Assessing independence for Youth Allowance (job seeker) customers with a partial capacity to work 001-04030050

Where a Job Capacity Assessment (JCA) requires acceptance in Process Direct for a DSP new claim, the Medical Conditions Details (MC) screen and the Independent/Homeless/Away from Home Details (NIH) screen will automatically populate in the following scenarios:

• Youth Allowance (YA) job seeker receiving payment at the start date of the DSP claim
• YA job seeker receiving payment at the start date of the claim and has a previous reviewable independence reason coded on the NIH screen
• YA job seeker if the start date on the Newstart Education Status (NES) screen is after the start date of the DSP claim

An error message E516NM may present when attempting to accept the JCA report if the auto coding is unable to complete. The JCA must be accepted in Customer First to resolve the error.

Is error E516NM displaying when attempting JCA acceptance?

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

Error E516NM - This customer is eligible for the Independent Rate of YAL will present when:

• there is no coding on the NIH and the customer is eligible for independence under a PCW, or
• the coding of the PCW independence on NIH is from the wrong date

Disability processing staff must code the NIH screen within the NSS/JCA activity in Customer First when accepting the JCA/ESAt.

In Customer First:

• Key 'S' in the NSS/JCA activity on the Activity List (AL) screen
• Do not select [Enter]
• Key 'AR' in the Nxt field to stay in the activity
• Go to the NIH screen
• Key 'IND' in the Act field
• Key the Start date field as the later of either:
• the date of acceptance of JCA /ESAt or
• YAL Job Seeker start date

Note: customers assessed as having a Partial Capacity to Work (PCW) will be paid Youth Disability Supplement (YDS) with:

• DSP, from the start date of grant, or
• YA or ABSTUDY, from the acceptance date of the JCA/ESAt

Go to Step 3.

Check the MC screen has been coded from the DSP claim start date.

Where the start date is correct, finalise the JCA/ESAt acceptance via the Assessment Results (AR) screen. Procedure ends here.

Otherwise, correct the MC screen.

In Process Direct:

• Key 'MC' into the Super Key, select [Enter]
• Select Edit
• Key event date to match the start date of the DSP claim

In Customer First:

• Key 'MCSS' or 'MC' in the Nxt field. Either:
• Select Continue if a new MC screen is required, or
• 'S'elect one of the existing lines from the MCSS screen to view/update details of that occurrence of the MC screen
• Key event date to match the start date of the DSP claim

If the customer is being rejected for DSP, tell the customer they have been granted the independent rate of Youth Allowance (YA) job seeker, during the Service Officer Interview.

Procedure ends here.

If the customer is lodging a YA new claim, check the claim to establish if the customer states they have a partial capacity to work (PCW).

• check Personal Details in the online claim, or
• check Personal Details Question 15 of the claim for Youth Allowance form (SY001)

• Yes, go to Step 3
• No, the customer is not independent on these grounds, go to Step 9

Regardless of the age of the assessment, a partial capacity to work (PCW) remains in place for a job seeker:

• for the purposes of determining mutual obligation requirements
• until superseded by a new Employment Services Assessment (ESAt)/Job Capacity Assessment (JCA)

Obtain a new ESAt when:

• there is a change in circumstances, and/or
• the assessment is no longer valid

Has the customer's current capacity to work been assessed?

• Yes, go to Step 5
• No, independent status cannot be granted at this stage, go to Step 4

The customer's current capacity to work must be assessed by an Assessment Services Assessor.

If the customer does not have a current assessed reduced work capacity, make a referral for the customer to attend an Employment Services Assessment (ESAt) appointment.

See Request an Employment Services Assessment (ESAt).

Go to Step 9.

A customer's current participation category is identified on the Participation Summary screen. For details on coding, see Participation Summary screen.

The customer's participation categories are calculated based on their payment type, age, mutual obligation requirements indicator, Temporary Reduced Work Capacity (TRWC) and future capacity to work with intervention (PCW).

The following participation categories represent customers assessed as having a PCW:

• JSP/PP/YA/SPL WKCAP 0-14 hrs/wk - N00
• JSP/YA/SPL WKCAP 15-22 hrs/wk - N15
• JSP/YA/SPL WKCAP 23-29 hrs/wk - N23

Check the Participation Summary screen for the customer's participation category.

Has the assessment of the customer's work capacity resulted in them having a partial capacity to work (PCW)?

• Yes, go to Step 6
• No, the customer is not independent on these grounds, go to Step 9

Note: this assessment of independence does not apply to:

• YA (students/Australian Apprentices), or
• Disability Support Pension (DSP) customers

The customer is independent. The commencement date for the independent status is taken to be one of the following:

• YA New claims and current customers
• The partial capacity for work (PCW) status start date should be the ESAt acceptance date
• Transfer from YAL-STU to YA (job seeker)
• If the job seeker already has a PCW assessed, code the commencement date as the date they transferred to YA (job seeker)

For coding instructions, go to Step 7.

Code independence on the system:

• Key 'S' in the NSS/JCA activity on the Activity List (AL) screen that has been used to accept the ESAt/JCA
• Do not select [Enter]
• Key 'AR' in the Nxt field to stay in the activity
• Go to the NIH screen
• Key 'IND' in the Act field
• Key in the Start date field as the later of either:
• the JCA/ESAt acceptance date, or
• the YAL Job Seeker start date
• Key the Start/Reject Reason field as 'PCW'
• Complete the Source and DOR details as appropriate
• Select [Enter]
• Go to the Accommodation (AC) screen
• Key 'LWP' in the Sharer Status field if living with parents
• Finalise the activity on the Assessment Results (AR) screen

Tell the customer they have been granted independent status for the period they are assessed as having a partial capacity to work (PCW). An auto letter will issue.

Note: an automatic review is created to reassess the customer's eligibility for independent status if there is a change to their work capacity. See Reviews of independence for Youth Allowance for details, if required.

Record details on a DOC.

Note: if a customer has received a Crisis Payment (CrP) and a change has occurred, a manual reassessment of the Crisis Payment (CrP) may be required. For more information, see Reviewing and reassessing Crisis Payment (CrP).

Procedure ends here.

New claim:

Did the customer provide parental income?

• and the customer is:
• payable as a dependant, process the claim as normal pending the ESAt outcome
• not payable as a dependent due to Parental Income too High (PIH)
  - do not reject the claim
  - place the claim on hold for 28 days using the Third Party to Provide Information hold reason, until the ESAt is completed
  - record why the claim is on hold by creating or updating the Progress of claim DOC on the Document List (DL) screen
  - if the ESAt is not completed within 28 days of the claim being placed on hold, place the claim on hold for a further 14 days and DOC the record
• No:
• Do not reject the claim Parental Income not Provided (PIA)
• Place the claim on hold for 28 days using the Third Party to Provide Information hold reason, until the ESAt has been completed
• Record why the claim is on hold by creating or updating the Progress of claim DOC on the Document List (DL) screen
• If the ESAt has not been completed within 28 days of the claim being placed on hold, place the claim on hold for a further 14 days and DOC the record

If the outcome of the ESAt is unfavourable, continue to process the claim as normal.

Non new claim:

The customer is to remain on current dependent rate pending the outcome of the ESAt.

If claim is to be rejected, consider other grounds for independence. See Independence for Youth Allowance (YA) customers.