Assessment of hardship for Income Maintenance Period (IMP) 106-05020030

• Yes, go to Step 2
• No, offer other assistance if applicable:
• The Financial Information Service Officer (FIS)
• Community agencies, see Referral to external specialists/services. Record details of the decision on a Note/DOC
• Procedure ends here

Unavoidable or reasonable expenditure includes:

• the reasonable cost of living incurred for the period of the IMP already served, and
• other unavoidable or reasonable expenditure

Evidence of the customer's financial situation and unavoidable or reasonable expenditure must be verified. As this is a significant decision, it is essential that all suitable evidence is scanned to the customer record and the reason for the waiver is recorded in the new claim DOC.

Has the customer already served part of their IMP?

• Yes, go to Step 3
• No, go to Step 4

For more information see the References page for a link to 1.1.U.20 in the Guide to Social Security Law. This contains a definition of 'unavoidable or reasonable expenditure' and includes examples of reasonable cost of living.

A person's reasonable cost of living does not have to be verified with receipts.

The amount to take into account as the customer's reasonable cost of living cannot exceed an upper limit. This limit is worked out as follows:

• for single customers: multiply their maximum weekly rate payable by the amount of weeks they have already served an IMP
• for partnered customers: multiply their maximum weekly rate payable by the amount of weeks they have already served an IMP and then double this amount

For more information, see the References page for a link to 1.1.U.20 in the Guide to Social Security Law. This contains a definition of 'unavoidable or reasonable expenditure' and includes examples.

Calculate total of other unavoidable or reasonable expenditure.

Note: expenditure that is not unavoidable or reasonable is to be disallowed, as well as, any unavoidable or reasonable expenditure that is not supported by receipts.

Add the amount of other unavoidable or reasonable expenditure obtained from Step 4 to the reasonable cost of living obtained from Step 3 (if applicable).

Assess the value of the customer's liquid assets at the date of commencement of the IMP.

Subtract the amount obtained in Step 5 from the amount of liquid assets.

• If the result obtained is greater than a fortnight's allowance then the IMP cannot be waived at this stage. Go to Step 7
• If the result obtained is less than a fortnight's allowance, then waive the IMP from the date the customer incurred the unavoidable or reasonable expenditure which caused the severe financial hardship. Go to Step 8

Advise the customer the IMP cannot be waived as their severe financial hardship was not as a result of unavoidable or reasonable expenditure.

Exception: If the delegate is satisfied the person's expenditure was unavoidable or reasonable, based on the evidence provided, the delegate may waive the remainder of the person's IMP.

Offer the customer other assistance if applicable:

• The Financial Services Information Officer (FIS)
• Community agencies, see Referral to external specialists/services

Record details of hardship non-waiver on a Note/DOC.

Note: if the customer is experiencing multiple and complex circumstances consult with a social worker to determine if a referral to Social Work Services is appropriate. See Social work services.

Procedure ends here.

• To code the waiver for Parenting Payment or Disability Support Pension, go to Step 9
• To code the waiver of an IMP for other affected payments, see Step 1 in Table 2

For Parenting Payment or Disability Support Pension customers, the waiver is done on the Waiting Period Calculation Results (WPCR) screen:

• When on the WPCR screen the only fields that need to be entered are the:
• Waive date
• Source
• DOR
• Finalise the activity on the Activity Results (AR) screen
• Record the details of hardship waiver on a DOC

If the customer's partner is in receipt of a payment affected by the IMP, the IMP should be waived on the partner record also.

Procedure ends here.

Is the IMP waiver part of a new claim activity?

• Yes, and the changes are being made in
• Process Direct, go to Step 2
• Customer First, go to Step 3
• No, the claim has been finalised and the changes are being made in:
• Process Direct, go to Step 4
• Customer First, go to Step 6

• Go to Date of Commencement (NDC) screen
• Select Edit for the line to be updated
• Change Date of Commencement will display
• If waiving part of the waiting period, enter the calculated start date in the Manual Start Date: field
• If wanting to change the claim date and start date manually, enter the dates in the Manual Claim Date: field and Manual Start Date: field
• Select Save

• Go to the Start Date Calculator (NDC) screen
• If waiving part of the waiting period, enter the calculated start date in the Manual Start Date: field
• If wanting to change the claim date and start date manually, enter the dates in the Manual Claim Date: field and Manual Start Date: field
• Press [Enter]
  Note: if a manual start date has not been keyed, the system calculated start date is displayed in the CallDOC: field

• Select Customer Summary from the Process Direct landing page
• Enter the customer's CRN, select Go
• From the Task Selector select Ordinary Waiting Period/NSS start date calculator
• Receipt Date and Channel displays
• Receipt Date: use the later of these 2 dates:
  Note: the waiver will apply from the date entered
• the date the customer incurred the unavoidable or reasonable expenditure which caused the financial hardship, or
• the date the customer asked for the reassessment of their IMP
• Channel: method of contact
• Select Next
• Date of Commencement (NDC) displays
• Select Edit to change the waiting periods
• Change Date of Commencement displays
• IMP Waive: select Yes from the drop down list
• Comments: add notes if needed
• Select Save
• Select Next
• Ordinary Waiting period (OWP) displays
• When the details are correct, go to Step 5

• Select Assess and address any errors/ warnings on the Errors (SWE) screen
• Select Assess again, then select Finish
• Record details of the update. See Recording reasons for decisions
• Edit or Add any extra details needed, for example:
• reason for a discretionary decision, including references to Operational Blueprint
• waiting periods being served
• Select Finalise to complete the transaction

Procedure ends here.

• Go to Start Date Calculator (NDC) screen
• Check if the NDC screen has a Y in the IMP waiver (from a previous IMP waiver): field next to Income Maintenance Period.
  Note: there may be nothing on the NDC screen if the IMP was not coded during a new claim activity
• If there is a Y, remove it. The IMP waiver field must be blank
• Enter the DOR with the new IMP date
• Add 'C’ in the action field
• Select Continue
• Code or recode ‘Y’ in the IMP waiver field
• Select Continue and go to the Assessment Results (AR) screen
• Add the Source
• DOR: The waiver will apply from this date. Use the later of these 2 dates:
• the date the customer incurred the unavoidable or reasonable expenditure which caused the financial hardship, or
• the date the customer asked for the reassessment of their IMP
• Press [Enter] to continue the screen flow

Record details of hardship waiver on a DOC.

If the customer's partner is in receipt of a payment affected by the IMP, the IMP should be waived on the partner record also.