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

If the YA customer is:

• dependent, and:
• undertaking secondary studies, go to Step 2
• either a job seeker, undertaking tertiary studies or an Australian Apprentice, the customer is not eligible under this criterion. See The away from home rate for Youth Allowance (YA) customers for other criterion that may apply
• independent, the customer does not require an approved reason to live away from home. Procedure ends here

A student can only be paid to live away from home if there is a need to actually live away. A student who does not need to attend classes because they are studying by some other means, such as correspondence or School of the Air, does not need to leave home to access education. This would be true regardless of the location of their home. Study of this type is often referred to as external study.

Is the customer undertaking external study?

• Yes, the customer is not eligible for the away from home rate under this criterion, as they do not need to live away from home. Record details in a Fast Note. Procedure ends here
• No, go to Step 3

The parental home is isolated if it is:

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

It may be necessary to request evidence to support the claim, where it is not clear the parental home is isolated. If the family would be eligible for AIC, see Isolation conditions for Assistance for Isolated Children (AIC) Scheme, the away from home rate could be paid without further investigation. Seek AIC Local Peer Support (LPS) assistance where required.

Is the parental home isolated or is AIC eligibility met?

• Yes, go to Step 4
• No, the customer is not eligible for the away from home rate under this criterion. Record details in a Fast Note. Procedure ends here

The customer is eligible for the away from home rate under this criterion, only if they actually live away from home.

Does the customer live away from the parental home?

• Yes, the customer is eligible for the away from home rate. Code the Independent/Homeless/Away From Home Details (NIH) screen with the grant reason code 'AIS' (parental home isolated). See Commencement, cessation and coding of the away from home rate for Youth Allowance (YA), for coding instructions
• No, the customer is not eligible for the away from home rate under this criterion. Record the reason for the decision in a Fast Note. See The away from home rate for Youth Allowance (YA) customers for other criterion that may apply. Procedure ends here