Assessing parental home isolated for Youth Allowance (YA) at the away from home rate 010-06040070

Dependent YA secondary students may be eligible for the higher away from home rate of YA if their parental home is isolated.

The parental home is considered isolated if it is:

• 56 kilometres or more from an appropriate government school, or
• at least 90 minutes travelling time 1 way, or
• isolated because of impassable roads for 20 school days in a year

If the family would be eligible for assistance under the Assistance for Isolated Children (AIC) Scheme, then the away from home rate of YA would generally be payable to a customer living away from the parental home, without the provision of reasons.

Students studying by correspondence, School of the Air etc. cannot be paid the away from home rate of YA as they do not actually attend classes. Even if the parental home is isolated, they still have access to schooling. However, this does not mean that isolated customers should be denied the away from home rate to attend a school because they could study by other methods.