Youth Allowance (YA) student or Australian Apprentice becomes incapacitated or impacted by unforeseen or extreme circumstances 102-07020130

Is the customer remaining in their study or Australian Apprenticeship full-time?

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

Customer is remaining in their study or Australian Apprenticeship full-time.

Do not assess a temporary exemption. Pharmaceutical Allowance (PhA) may be payable if the customer:

• provides medical evidence, and
• has been assessed as having a current Partial Capacity to Work (PCW)

PCW details are displayed on the Work Capacity Status (WC) screen in Process Direct or the Work Capacity Details (WC) screen in Customer First. Review the WC screen. The customer has a PCW if there is:

• an entry on the WC screen, and
• under 30 hours in both the Baseline and With Intervention fields

Does the customer have a PCW?

• Yes, if medical evidence:
• has been provided, PhA can be paid. The system will pay PhA for the period a medical exemption is recorded. See Table 2 > Step 1
• has not been provided, tell the customer they may be able to receive PhA if evidence is supplied. Procedure ends here
• No:
• Tell the customer to notify if their study/employment reduces due to their incapacity
• Record details on a DOC

Procedure ends here.

A temporary exemption may be appropriate. If the customer is unable to remain full-time due to:

• medical reasons, and they intend to return to full-time study in their course, and they have:
• provided medical evidence, go to Step 4
• not provided medical evidence, see Table 2
• medical reasons, and they intend to return to full-time employment in their apprenticeship, go to Step 8
• medical reasons, and they do not intend to return to full-time study or full-time employment in their apprenticeship, go to Step 9
• special circumstances, e.g. fire, flood, escaping family violence, homelessness and the intend to return to full-time study or their apprenticeship, see Table 3

Assess if the incapacity is likely to be:

• temporary and persist for less than 2 years, or
• permanent and persist for more than 2 years

A YA student can be granted a temporary incapacity exemption if they present a valid medical certificate that indicates they are temporarily incapacitated and are unable to undertake the full-time study load of their course during the incapacity.

If the incapacity is likely to persist for:

• less than 2 years (temporary), go to Step 5
• more than 2 years (permanent), go to Step 9

Withdrawing from a course is not the same as deferring or taking a leave of absence. Students who withdraw from their course, even if they intend to return, are not considered continuing/intending students.

If the student has:

• reduced their study load to part-time due to the temporary incapacity, including temporary exacerbation of a permanent condition, go to Step 6
• deferred or taken a leave of absence from their studies due to the temporary incapacity, go to Step 7
• withdrawn from their course, go to Step 9

A student with a temporary incapacity who remains enrolled in an approved course regardless of the study load they are undertaking, can receive YA as a student if they have an intend to return to full-time studies following the period of temporary incapacity. These customers are treated as full-time students for the purpose of qualifying for YA (student)

If the customer intends to resume an approved scholarship course, they will remain eligible for the Relocation Scholarship (RS), where applicable.

The student must provide additional information from their educational institution if:

• the period of incapacity ends during a current study period, and
• due to institutional requirements, they cannot re-enrol/recommence their course until the next study period

To assess medical evidence, see Table 2

A student can remain eligible for YA student when they defer their studies or take an approved leave of absence due to a temporary incapacity if they remain enrolled in the course or registered for the relevant award. These customers are considered continuing/intending students and are treated as full-time students for the purposes of qualifying for YA (student).

The student must provide additional information from their education institution if:

• the period of incapacity ends during a current study period, and
• due to institutional requirements, they cannot re-enrol/recommence their course until the next study period

If the student:

• remains enrolled, assess their medical evidence, see Table 2
• is no longer enrolled, they are no longer eligible for YA (student), go to Step 9

The customer remains eligible for YA (apprentice) if their Apprenticeship Identification Number remains current and they remain employed by their apprentice employer.

Check the status of the Apprenticeship Identification Number on the Apprenticeship Details (NAPD) screen or in the Apprenticeships Data Management System (ADMS).

Note: there is no requirement for apprentices to provide medical evidence, but they may receive Pharmaceutical Allowance (PhA) for their temporary incapacity if they do.

• If the Apprenticeship Identification Number is no longer current, or the customer is no longer employed, go to Step 9
• Otherwise, see Table 2

The customer is no longer considered a student or apprentice for YA purposes. For:

• students, see Table 2 > Step 1 in Payment of Youth Allowance (YA) and Austudy when a student is deferring or discontinuing study before the end of the course
• Australian Apprentices, see Customer no longer an Australian Apprentice

Note: if the customer is unable to work or be retrained for work for 2 years or more, they may be eligible for Disability Support Pension (DSP). See Eligibility for Disability Support Pension (DSP).

Procedure ends here.

Appropriate medical evidence includes a Centrelink Medical Certificate (SU415 or SU684) or other medical evidence which confirms all the following information:

• the medical practitioner's diagnosis
• the medical practitioner's prognosis
• that the person is incapacitated for study, and
• the period that the person is incapacitated for study

See Centrelink Medical Certificate.

Note: students who advise of a reduction in their study load due to illness or injury through the Manage study details online service will be advised to provide evidence within 14 days when they submit their update. This may not display on the related transaction slider.

Has the student or apprentice supplied medical evidence to confirm the temporary incapacity?

• Yes, go to Step 6
• No, and the customer is:
• present or on the phone, and 14 days have not passed since they reduced their study load, go to Step 2
• present or on the phone, and 14 days have passed since they reduced their study load, go to Step 3
• not present and 14 days have not passed since they reduced their study load, go to Step 4
• not present and 14 days have passed since they reduced their study load, go to Step 5
• an apprentice. Medical evidence is only required if the customer wants to receive Pharmaceutical Allowance (PhA), go to Step 9

The customer must provide medical evidence within 14 days for Services Australia to determine if they are still eligible for a student payment. Tell the customer:

• about medical evidence requirements. See Valid medical certificate if they fail to provide evidence they will cease to qualify for a student payment from the date their study load decreased

Request medical evidence. See Requesting information (CLK).

Recording the following on a DOC:

• medical evidence is required to assess a temporary incapacity exemption
• the date the customer reduced their study load
• their Equivalent Full-Time Study Load (EFTSL) if known
• the date medical evidence must be provided by

Procedure ends here until evidence is provided or the request for information falls due.

As the customer has not notified of their change of circumstances within 14 days, cancel their payment until evidence is provided and eligibility can be established.

In Process Direct:

• Go to the Customer Study Details (EDC) screen
• Update the Student End Date to the last day the customer was a full-time student
• Select Save
• Go to the Newstart Education Status (NES) screen
• Select Add
• Update the following fields:
• Start Date as the Student End Date + 1 day
• Student Status as NST – Not a Student
• Education Level Attained as appropriate
• Verification Document Code to match the previous entry, if previously coded, otherwise leave blank
• Select Save
• Select Assess and address any errors/warnings on the Errors (SWE) screen
• Select Assess
• If payment is not cancelling automatically, code a manual cancellation using the NST – Not a Full-Time student Reason
• Select Assess and address any errors/warnings on the Errors (SWE) screen
• Select Assess
• Select Finish. Record details of the update in the finalisation Note
• Select Finalise

Tell the customer if they provide evidence within 13 weeks, Services Australia can review the decision to cancel the payment.

Procedure ends here.

The customer must provide medical evidence within 14 days for Services Australia to determine if they still qualify for a student payment.

Request medical evidence. See Requesting information (CLK).

Record the following information on a DOC:

• Medical evidence is required to assess a temporary incapacity exemption
• the date the customer reduced their study load
• their Equivalent Full-Time Study Load (EFTSL) if known
• the date medical evidence must be provided by

Procedure ends here until evidence is provided or the request for information falls due.

As the customer has not notified of their change of circumstances within 14 days, cancel their payment until evidence is provided and eligibility can be established.

In Process Direct:

• Go to the Education Course Details (EDC) screen
• Update the Student End Date to the last day the customer was a full-time student
• Select Save
• Go to the Newstart Education Status (NES) screen
• Select Add
• Update the following fields:
• Start Date as the Student End Date +1 day
• Student Status as NST - Not a student
• Education Level Attained as appropriate
• Verification Document Code to match the previous entry, if previously coded, otherwise leave blank
• Select Save
• Select Assess and address any errors/warnings on the Errors (SWE) screen
• Select Assess
• If payment is not cancelling automatically, code a manual cancellation using NST -Not a Full-Time student Reason
• Select Assess and address any errors/warnings on the Errors (SWE) screen
• Select Assess
• Select Finish. Record details of the update in the finalisation Note
• Select Finalise

Request medical evidence. See Requesting information (CLK).

Procedure ends here.

To code the medical certificate, use the Medical Certificate workflow in Process Direct see Table 4 of Assessing and coding medical certificates for temporary incapacity exemptions before returning to this process. The workflow will create a DOC on the customer's record outlining the temporary incapacity that has been recorded.

If the medical evidence covers a period of longer than 13 weeks, more than one exemption may be recorded, depending on the medical evidence start date. If the medical evidence start date is:

• today’s date, record one exemption
• before today’s date, record 2 consecutive exemptions

If the end date of the period of incapacity on the medical evidence is after the latest exemption end date, create a Fast Note, select Auto Text, use Students, ABSTUDY and Apprentices > Update > Extension of exemption. The Fast Note DOC will remain open. Put the DOC on hold with a resubmit date of the latest exemption period end date + 1 day.

If the customer

• is an Australian Apprentice, go to Step 9
• is a student who has:
• remained full-time, procedure ends here
• reduced their study load to part-time, go to step 7
• deferred study or taken an approved leave of absence, go to Step 8

If required, update the Allowable Time End Date field on the Customer Study Details (EDC) screen to extend the allowable time to include the period of part-time study. Do not make any other updates to the Customer Study Details (EDC) screen.

Go to Step 9

Update the Customer Study Details (EDC) screen to show the customer is an intending student for the period of the temporary incapacity.

On the EDC screen:

• Select Edit to update the current course, change the:
• Course End Date, and
• Student End Date fields to the day before the date the customer deferred their studies or took an approved leave of absence
• Select Save
• Select Add

Record the intention to study entry by updating the:

• Participation Status Event Date (PSED), and
• Course Start Date, as the day the customer deferred their studies or took an approved leave of absence,
• Participation Status as appropriate as either:
• INT – Intention to Study Tertiary where the deferred course is tertiary level
• INS – Intention to Study Secondary where the deferred course is secondary level
• Course Level as appropriate as either:
• TXX Tertiary – Unspecified Intended Course ,or
• SXX - Secondary - Unspecified Intended Course
• Course End Date as 1 day before the customer intends to return to full-time study
• Select Save
• Select Assess and address any errors/warnings on the Errors (SWE) screen
• Select Assess
• Select Finish. Record details of the update in the finalisation Note
• Select Finalise

If the customer has an extended incapacity, the system will not allow an INT/INS period to be coded for more than 20 weeks using the same PSED. The workaround is to code study details using customer's current/intended course details for a 14-day period, then code another instance of INT/INS with a new PSED.

Note: a system limitation prevents an intention to study being coded for YA students who are 25 years and over. In this scenario:

• leave the customer's current course coded on the EDC screen, to show they are still considered a full-time student
• check for any required updates, such as extending the course and student end dates, due to the period of incapacity/deferral
• Relocation Scholarship (RS) and Student Start-up Loans (SSL) may be impacted due to a customer deferring or taking a leave of absence. See Student Start-up Loan (SSL) Study Requirements and Relocation Scholarship (RS) eligibility for more information
• Go to Step 9

If the customer is present.

Tell the customer:

• a temporary exemption has been granted
• when the exemption will end, and
• more medical evidence will be required if they require any further exemption

For students

• If they leave their course during the exemption period or will not return to full-time study after the exemption period, they must notify within 14 days
• Discussion may be required with the student about their allowable time/satisfactory progress, which may have to be reviewed. See Assessing satisfactory progress for Youth Allowance (YA) tertiary students. If the allowable time end date is entered/changed, annotate the existing Allowable Time Assessment Fast Note. If there is no Fast Note on the record, create one - select Auto Text, use Students, ABSTUDY & Apprentices > Update > Allowable Time Assessment
• Annotate the exemption DOC with the details of the conversation and any relevant information about the customer's study plans

For Australian Apprentices

• If they leave/are dismissed from their apprenticeship employer, their Apprenticeship Identification Number is suspended or cancelled, or they will not return to full-time work in their apprenticeship after the exemption period, they must notify within 14 days
• Do not make any changes to the Newstart Education Status (NES) screen. The customer must remain recorded as a full-time apprentice for YA (apprentice) to be paid
• Check with the apprentice about their earnings. If they are not working during the exemption period, update their reporting frequency for this period
• Record the details of the conversation and any relevant information about the customer's work/earnings during the exemption period. If there is an exemption DOC from coding medical evidence, annotate that DOC, if not, create a new DOC

If the customer is not present.

Make a genuine attempt to contact them. If this contact is unsuccessful, send a Q888 letter, see Resources for approved letter text. DOC the record to show that the Q888 has been sent.

Go to Step 10.

The customer may have a partial capacity to work and be eligible for YDS if they are:

• under 22 years old, and
• have a permanent incapacity and the prognosis on the medical certificate shows the condition is likely to affect their ability to work or study for more than 24 months

Check to see if there is a valid ESAt on the record. If there is no ESAt on the record, a referral to an ESAt is required

Procedure ends here.

Customers who advise they are unable to study or undertake their apprenticeship full-time due to special circumstances may be experiencing vulnerability. Discuss the circumstances with the customer and consider whether they have access to adequate support and if they may have eligibility for Crisis Payment (CrP). Offer appropriate referrals, if required:

• connect the customer to community-based services or assess the need for a social work referral. Note: a social work assessment is not required to determine eligibility for a special circumstance exemption

If the customer has identified their circumstances include the death of their partner, see Full-time study exemptions for Youth Allowance (student) customers when their partner dies.

If the customer is:

• a student, go to Step 2
• an apprentice, go to Step 10

If the customer:

• is advising they are currently unable to study full-time due to a special circumstance, go to Step 3
• reduced or stopped their study for a period in the past due to a reasonable excuse and failed to advise within their notification period, go to Step 6

Customers may continue to receive YA as a student if they have been impacted by special circumstances.

Students must remain enrolled in their course of study and intend to return to full-time study once their circumstances have resolved.

The maximum duration of a single special circumstance exemption is 13 weeks (unless the Secretary decides otherwise). See References for Special Circumstances Exemption Guidelines.

Will the customer remain enrolled in their course of study and intends to return to full-time study once their circumstances have resolved?

• Yes, go to Step 4
• No, go to Step 9

The customer must provide:

• a letter from their education provider, confirming they will remain enrolled throughout the period of their exemption
• the date the customer intends to return to full-time study

Use discretion to determine if other evidence is required to verify the customer’s circumstances.

Once the evidence has been received, go to Step 5.

The Education Course Details (EDC) screen should be updated to reflect their intending student status for the period of the reduced study/absence:

• Update the current course on the EDC screen by changing the Student End Date field to one day before the date the customer will be deferring their studies or reducing their study load
• code a new INT/INS EDC screen entry using the date the customer will commence deferring their studies or approved leave of absence as the Participation Status Event Date (PSED) and Course Start Date. The Course End Date will be one day before the customer intends to return to full-time study

Note: a system limitation prevents an Intention to Study being coded for YA students who are 25 years and over. In these cases:

• the customer's current course must remain coded on the EDC screen, to show they are still considered a full-time student
• update details, such as course and student end date due to the period of reduced study/absence
• tell the customer to notify any changes in their circumstances within 14 days
• record a DOC outlining the decision, updates made and discussion with the customer

Relocation Scholarships and Student Start-up Loans may be impacted by a change in study load. See Student Start-up Loan (SSL) Study requirements and Relocation Scholarship (RS) eligibility for more information.

Procedure ends here.

If a customer was not approved for a study exemption (temporary incapacity or special circumstance), YA as a student may still be payable if they had a reasonable excuse for their inability to meet their full-time study requirements.

If the customer:

• had a reasonable excuse for their reduction in study, go to Step 7
• did not have a reasonable excuse for the reduction in their study, go to Step 9

To remain payable for YA as a student, the customer must:

• remain enrolled in their course of study, and
• intend to return to full-time study once their reasonable excuse circumstances have resolved

The customer must provide:

• a letter from their education provider, confirming they remained enrolled throughout their period of reduced study/leave of absence
• the date they returned to full-time study

Use discretion to determine if other evidence is required to verify the customer’s circumstances.

During the period of reduced study, did the customer remain enrolled in their course of study and return to full-time study after their circumstances resolved?

• Yes, go to Step 8
• No, go to Step 9

If the customer remained enrolled and has returned to full-time study, do not update the Education Course Details (EDC) screen unless the student needs to change their course details or extend their course and study end date. See Assessing satisfactory progress for Youth Allowance (YA) tertiary students and Disregarding previous study for Youth Allowance (YA) for processing instructions where exceptional circumstances exist.

DOC details of the assessment.

Procedure ends here.

A customer will no longer be entitled to receive YA as a student if they are:

• not enrolled and not intending to return to full-time study, or
• not qualified for a temporary incapacity exemption, or
• does not meet reasonable excuse provisions

The customer should be invited to test their eligibility for a more appropriate payment. See Payment of Youth Allowance (YA) and Austudy when a student is deferring or discontinuing study before the end of the course and Raising debts for students and Australian Apprentices.

Procedure ends here.

Check the status of the Apprenticeship Identifier Number on the Apprenticeship Details (NAPD) screen or in the Apprenticeships Data Management System (ADMS).

Customers will be eligible to continue receiving YA if:

• they are temporarily unable to continue their full-time apprenticeship due to a special circumstance, and
• they will resume their full-time apprenticeship once their circumstances have resolved

DOC the customer’s record. Include:

• the reason for the special circumstance
• the start and end dates for the period of absence
• confirmation the apprentice intends to return to their full-time apprenticeship once the circumstances resolve

The customer should test their eligibility for a more appropriate payment as they can no longer be considered an apprentice for YA purposes. See Customer no longer an Australian Apprentice.