Customer is separated from their partner – temporarily or due to respite care 106-07120040

Item

Description

1

Can a customer receive Rent Assistance (RA) while in respite care?

Only if Rent Assistance (RA) is payable for the customer's principal home before entering respite care. RA will continue to be paid while they have temporarily changed their address due to respite care.

2

What is the difference between a couple separated due to illness and a respite care couple?

To meet the definition of a respite care couple, the couple must be separated for a temporary but definite period, of at least 14 consecutive days and must be in approved respite care.

For a couple separated due to illness, at least one partner (can be both partners) must be unable to live at home due to illness or infirmity and have increased, or are likely to have increased expenses because of the separation. The inability to live together must be likely to continue for an indefinite period.

There is no rule on where the ill partner must reside or a minimum period. However, they must not be residing together and must have extra expenses due to the separation and the period must be indefinite. Customers separated due to illness may be entitled to receive RA on their new accommodation.

3

Is a customer's home assessed as an asset while they are in respite care?

The customer will retain their former homeownership status (that is, homeowner or non-homeowner) while they are in respite care regardless of whether their partner stays in the principal home or not.

If the customer changes into another form of care, the home status may change from that date.

Example

Description

1

A member of a couple temporarily moves interstate to care for a sick relative. This may include accompanying a dependent child who is undergoing medical treatment.

2

A member of a couple temporarily moves interstate to attend a court hearing.

3

A member of a couple needs to help family members in another state or region who have experienced a severe weather/disaster event.

4

A member of a couple needs to study/train away from the home as part of a compulsory component of the course.

Example

Description

1

A member of a couple is on holiday.

2

A member of a couple is a fly in fly out worker.

3

A member of a couple is in a trial separation.

Note: a trial separation is an ‘informal’ separation. It may be more appropriate for the customer to use the MOD S or Update relationship details online service to:

• tell the agency about the separation, and
• be paid at the higher single rate of payment

Item

Description

1

Issue

Some Relationship Qualifier (RQ) codes are being automatically applied to the Martial Status (MS) screen, when a customer indicates in their claim they are unable to live with their partner due to:

• illness,
• respite care, or
• their partner being in gaol

This issue is impacting online claims, Assisted Customer Claims (ACC) and paper claims where ACC has been used to enter claim data from the scanned paper form.

As the application of a RQ code may result in a higher rate of payment, an assessment to establish eligibility must be completed prior to applying the code to a customer’s and their partner’s record.

2

Impacts

This issue impacts online claims and the following RQ codes:

• ILC – Illness Separated Left Home
• ILP – Illness Separated, Partner Left Home
• ILB – Illness Separated, Both Customer and Parter Left Home
• REC – In Respite Care
• REP – Partner in Respite Care
• GAP – Partner in Goal