partner has a claim for payments. If they have, use the proof of birth for their claim. Note: customers claiming PPL must advise they have applied to register the birth with their state, territory or agency.

Discuss potential entitlement to another Centrelink payment (e.g. Parenting Payment (PP)) with the customer or send a Q999. See Resources page for letter text.

Record details on a DOC.

Procedure ends here.

6

Pre-birth claim and Post-birth claim lodged for the same birth event + Read more ...

  • Pre-birth claim for FTB and/or PPL submitted but not yet processed, post-birth claim also submitted for the same birth event but not yet processed:
  • Pre-birth claim for FTB and/or PPL assessed pending proof of birth, post-birth claim also submitted for the same birth event but not yet processed:
    • Mark the post-birth claim as Not Required
    • Use the Add newborn service through Workspace > Claims Online > Add Newborn and create an Add Newborn activity, using the information provided in the post-birth claim
    • Go to Step 7

7

Claim assessed pending proof of birth + Read more ...

FTB/PPL

For customers whose pre-birth claim is pending proof of birth and who:

  • Use the 'Add newborn child' service online or the 'Add child' service via the Express Plus Centrelink mobile app:
    • access these claims through the Search Service Request menu in Customer First, process the Add newborn child activity and do pre-process checks. For information about what screens to check and update when actioning the Add Newborn activity in Customer First see Processing standalone and combined claims for family assistance and/or Paid Parental Leave scheme payments
      Note: PPL only Add Newborns are created in Process Direct and will not display in Search Service Request in Customer First. See Process Direct tab for further details
    • Use the most appropriate Fast Note to record the FTB/PPL claim outcome - auto text Families > Claims, and select the relevant claim option
      Note: the 'Add newborn child' service is not a claim. Do not deem any duplicate workflows for the same child as not effective (NEF). Cancel any multiple activities and complete all updates within the first initial 'Add newborn child' service'
    • if the customer provides the back page of FA081 with Doctor/Midwife section complete, but the customer section at the top of the back page is incomplete, the back page still serves as acceptable proof of birth providing the full serial number is also included
  • Lodge a fully completed paper FA081, use the Add newborn service through Workspace>Claims Online>Add Newborn and process the activity. For information about what screens to check and update when actioning the Add Newborn activity in Customer First see Processing standalone and combined claims for family assistance and/or Paid Parental Leave scheme payments. Use the Fast Note to record the claim outcome - auto text Families > Claims and select the relevant claim outcome option
    • Note: if the customer is claiming PPL only, once the details have been entered in the Add newborn service in Customer First and submitted, these must be actioned in Process Direct. See the Process Direct tab
  • Lodge FA081 mostly complete, including the child's name contact the customer by either:
    • getting the missing information by phone (where POB met). Use the Add Newborn service through Workspace>Claims Online>Add newborn to process the activity. For information about what screens to check and update when actioning the Add Newborn activity in Customer First see Processing standalone and combined claims for family assistance and/or Paid Parental Leave scheme payments
      Note: if the customer is claiming PPL only, once the details have been entered in the Add newborn service in Customer First and submitted, these must be actioned in Process Direct. See the Process Direct tab
      Use Fast Note to record the claim outcome - auto text Families > Claims and select the relevant claim outcome option, or
    • if they have the original FA081, ask the customer to complete the missing questions and upload the complete FA081
  • Lodge incomplete FA081 without the back page and without child's name/details. Contact the customer and tell them:
    • to access the 'Add newborn child' service online or the 'Add child' service via the Express Plus Centrelink mobile app, or
    • if they have the original FA081, complete it in full and upload all pages of the completed FA081 including the back page
  • Lodge/upload the FA081 back page only or other acceptable proof of birth. Contact the customer and tell them:
    • to access the 'Add newborn Child' service online or the 'Add child' service via the Express Plus Centrelink mobile app and answer all questions displayed, or
    • if they have the original FA081, complete it in full and upload all pages of the completed FA081

Service Officers who use the Add Newborn workflow in Customer First to finalise a pending claim (e.g. customer has supplied a fully completed FA081), are required to select Mark as received for the relevant documents on the Next Steps page of the Add newborn service and submit.

For instructions on recording and updating tasks see Circumstance Change Monitor (CCM).

If the customer is not available, issue a Q777 about completing their claim online. See approved letter text for Q777 on the Resources page.

For PPL claims

Has the customer provided the requested information within the allowable timeframe?

  • Yes, for PPL claims when processing the 'Add newborn child' service. The system will check the Nominated Start Date (NSD) if it is between:
    • the Expected Date of Birth (EDOB), and
    • Date of Birth (DOB) inclusive, the system updates the NSD to the DOB. This is the earliest possible start date for that child. Do not update in a separate activity if the NSD in the pre-birth claim falls between the EDOB and DOB.
      Note: some customers change their NSD after their pre-birth claim has been assessed, and before their Add Newborn assessment has been finalised. This may result in the NSD displaying on Entitlements (ELD) screen to differ from the date recorded on the PPL Claim Details (P1CLM). In these cases, check the Expected Date of Care or Nominated Start Date (P1EDND) screen to make sure PPL is commencing from the correct date.

For FTB claims

If the customer has not provided the requested information with the allowable timeframe, the claim will automatically NEF (i.e. 56 days after the child's expected date of birth if proof of birth was not provided).

Customers may need help with:

Has an ISP customer been granted PPL?

8

ISP customers granted PPL + Read more ...

PPL is treated as income for ISP. Granting PPL may have resulted in a reduced ISP rate, an employment income nil rate period or ISP cancelling.

If PPL is granted from a date in the past, an ISP debt may have been calculated. Attempt to make one outbound contact to affected customers to discuss potential payment impacts claiming PPL will have on their income support payment. Where appropriate, the customer may change their nominated start date to another date in the future to prevent being overpaid their income support payment.

If contact is unsuccessful complete processing and action the debt shell. See General debt raising information.

To enable ISP entitlement to be followed up at the end of the PPL period, in Customer First create a review DOC on the ISP customer's record using the Fast Note template Families > Claims > PPL income and ISP.

Add the appropriate PPL keyword and the payment type as per the keyword information provided on the Resources page in Processing standalone and combined claims for family assistance and/or Paid Parental Leave scheme payments.

Select DOC on AL screen and enter the PPL end date + 1 in the Resubmit date field to put the started DOC activity on hold until the end of the PPL period.

See Resumption of income support payments (ISP) after the end of Parental Leave Pay (PPL).

Procedure ends here.

9

Pre-birth claim finalised as 'NEF' + Read more ...

If the claim is for:

Procedure ends here.

10

Pre-birth claim not yet processed + Read more ...

PPL/FTB

Paper pre-birth claim (excluding PPL standalone claims):

  • Cancel the pre-birth activity on the Activity List (AL) screen
  • Assess post birth claim using the pre-birth paper claim (FA100) and the FA081/POB
  • Date of Receipt (DOR) = the date the child's proof of birth (POB) is received
  • Before running Assisted Customer Claim (ACC), complete pre-processing checks and update contact details

Online pre-birth claim or standalone PPL paper claims:

If the customer is subscribed to Desktop Messaging, send a pre-call notification SMS through Desktop Messaging before calling them. For pre-call messages, allow a lead-in time of 5 minutes in case there is a delay sending the message. If the claim was incorrectly lodged, assist the claimant to withdraw the claim. See Withdrawal of claims.

For all other claims, process the pre-birth claim.

  • If processing the PPL pre-birth claim more than 56 days after the nominated start date, or
  • the FTB pre-birth claim more than 56 days after the child's expected date of birth:
    • the system assesses the claim as NEF-PCB/NEF-POB. As the customer has proof of birth a NEF-PCB/NEF-POB outcome is not appropriate
    • ACC must assess both the pre-birth claim and the proof of birth together

After finalising the pre-birth claim use the Add Newborn workflow to process the proof of birth. Go to via Workspace> Claims Online>Add Newborn

If the customer has lodged other proof of birth contact them to collect all other post birth information. For PPL claims, see Assessing Parental Leave Pay (PPL) claims.

Use the Fast Note to record the claim outcome - auto text Families > Claims and select the relevant claim outcome option.

For PPL claims when processing the 'Add newborn child' service, the system checks the nominated start date. It updates this to the date of birth if it is between the expected date and actual date of birth. This is the earliest possible start date for the child. Do not update if the customer lodged an incomplete FA081, contact them to collect the missing information. If unable to contact the customer print the incomplete FA081. Send this with a Q777 via the Request Documents Q777 guided procedure to complete the missing questions. See Resources page for suggested letter text.

The Resources page contains a date of receipt matrix for all other scenarios.

Record action details on a DOC.

Resubmit the activity, see timeframes.

Procedure ends here.

Process all paper claims for PPL or FTB using the Assisted Customer Claim (ACC) workflow. This includes pre-birth, post-birth and lump sum claims.

11

CCS only claim + Read more ...

If the customer has submitted combined claims (CCS and FTB/PPL), the child adding and linking processes must be completed as part of the Families legacy claim process. See Pre-processing checks for standalone and combined claims for family assistance and/or Paid Parental Leave payments. Procedure ends here

Customers whose child does not have an existing record and have submitted a standalone CCS claim with acceptable proof of birth, see Helping customers provide proof of a child's birth for family assistance, Child Care Subsidy (CCS) and Paid Parental leave scheme claims. For customers providing the following as proof of the child's birth:

  • a completed paper FA081 or birth certificate
  • an incomplete FA081, or
  • the back page of the FA081 only

the child will need to be added in a separate activity. See Linking a child to a customer's record. Note: where the FA081 is used to verify the child's date of birth, the unique serial number must be coded.

Complete the families scan activity. If the customer has lodged a fully completed FA081, make sure the MAENROL DOC remains open.

If the original MAENROL DOC is closed:

  • create this manually for processing by Medicare
  • make sure that the Date of Receipt (DOR) matches the original MAENROL DOC. See Fast Note: Select Auto Text. Use Families > Update > Medicare Enrolment

Procedure ends here.