Family Tax Benefit (FTB) and income support payment new claim processing interactions 007-20092855

If:

• allocated an Assessment of Care Arrangements (AOCA) referral, see Table 2
• a FTB and income support payment claim requires processing, go to Step 2

This process is to be followed where a customer has submitted a new claim for both Family Tax Benefit (FTB) and one of the following income support payments:

• Parenting Payment Single (PPS)
• Parenting Payment Partnered (PPP)
• JobSeeker Payment (JSP)
• Youth Allowance (YA) - Jobseeker

Is a care determination required before either claim can be processed? (See Care assessment referrals on the Background tab for more details.)

• Yes, for Service Officers processing:
• FTB claims go to Step 3
• income support payment claims go to Step 6
• No for Service Officers processing:
• FTB claims, go to Step 4
• income support payment claims, go to Step 7

• Make a care determination, or hand-off disputed or disagreed care
• Code this in a standalone activity:
• in Customer First
• in Process Direct using the Families Care Assessment task selector accessed via Customer Summary
• Document the care determination
• Complete any associated Assessment of Care Arrangements work items , if there are any. See Table 2
• Completing the work item will automatically take the income support payment claim off hold

Note: if the customer advises they have separated from the other carer, but they are still recorded as partnered to the other carer on the Marital Status (MS) screen:

• Make the care determination based on the customer’s separated status
• Document the determination
• Care coding applied can be reversed if a determination is later made that the customer is not to be treated as separated
• If error E082CH presents on the FTB Shared Care (FSC) screen, in Customer First or the Shared Care Assessment (SCA) screen in Process Direct, the coding for the other carer is to be completed during claim processing, once the marital status has been updated

The FTB claim can be processed before the income support payment claim if the following apply:

• the claim is actionable
• income will not preclude entitlement, and
• there is no change in marital status, or
• the income support payment or FTB Progress of Claim (PoC) DOC has been annotated with confirmed marital status

Is FTB claim actionable?

• Yes, process the claim, Procedure ends here
• No go to Step 5

• Request any other outstanding information or documents required
• If unable to determine a marital status change (for example, MOCA assessment required) place the FTB claim on hold for 22 days if additional information has been requested, or for 2 days if the FTB claim is otherwise actionable
• Annotate the FTB Progress of Claim (PoC) DOC with the action taken
• If appropriate, request urgent or immediate income support payment claim processing following existing protocols
• Procedure ends here

If suitably trained in making care determinations, and shared care or change of care is agreed by all carers but not yet recorded, in Process Direct:

• Within the income support payment claim code this on both the FSC and SSC tables on the Shared Care Assessment (SCA) screen
• Update the Care Alignment Details (CADDS) screen
• Go to Step 7

If not suitably trained in making care determinations, or if care is disputed or disagreed, check if an Assessment of Care Arrangements referral has already been sent or finalised:

• Check the Status screen to see if the claim has been placed On Hold pending an ‘Assessment of Care Arrangements’ referral
• On the Notes/DL screen, if an Assessment of Care Arrangements (care assessment) has already been completed a DOC will be listed with one of the following titles:
• Change in Care Status
• Changes in Child - No Decision Shared Care Decision
• Add child coming into care
• Care Decision
• Care details update per Child Support Agency (CSA), or
• Care assessment not required

If:

• the care assessment is still in progress:
• hold the claim for a further 7 days
• Annotate the income support payment Progress of Claim (PoC) DOC with the action taken to investigate the current status of the care assessment referral outcome.
• Procedure ends here
• the care assessment has already been finalised, review the claim notes on the Notes and Document List (DL) screen for key information to determine the correct assessment result for the income support payment claim. This includes child name, date of birth and care percentage details. Go to Step 7
• an ‘Assessment of Care Arrangements’ referral has not yet been sent:
• hand-off to Families staff to make a care determination via the > Referral > Referral Type: Assessment of Care Arrangements Referral in Process Direct
• Request any other outstanding information /documents required for the income support payment claim
• Annotate the income support payment Progress of Claim (PoC) DOC with the action taken
• Procedure ends here

• Process income support payment claim, see:
• Processing Parenting Payment (PP) claims
• Processing JobSeeker Payment (JSP) claims
• Processing Youth Allowance (YA) (job seeker) claims
• Complete coding for the other carer if required. For example, where the error E082CH stopped this at the time the care assessment was finalised
• If income support payment claim is not actionable, but relationship status can be verified, annotate the FTB Progress of Claim (PoC) DOC with confirmed marital status, request required information and place the income support payment claim on hold
• Reverse the care coding if a determination was made that the customer is not to be treated as separated and a care determination was made and coded based on the separation
• Regenerate the FTB claim if claim activity had been cancelled
• Take the FTB claim off hold in Process Direct and via the Activity List (AL) screen in Customer First if actionable
• Hand-off actionable FTB claim for priority processing if the customer meets the definition of a family in crisis or a family experiencing financial hardship

Procedure ends here

To find an Assessment of Care Arrangements Referral (ZCRF_AOCA_REFERRAL) and (ZALL_ACT_FAO_AOCA) work item in Customer First:

• In Workspace, select Online Interaction Summary (under Customer Online Account)
• Insert the Work Item ID into Activity ID field or the Customer’s CRN and select Search
• Identify Customer Referral activity under Activity Type and select the customer hyperlink under Description
• Click on the Notes tab, and the hyperlink under Text to read any relevant details that have been input into the referral
• Check the Document List (DL) screen for associated progress DOCs

Note: the ZCRF_AOCA_REFERRAL status must not be updated to ‘completed’ until the Care Assessment has been finalised and coded, as this action will automatically take the associated claim off hold.

Families Service Officers must take the following action in Customer First when allocated an Assessment of Care Arrangements Referral work item:

• Find the FA012 document and other relevant information and documents on the customer’s record
• If a new care determination is required action the care determination in accordance with Notification and assessment of shared care arrangements for Family Tax Benefit (FTB)
  Note: care assessments are to be completed outside the pending claim. Ensure correct DOR is being used

The care determination outcome may be:

• recorded
• rejected due to insufficient evidence
• not effective due to no response from either carer

If the customer advises they have separated from the other carer, but they are still recorded as partnered to the other carer on the Marital Status (MS) screen:

• Make the care determination based on the customer’s separated status
• Document the determination
• Care coding applied can be reversed if a determination is later made that the customer is not to be treated as separated

If error E082CH presents on the FTB Shared Care (FSC) screen, in Customer First or the Shared Care Assessment (SCA) screen in Process Direct, the coding for the other carer is to be completed during claim processing once the marital status has been updated.

Was the care determination able to be completed?

• Yes, if a new care determination has been made and coding has been completed, go to Step 4
• No:
• if more information was requested before a care decision can be made or care is disputed or disagreed, go to Step 3
• if a care assessment has been commenced by Child Support on the CADDS screen and the assessment was commenced less than 21 days ago, go to Step 3
  (Note: when Child Support commence (pend) a care decision, the Centrelink system expects to receive a finalised decision within 21 days. When this does not occur, the commenced care line as shown on CADDS is meant to lapse. A known system issue is preventing this from occurring. If the CADDS screen shows a care decision commenced by Child Support that is more than 21 days old, disregard)
• if there is no change to the existing care decision already recorded a DOC must be recorded. Use Fast Note - select Auto text, use Families > Updates > Care assessment not required. This is used by processing Service Officers to progress the claim. Go to Step 4

If the care assessment cannot be completed at first touch point, requests for more information/evidence of care must be sent. See Notification and assessment of shared care arrangements for Family Tax Benefit (FTB).

If more information has been requested or the care assessment has been handed off because of disputed or disagreed care or if a care assessment has been commenced by Child Support on the CADDS screen:

• Add the keyword SHARED to the open ‘Plse action AOCA referral’ DOC, along with:
• DISAGREE if the other carer disagrees with the care percentage or dates, or
• DISPUTED if a dispute in relation to the care of a child exists when a written care arrangement applies in relation to that child, and where actual care is not being followed in accordance with the written arrangement.
• Annotate the ‘Plse action AOCA referral’ DOC with progress, including any action taken
• Place the DOC on hold with a Due Date of:
• 14 days from date request for information was issued. Allow extra time for mail delivery, or
• 21 days from the date Child Support commenced the care assessment if a care assessment has been commenced by Child Support on the CADDS screen
• The associated ZCRF_AOCA_REFERRAL work item status must be left OPEN. Do not change the status to ‘on hold’ or ‘completed’

When the customer/other carer has been provided the appropriate timeframe to return the requested information, the ZALL_ACT_FAO_AOCA work item will be allocated again for the care determination to be completed.

Note: if the care assessment was handed off because of disputed or disagreed care, the referral work item will be finalised once the care determination is made.

The Income Support Payment claim will remain on hold pending the referral outcome.

Procedure ends here.

Once the care assessment has been completed, finalise the work item in Customer First:

• In Workspace, select Online Interaction Summary (Customer online Account)
• Insert the Work Item ID into Activity ID field or the Customer’s CRN and select Search
• Identify Customer Referral activity under Activity Type and select the customer hyperlink under Description
• On Referral Details page, select Referral Type tab
• Select Edit
• Change Status to Completed
• Select Save
• Annotate the ‘Plse action AOCA referral’ Note/DOC with the outcome of the carer decision
• Close the ‘Plse action AOCA referral’ Note/DOC

By completing the work item, the associated income support payment claim will be automatically taken off hold and allocated for processing.

Procedure ends here.