Assessing eligibility for Away from Home entitlements for ABSTUDY customers 010-02060070

The Away from Home rate of payment is available if a student:

• is offered an approved Boarding School Scholarship
• is offered an approved Third Party Indigenous Scholarship
• is offered a Transition School Scholarship at Melbourne Indigenous Transition School (MITS) or
• permanently resides in 1 of 5 designated Cape York Welfare Reform sites (Aurukun, Coen, Hope Vale, Mossman Gorge, and Doomadgee) and are required to live away from the community to attend a school at another location

Note: evidence of a scholarship does not need to be provided if ABSTUDY is being assessed so the student can travel to an interview.

If a student is seeking approval for the Away from Home rate of payment under:

• the Cape York Welfare Reform sites mobility criteria, go to Step 2
• a Boarding School Scholarship, go to Step 3
• a Third Party Indigenous Scholarship, go to Step 4
• a Transition School Scholarship at Melbourne Indigenous Transition School (MITS), go to Step 5

If a student has been previously approved for Away from Home payments under the Independent Boarding School (IBS) Scholarship criteria prior to 1 January 2019, go to Step 6.

If a school or provider organisation is seeking approval of a scholarship as a Third Party Indigenous Scholarship, advise them of the documents they must supply. The Resources page lists the documents they must supply. Procedure ends here.

If a student has lost qualification for a scholarship, they may no longer be eligible for the Away from Home rate. This may include where:

• a school withdraws a scholarship from a student (due to performance/behaviour)
• a scholarship ceases to be offered, or
• a scholarship is no longer approved as a Third Party Indigenous Scholarship

See Cessation of the ABSTUDY Away from Home rate.

Secondary school students may be approved for the ABSTUDY Away from Home provisions to enable the student to live away from the community and attend a school at another location. To be eligible for this provision, the student must permanently reside in 1 of 5 designated Cape York Welfare Reform sites.

Is the student's permanent home in 1 of the 5 designated Cape York Welfare Reform sites (Aurukun, Coen, Hope Vale Mossman Gorge or Doomadgee)?

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

A secondary school student may be approved for Away from Home entitlements on the basis of being offered a Boarding School scholarship.

To be eligible, they must meet all the following:

• The school is an approved secondary school offering an approved course of secondary studies
• The boarding arrangement is an integral part of the school
• The amount the school contributes towards the scholarship covers, the greater of either:
  • the Boarding School Scholarship Approval Threshold amount, or
  • 25% of the school's annual boarding school and tuition fees

Note: the minimum Boarding School Scholarship Approval Threshold amount increases each year in line with CPI. Similarly, a Scholarship Contribution Amount based on 25% of a school's annual boarding and tuition fees may increase if the school increases the fees. To approve a Boarding School Scholarship offered in second and subsequent years, the value of the Scholarship Contribution Amount must continue to meet the scholarship financial contribution requirements.

The Resources page has examples.

To calculate which financial contribution requirement is the greater amount:

• add the combined total of a school's board and tuition charges in the year of approval, and
• divide by 4 to identify 25% of the total charges

Has the student been granted an approved Boarding School scholarship?

• Yes, go to Step 7
• No, go to Step 9

A secondary student may be approved for Away from Home entitlements on the basis of being offered a Third Party Indigenous Scholarship to attend a select school in the following circumstances:

• the school is an approved secondary school offering an approved course of secondary studies, and
• the scholarship is one of the scholarships or programmes supported by the Australian Government as approved by the relevant delegate of the Minister for Families and Social Services

The Resources page has a list of Approved Third party Indigenous scholarships and contracted providers.

Has the student been granted an approved Third Party Indigenous Scholarship?

• Yes, go to Step 7
• No, go to Step 9

A secondary student may be approved for Away from Home entitlements based on being offered a Transition School Scholarship at Melbourne Indigenous Transition School (MITS).

Students offered Transition School Scholarships will qualify for the Away from Home rate. Students who complete the Transition School Scholarship and as a result are offered a placement at a MITS partner school, will continue to qualify for the Away from Home rate of ABSTUDY.

Has the student been offered a Transition School Scholarship at MITS or offered a placement at a MITS partner school?

• Yes, go to Step 7
• No, go to Step 9

Students approved for ABSTUDY Away from Home payments based on accepting an IBS scholarship before 1 January 2019 retain approval for Away from Home payments. Students are grandfathered for as long as they continue at the same school and continue to meet the criteria under which the IBS scholarship was originally approved. The Resources page has the pre 1 January 2019 rules).

From 1 January 2019, the scholarship is not required to continue to meet the Indigenous Education Consultative Board criteria.

However, if a holder of a grandfathered IBS scholarship does have a break in study, in exceptional circumstances the student can retain the grandfathered status for up to 2 years from the date the student discontinued study.

A beneficial approach is to be taken to assessing whether exceptional circumstances led to the student discontinuing. The Resources page has examples of grandfathered scholarships.

Grandfathering arrangements do not apply if a student has been expelled.

Does the student continue to hold a grandfathered IBS scholarship, or can be approved to recommence as a grandfathered scholarship holder under exceptional circumstances?

• Yes, go to Step 7
• No, go to Step 9

Students enrolled at Melbourne Indigenous Transition School (MITS) are in receipt of a Transition School Scholarship. No verification is required.

For all other cases, to determine approval of Away from Home payments, documentation may be required.

The Resources page lists the documents the customer must provide.

Tell the student or Australian Apprentice of the above. If required, send a request for the documentation, see Requesting information (CLK).

Has documentation been provided to support the claim for the Away from Home rate under scholarships and mobility provisions?

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

Student or Australian Apprentice meets eligibility for Away from Home rate due to scholarships and mobility provisions.

Complete the following on the NIH screen:

Note: if there is a current entry, it must be end-dated before entering a new line.

• Action: AFH
• Start/Reject Reason:
  • AOT (Cape York Welfare Reform sites)
  • ASO (Third Party Indigenous Scholarship or Transition School Scholarship)
  • ASI (Grandfathered IBS scholarship holder)
  • ASF (School contributed a dollar value to a scholarship), or
  • ASP (School contributed a percentage value to a scholarship)
• Start Date: later of the:
  • ABSTUDY start date or
  • date the student or Australian Apprentice became eligible for the Away from Home rate

Record details of the decision on a Fast Note. Use Fast Note - select Auto Text, use Students, ABSTUDY & Apprentices > Updates > ABSTUDY AFH Grant/REJ/Update.

Go to Step 10.

The student or Australian Apprentice is not eligible for the ABSTUDY Away from Home rate due to scholarships and mobility provisions:

• Record details of the decision on a Fast Note. Use Fast Note - select Auto Text, use Students, ABSTUDY & Apprentices > Updates > ABSTUDY AFH Grant/REJ/Update
• If required, cease the current AFH coding on the NIH screen. See Cessation of the ABSTUDY Away from Home rate
• If appropriate, refer them for other assistance. For example, Centrelink social worker or Indigenous Service Officer
• A review of the decision can occur if the customer provides further evidence. See Advising verbally of an unfavourable decision

Procedure ends here.

Boarding School scholarships have a mandatory requirement for a school to make a financial contribution to the scholarship for approval of Away from Home payments.

Many Third Party Indigenous Scholarships, and Transition School Scholarships can also contain a school or provider contribution towards a scholarship's value; usually as a waiver or reduction in student fees or boarding or lodging costs.

The actual dollar amount of the school financial contribution for the scholarship must be determined and coded at the Scholarship Contribution Amount field on the School Fee and Boarding Detail (EYSB) screen. Code the school or provider contribution amount to the scholarship for each year of the scholarship.

Record details of the particular scholarship on a Display on Access (DOA) DOC using the ABSTUDY Scholarship Information Fast Note:

• Select Auto text use Students, ABSTUDY and Apprentices > Update > ABSTUDY Scholarship Information
• Select the Display on access tick box
• The Expiry Date field will default to a date one year in the future. If the period covered by the scholarship is known, record an expiry date. If not, leave the Expiry Date field blank
• There is an automatic review with a due date of 365 days to update scholarship details each year, where:
  • the Expiry Date field is blank, or
  • the expiry date is more than one year in the future

In circumstances where a scholarship contains a Scholarship Contribution Amount that waives or reduces their student fees or boarding and lodging costs, the Annual Fees/Tuition Amount and Annual Boarding School/Hostel Amount fields on the EYSB screen must be coded correctly.

See Assessing scholarship income for correct coding of board and tuition amounts for students in receipt of a scholarship.