Processing arrangements for ABSTUDY claims and enquiries 010-02020010

General enquiries about ABSTUDY should be referred to the ABSTUDY Smart Centre Call queue located in Office Locator. The Resources page contains a link to Office Locator.

All contacts should be documented as per Online Document Recording (ODR).

General ABSTUDY enquiries can be answered by service centre staff. Service Centres should also display information about ABSTUDY (including the ABSTUDY Smart Centre Call numbers) in their public contact area.

All contacts should be documented as per Online Document Recording (ODR).

Where possible, the enquiry should be dealt with at the first point of contact, however, if the enquiry is of a more complex nature, the following arrangements apply:

Specific enquiries about an ABSTUDY customer's entitlements can be referred to the ABSTUDY Smart Centre Call queue in Office Locator. The Resources page contains a link to Office Locator.

ABSTUDY Smart Centre Call will answer customer and third party enquiries in line with Disclosing information to a nominee.

Unable to answer third party enquiry
ABSTUDY Service Officers can resolve basic enquiries about ABSTUDY.

If an ABSTUDY Service Officer cannot resolve the customer's enquiry, contact Local Peer Support (LPS).

• LPSs unable to help will advise the Service Officer to send an ABSTUDY Call Back required Fast Note to the ABSTUDY Smart Centre Processing Team:
• Use Fast Note select Auto Text use Students, ABSTUDY & Apprentices > Update > ABSTUDY callback required
• Select Confirm

Ensure Fast Note remains open and contains the following information:

• logon of the LPS who assisted
• third party details, name, institution, contact number, and any other relevant information, for example only available 9am- 3pm
• detailed information relating directly to the enquiry

Urgent enquiries about ABSTUDY travel

To determine if the enquiry is urgent, see Fares Allowance (FAA) authorised in advance of travel for ABSTUDY. Warm transfer the call to the ABSTUDY Smart Centre Travel team using the Services Australia Workspace Transfer Options list or the transfer number in Office Locator. See the Resources page for a link.

Urgent enquiries about ABSTUDY Away from Base travel

To determine if the enquiry is urgent, see Fares Allowance (FAA) authorised in advance of travel for ABSTUDY. Warm transfer the call to the ABSTUDY Smart Centre Away from Base team using the Services Australia Workspace Transfer Options list or the transfer number in Office Locator. See the Resources page for a link.

Enquiries about ABSTUDY Fares Allowance (FAA) reimbursements

See Reimbursing fares and additional costs after travel has been undertaken for ABSTUDY.

Unable to answer Away from Base enquiry

If direct contact with the ABSTUDY Smart Centre Away from Base team is required and a call transfer is not available or appropriate, send an ABSTUDY Away from Base callback required Fast Note to the Away from Base team:

• Use Fast Note - select Auto Text, use> Students, ABSTUDY & Apprentices > ABSTUDY Travel >ABSTUDY Away from Base callback required
• Select Confirm
• Ensure the Fast Note remains open and contains all relevant information, such as:
• third party details, name, institution, contact number, and any other relevant information, for example only available 9am- 3pm
• detailed information relating directly to the enquiry

ABSTUDY enquiries about Apprentices

Enquiries about ABSTUDY Apprentices can first be directed to the ABSTUDY Smart Centre Call queue using the Services Australia Workspace Transfer Options list or the number in Office Locator. See the Resources page for a link.

Unable to answer ABSTUDY Apprentice enquiry

ABSTUDY Telephony Service Officers unable to resolve the enquiry at initial contact will send an ABSTUDY Apprentice action required or ABSTUDY Apprentice call back required Fast Note to the ABSTUDY Smart Centre Apprentice team:

• Use Fast Note - select Auto Text, use Students, ABSTUDY & Apprentices > Update > select either ABSTUDY Apprentice action required or ABSTUDY Apprentice call back required
• Select Confirm
• Ensure the Fast Note remains open and contains all relevant information

See the Resources page for a link to the Student and Australian Apprentices contact numbers for ABSTUDY.

DOC all contacts as per Online Document Recording (ODR).

ABSTUDY customers can lodge a claim using a variety of methods. See Claiming ABSTUDY for the preferred method for the Award and Allowance being claimed.

Paper claims

If a paper claim form is required, ABSTUDY claim forms are available on the Services Australia website. If a customer is deemed vulnerable or not capable of accessing online services in a service centre or another location, staff can elect to print the product. It can be printed locally or at the mail house and included in their customer letter.

All service centres should accept ABSTUDY claims and forms over the counter. See Claiming ABSTUDY and Scanning Centrelink documents using an MFD.

Note: staff in Smart Centre call and service centres should, if appropriate, help customers complete ABSTUDY claims and forms and record the customer contact on a DOC. See Contact in relation to an intended claim (CLK).

The processing of ABSTUDY student and Australian Apprentice claims is undertaken nationally. Look up local Processing Service details for ABSTUDY and ABSTUDY PES.

Deceased customers

If a customer dies before the finalisation of their new claim, extra coding is needed in the new claim to end-date Electronic Message Reminder Service (EMR) subscriptions. See Initial contact after someone has died.

As a general principle, ABSTUDY (including ABSTUDY Schooling A and ABSTUDY Pensioner Education Supplement (PES) enquiries that result in a change of rate may be completed by Smart Centre Call staff if:

• the action is able to be resolved at the first point of contact, and
• the action does not require a complex assessment (for example, change of circumstances of an ABSTUDY secondary boarding student), and

either:

• the customer is not required to provide any written documentation, or
• the customer has provided the required documentation but it has not yet been actioned by the ABSTUDY Smart Centre Processing team, and
• there is no information stating that ABSTUDY assessment cannot occur

Where the enquiry cannot be actioned at first point of contact, Smart Centre Call staff should put the details of the enquiry into an ABSTUDY action request Fast Note:

• Use Fast Note - select: Auto Text, use Students, ABSTUDY & Apprentices > Update > ABSTUDY action request or ABSTUDY Boarder action request unless otherwise instructed
• Select Confirm
• Ensure Fast Note remains open and contains all relevant information

Once a customer has transferred to JSP/YA current within 14 days of Pension cancellation, restoration of PES is a manual process started by a tag to Services Australia Education Payments System as part of the NSS New Claim process.

The Assessment Results (AR) screen displays the PES and NSS benefit status. If the customer is eligible, a PES Reassessment Activity is created and attached to the relevant ABSTUDY Smart Centre Processing team for action. The ABSTUDY Smart Centre Processing team then makes a manual decision as to whether to restore PES or delete the PES Reassessment Activity.

As a general principle, ABSTUDY (including ABSTUDY Schooling A and ABSTUDY Pensioner Education Supplement (PES) payments may be restored by Smart Centre Call staff where:

• the action can be resolved at the first point of contact
• the action does not require a complex assessment (e.g. restoration of an ABSTUDY secondary boarding student's payment), and

either:

• the customer is not required to provide any written documentation, or
• the customer has provided the required documentation but it has not yet been actioned by the ABSTUDY Smart Centre Processing team, and
• there is no information stating that ABSTUDY cannot be restored

Common examples of where it is appropriate for Smart Centre Call staff to restore ABSTUDY payments:

• the payment has been suspended whereabouts unknown (SUS-WUK) and the customer has contacted to advise the new address
• the payment is suspended or cancelled pending provision of POE or SY075 form, and the customer has provided the required document, but, due to high workload, it has not yet been actioned by the ABSTUDY Smart Centre Processing team

As a general principle, action to cancel or suspend ABSTUDY (including ABSTUDY Schooling A and ABSTUDY Pensioner Education Supplement) payments may be taken by Smart Centre Call staff if:

• the customer advises of a change in circumstances which affects their eligibility for ABSTUDY, or
• the customer voluntarily ceases payments

and

• the action does not require a complex assessment (e.g. cancellation/suspension of an ABSTUDY secondary boarding student's payments is complex)

If the action cannot be resolved at the point of first contact, e.g. the customer has advised they have ceased studies but does not know the last day of attendance, Smart Centre Call staff should:

• advise the customer to provide the information for the update to be made. For example, ask the customer to provide verification of last date of attendance
• see Suspension of ABSTUDY payments

If debts need to be raised as a result of change of circumstance, or reassessment send an ABSTUDY Debt Action Fast Note to the ABSTUDY Smart Centre Processing site. Use Fast Note - select Auto text, use Debts > Debt Action Referral > ABSTUDY Debt Action:

• Include the relevant details
• Delete any irrelevant sections of the Fast Note
• Procedure ends here.

If a customer contacts with a general query about withholdings to recover a debt, see Procedures for arranging withholdings to recover debts.

Enquiries relating to payments/claims prior to 2000 should be referred to the ABSTUDY Smart Centre Processing site via an ABSTUDY Action request Fast Note. Use Fast Note - select Auto text, use Students, ABSTUDY & Apprentices > Update > ABSTUDY Action request:

• Include the relevant details of the enquiry in the Fast Note
• Procedure ends here

Claims and payments made in 1999 or earlier were processed on the Education Student Assistance Scheme (ESAS) system. Smart Centre Processing staff have browse access to ESAS through the Archiving and Culling Engine (ACE), see Using the ACE application to access archived ESAS data.

Reviews of decisions are undertaken by an Authorised Review Officer. This is usually an officer from the ABSTUDY Smart Centre Processing team.

ABSTUDY customers also have further avenues of appeal, see External review of ABSTUDY decisions.