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

Special Circumstances

Reasonable Excuse

Recipients seeking an exemption for a current circumstance that will prevent them from meeting full-time study or apprenticeship requirements

Recipients who do not have an exemption but were unable to meet full-time study or apprenticeship requirements (i.e. a participation failure)

A major disruptive event (such as a fire, flood, earthquake, vandalism, or burglary) affects the person's home, and the event has a major disruptive consequence for the person.

• Examples include needing to arrange alternative accommodation, having to replace significant household items, organising major home repairs, or making insurance claims

A major personal crisis (such as the death of a family member, the breakdown of a relationship, domestic violence, or a person has become homeless and is unable to find accommodation), and the experience has a major disruptive consequence for the person.

• Examples include arranging funerals, arranging care for their child, attending counselling, or arranging alternative accommodation

Full-time carer’s duties due to a family member becoming temporarily incapacitated due to illness or accident, and the person does not qualify for a carer payment.

Serving on a jury.

The person is a refugee.

• Subject to a community service order requiring them to complete more than 20 hours per week.

Not having access to safe, secure and adequate housing, or being in emergency accommodation or a refuge at the time.

Language and literacy ability.

An illness, impairment or condition requiring treatment (whether episodic or unpredictable).

Cognitive, neurological, psychiatric, psychological impairment or mental illness.

Drug or alcohol dependency.

Unforeseen family or caring responsibilities (including being adversely affected by the death of an immediate or close relative).

Subjection to criminal violence (including domestic violence and sexual assault).

If the person is, or was, a member of a couple, the breakdown of that relationship.

Jury service.

Certain instances of imprisonment or release from imprisonment, where:

• the person has been imprisoned for a continuous period of more than 14 days
• the person has been released
• the person was released not more than 28 days before the failure was committed
• the person is, or was, a refugee

Subject to a community service order requiring the person to perform more than 20 hours of community service for each week the order has effect.