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

Is the customer unable to study full-time or undertake their Australian Apprenticeship due to:

• medical reasons, and intends to return to study or their apprenticeship, and the customer has:
• provided medical evidence, go to Step 2
• not provided medical evidence, see Table 2
• medical reasons, and does not intend to return to study or their apprenticeship, go to Step 8
• special circumstances, e.g. fire, flood, escaping family violence, homelessness and intends 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 likely to be permanent and persist for more than 2 years.

A student or apprentice, of YA age, can be considered temporarily incapacitated if they present a valid medical certificate that indicates they have a period of temporary incapacity and are unable to undertake the full-time study load of their course or work during the incapacity.

• If likely to persist for less than 2 years (temporary), go to Step 3
• If likely to persist for more than 2 years (permanent), go to Step 8

If the customer is an Australian Apprentice, go to Step 7.

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, will not be considered continuing/intending students.

If the customer is a student, and:

• has reduced their study load to part-time due to the temporary incapacity, including temporary exacerbation of a permanent condition, go to Step 4
• has deferred or taken a leave of absence from their studies due to the temporary incapacity, go to Step 5
• has withdrawn from their course, go to Step 8
• is remaining in full-time study, see Table 2

A student with a temporary incapacity who remains enrolled in an approved course regardless of the study load they are undertaking, can claim or continue to receive YA as a student as long as they have an intention to return to full-time studies following the period of temporary incapacity. These customers are considered continuing/intending students.

If the student intends to return to full-time study at the end of their incapacity period, there should be no updates made to the Education Course Details (EDC) screen, except to the Allowable Time End Date field if appropriate to extend the allowable time to take into account the part-time study load.

These customers are to be treated as full-time students for the purposes of qualifying for YA as a 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

If the student:

• intends to return to full-time study at the end of their incapacity, medical evidence is required. See Table 2
• does not intend to return to full-time study at the end of their incapacity, they are no longer entitled to receive YA as a student. Go to Step 8

If the student:

• intends to return to full-time study at the end of their incapacity, go to Step 6
• does not intend to return to full-time study at the end of their incapacity, they are no longer entitled to receive YA as a student. Go to Step 8

A student can remain eligible for YA as a continuing/intending student if they defer their studies or take an approved leave of absence due to a temporary incapacity if they:

• stay enrolled in the course or registered for the relevant award, and
• intend to return to full-time studies once the period of temporary incapacity ends

The Education Course Details (EDC) screen should be updated to reflect their intending student status for the period of the temporary incapacity:

• update the current course on the EDC screen by changing the INST Course End Date field and Student End Date field to the date prior to the date the customer deferred their studies or took an approved leave of absence
• code a new INT/INS EDC entry using the day the customer deferred their studies or took an approved leave of absence as the Participation Status Event Date (PSED)

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:

• make sure the customer's current course remains coded on the EDC screen, to reflect they are still considered a full-time student
• check for any required updates, such as course and student end date due to the period of incapacity
• 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
• discuss with the customer of the requirement to notify any changes in their circumstances within 14 days
• record a DOC outlining the decision, updates made and discussion with the customer

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

See Table 2.

If the Commonwealth Registration Number is suspended or cancelled, or the customer indicates they are no longer employed by their apprentice employer, there is no entitlement to YA (apprentice).

Check the status of the registration number on the Apprenticeship Details (NAPD) screen.

• If the registration is no longer current, or the customer indicates they are no longer employed, go to Step 8
• Otherwise, see Table 2

The customer should test eligibility for a more appropriate payment as they can no longer be 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.

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

• Yes, go to Step 7
• No, and the customer is:
• still a full-time student, go to Step 2
• present or on the phone, and 14 days have not lapsed since they reduced their study load, go to Step 3
• present or on the phone, and 14 days have lapsed since they reduced their study load, go to Step 4
• not present and 14 days have not lapsed since they reduced their study load, go to Step 5
• not present and 14 days have lapsed since they reduced their study load, go to Step 6
• an apprentice. Advise the customer if they want to receive Pharmaceutical Allowance (PhA) for their temporary incapacity, they will need to supply medical evidence. Go to Step 8

As the student still meets the full-time study requirements, tell them it is not compulsory to provide medical evidence. However, if the customer has medical evidence, it would be beneficial for them to provide the evidence and have their record updated, as they may qualify for Pharmaceutical Allowance (PhA).

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. Tell the customer:

• what is deemed suitable evidence. See Requesting information (CLK)
• if they fail to provide evidence they will cease to qualify for a student payment from the date their study load decreased

Issue a written request for information notice to the customer to request medical evidence. See Requesting information (CLK).

Create a DOC on the customer’s file and include:

• details that an assessment for a concessional study load is required
• the date the customer reduced their study load
• their Equivalent Full-Time Study Load (EFTSL) if known
• the date medical evidence must be provided

Procedure ends here.

As the customer has not provided evidence for their change of circumstances within 14 days, their payment should be cancelled until evidence is provided.

Update the customer record:

• on the Education Course History (EDCH) screen correct the Student End Date field, to the last day they would be considered to be a full-time student. That is, the day before their study load reduced to part-time
• on the Newstart Education Status (NES) screen insert a new entry:
• Event Date: the student end date plus 1 day
• Student Status: 'NST' (not a full-time student)
• Education Level Attained: update if necessary
• if the customer is under 22 or their Student End Date is before their 22^nd birthday, manual cancellation of their Youth Allowance (YA) is required, on the Benefit Action (BA) screen:
• Service Reason: Youth Allowance
• Action: CAN - Cancel
• Reason: NST - not a full-time student
• Effect Date: student end date plus 1 day
• Finalise the activity via the Assessment Results (AR) screen

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

Create a DOC with the reason for cancellation and the advice provided to the customer.

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.

Issue a written request for information notice to the customer to request medical evidence. See Requesting information (CLK). This will create an online task and the work item will be placed on hold until the due date. Record the following information on a DOC:

• details that an assessment for a concessional study load is required
• the date the customer reduced their study load
• their Equivalent Full-Time Study Load (EFTSL) if known
• the date medical evidence must be provided

Procedure ends here.

As the customer has not provided evidence to Services Australia of their change of circumstances within 14 days, their payment should be cancelled until evidence is provided.

Go to the Education Course Details (EDC) screen and update the student end date to the day the student is considered part-time. Go to the Newstart Education Status (NES) screen, insert a new page, and code 'NST' (Not A Student) from the student end date plus 1 day.

Issue a written request for information notice to the customer to request medical evidence. See Requesting information (CLK). This will create an online task and the work item will be placed on hold until the due date. Record the following information on a DOC:

• the reason for cancellation
• details that an RFI letter has been sent to request the information
• details that an assessment of their qualification should be conducted when the evidence is returned

Procedure ends here.

Code the medical certificate by using the Medical Certificate workflow in Process Direct. Complete all relevant fields within the workflow.

To code the medical certificate, 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 able to 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

Then 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.

Go to Step 8.

Tell the customer:

• a temporary medical exemption has been granted
• when the exemption will end
• more medical evidence will be required if they require any further exemption, and
• if they leave their course/apprenticeship during the exemption period or will not return to full-time study/their apprenticeship after the exemption period, they must notify within 14 days

For students

• 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

• No changes are to be made on the Newstart Education Status (NES) screen. The customer must remain as a full-time apprentice in the system in order for YA apprentice payments to be paid
• Check with the apprentice about their earnings. If they are not working during the exemption period, update their reporting frequency to cover them for this period
• Annotate the DOC with the details of the conversation and any relevant information about the customer's work/earnings during the exemption period

If the customer is not present, make one genuine attempt to contact them. If this contact is unsuccessful, send a Q888 letter, see Resources for approved letter text. Annotate the exemption DOC to show that the Q888 has been sent.

Go to Step 9.

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. 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
• invite the customer to test their eligibility for Crisis Payment (CrP), if applicable

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/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:

• make sure the customer's current course remains coded on the EDC screen, to show they are still considered a full-time student
• check for any required updates, such as course and student end date due to the period of reduced study/absence
• discuss with the customer the requirement 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 Commonwealth Registration Number on the Apprenticeship Details (NAPD) screen or in the Apprenticeships Data Management System (ADMS).

Current Commonwealth Registration Number

Customers will be eligible to continue receiving YA if:

• they are temporarily unable to continue their full-time Australian 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

Suspended or cancelled Commonwealth Registration Number

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.