Ongoing reviews and contacts with income managed customers 103-01040080

The purpose of a review is to make sure the customer is continuing to meet their priority needs and those of their families.

Customers may also contact to query their Income Management, including when Income Management is likely to end, what options are available to exit Income Management and ask for a review of a decision relating to Income Management.

Conducting a review or discussing a customer's Income Management is also an opportunity to provide other assistance such as:

• referral to a social worker - see Social Work Services
• referral to a specialist officer - see Specialist officers and other internal supports for customers
• providing information and referrals to Financial Wellbeing and Capability Activities
• where to find more information to help with managing their finances. Customers can visit the 'Managing your money' page at servicesaustralia.gov.au which offers useful information and resources

A customer's priority needs are reviewed throughout the period of Income Management to identify if there are any changes to their priority needs. Income Management expenses are updated accordingly. These reviews take place when:

• a Work Item has been raised that indicates a customer's Income Management should be reviewed due to a change in circumstances, or
• the customer requests a review, or
• an Income Management referring authority requests a review

Customers income managed under the Vulnerable Welfare Payment Recipient (VWPR) measure will have a review of their circumstances conducted by a social worker as follows:

• VWPR Notice:
• at dates specified by a social worker at the time the Vulnerable Notice commenced
• upon request for reconsideration by the customer
• 28 days prior to the Vulnerable Notice end date
• when the customer moves out of an Income Management area
• Automatically triggered VWPR customers:
• when a customer has requested an exclusion from Income Management

Reviews of Child Protection Income Management are also held as appropriate between Services Australia and the relevant State or Territory Child Protection Authority.

For more information about when these reviews are held and the process to conduct these reviews, see Ongoing reviews for Child Protection and Supporting People at Risk Income Management.

When completing a review of a customer's priority needs, Service Officers must consider details readily available on the customer's record (for example, accommodation details, children in care, age of children). Service Officers should also review any voluntary deductions (that is, Centrepay and Rent Deduction Scheme payments) when discussing priority needs with the customer. Customers may elect to change the voluntary deductions to Income Management expenses or maintain/vary/cease the deductions.

Further reviews are completed for customers who volunteer or are referred to Income Management by an external authority or a Services Australia social worker.