Referrals to Course Assessment and Liaison Officers (CALOs) 010-20100142

As part of processing a claim, change of circumstance update or managing an enquiry, confirm if the education provider and course details have been assessed as approved by checking:

• National Course Approvals sub-site, and
• customer's record for a CALO Enquiry Fast Note and OLC Claim Progress DOC, to identify if an outcome of a previous CALO referral for the same course is noted

If actioning an outcome of a CALO Referral or to view previously completed CALO Referrals, see Step 1 in Table 3.

Has the customer provided study details for a course that has not yet been assessed?

• Yes, go to Step 2
• No, assess the claim using information provided on the National Course Approvals sub-site. Procedure ends here

Before creating a new CALO referral, Service Officers must check if there is a current referral that has been sent for a CALO assessment:

• go to Process Direct and select the Customer Summary tile
• in the CRN field, enter the customer's Customer Reference Number (CRN) and select Go. Select the relevant customer from the listing
• select > Referrals
• on the Referral landing page, pending referrals will display with a status of In Process or On Hold
• selecting the Referral ID hyperlink will display details of the referral
• selecting Next will navigate to the Referral Summary screen

Is there an existing referral that is yet to be finalised?

• Yes, and:
• the customer has contacted to query the progress of a transaction awaiting a CALO referral outcome. Do not create an additional referral. See Step 4 in Table 3
• a claim or customer record update is being processed which requires the CALO referral outcome, do not create an additional referral. Place the work item On Hold for 14 days pending the outcome of the CALO Referral. Procedure ends here
• No, go to Step 3

If the CALO referral relates to:

• a new claim or claim re-assessment, go to Step 4
• customers already receiving a payment, go to Step 5
• an enquiry from a non-current customer, or a customer considering study, create a stand-alone referral, see Step 1 in Table 2
• Education provider seeking assistance, see Step 1 in Table 4

A customer is 'at risk' if they:

• meet the financial hardship criteria see Immediate new claim and non-new claim priority processing, and
• are experiencing at least 1 of the following circumstances:
• subject to family or domestic violence
• has an eviction notice (or expects 1 shortly)
• has dependants
• hospitalised or suffering from a temporary incapacity arising from a medical condition
• released from prison or psychiatric confinement
• affected by the death of a family member
• a humanitarian entrant to Australia
• a person whose principal place of residence was lost or sustained major damage as a result of an extreme circumstance
• has applied for Unreasonable to Live At Home (UTLAH)
• has had recent family breakdown (risk of homelessness/danger)
• advises a foreseeable situation that may place them at risk if their claim is delayed

See Intent to claim and vulnerable customers for further information.

Does the customer meet the definition of 'at risk' and are they claiming an income support payment?

• Yes, immediately create a CALO Referral. Select Yes on the Referral Details screen to Is the Referral Urgent? For:
• claims processed in Process Direct, go to Step 6
• all other claims, see Step 1 in Table 2
• No, go to Step 6

Course details can be changed for customers if they are currently receiving:

• a student payment and have:
• responded to an end of course, study intention or compliance review
• changed from one course to another, or
• changed course and are intending to commence a new course in the next study period
• Youth Allowance (as a jobseeker or Australian Apprentice) and have:
• commenced, or are intending to commence study

Is the referral required for a Linked Transaction (See Resources for a list of Linked Transactions)?

• Yes, go to Step 6
• No, see Step 1 in Table 2

Process Direct CALO Referrals can be created within a claim, or a change of circumstance update, where it is associated as a Linked Transaction.

This includes Student and ABSTUDY new claims or claim re-assessments processed in Process Direct and certain Change of Circumstance updates. See Resources for a list of Linked Transactions.

Before creating a CALO Referral, check the customer meets all the other eligibility criteria. A referral to the CALO is only required where all other eligibility criteria have been met.

Note: do not send CALO referrals for Master courses. The Master courses spreadsheet is updated regularly and without delay. If the course is not on the approved Masters courses spreadsheet, the course is not approved.

If a new CALO Referral is needed:

• ensure the work item is in an Open status. For example, not On Hold, Completed or Cancelled
• create the CALO Referral within the claim or change of circumstance update
• in Process Direct select > Referral
• on the Referral Landing page:
• select the Referral type. The Transactional details fields should be auto-populated
• complete the remaining fields, then select Next
• select Find to search for the education provider by Institution ID. Note: obtain the Institution ID from the National Course Approvals sub-site, Process Direct or CODES screen in Customer First
• if the education provider does not have an Institution ID, select Search and select Provider not listed from the search results
• complete the remaining fields where appropriate, then select Next

Note: if the linked transaction is a claim for an income support payment and the customer meets the definition of At Risk, select Yes to Is the Referral Urgent? and include the reason for the At Risk assessment in the Details of Referral field

On the Referral Summary screen:

• include any additional notes. These will be added to the Process Direct CALO Referral Note
• Select Finish

The linked transaction is automatically placed On Hold - Referred to CALO.

Request proof of enrolment from the customer if it has not already been provided.

Does the referral relate to a change in course and/or education provider?

• Yes, see Step 2 in Table 2
• No, when a response is provided, see Step 1 in Table 3

Create a standalone referral if the referral is for a:

• customer enquiry
• an update that is not processed in Process Direct, or
• an update that is not configured as a Linked Transaction. See the Resources page for a list of Linked Transactions

Before creating a CALO Referral:

• check the customer meets all other eligibility criteria
• review the National Course Approvals sub-site, and
• check the customer's record for any DOCs or CALO Referral Process Direct notes, to identify whether the outcome of a previous CALO referral has been noted

Note: do not send CALO referrals for Master courses. The Master courses spreadsheet is updated regularly and without delay. If the course is not on the approved Masters courses spreadsheet, the course is not approved.

If a new CALO Referral is required:

• go to Process Direct and select the Customer Summary tile
• search for the customer's record and select the relevant customer
• select > Referral
• on the Referral Landing page:
• select the Referral type CALO Referral
• populate the Transactional details fields, then select Next
• on the Referral Details screen:
• Select Find to search for the education provide by Institution ID. Note: obtain the Institution ID from the National Course Approvals sub-site, Process Direct or CODES screen
• if the education provider does not have an Institution ID, select Search. Select Provider not listed from the search results
• populate any remaining fields, then select Next
• on the Referral Summary screen:
• input any additional notes. These will be added to the Process Direct CALO Referral Note
• Select Finish
• place any relevant activities or work items on hold pending the outcome of the CALO referral
• request proof of enrolment from the customer if not already provided

Does the referral relate to a change in course and/or education provider?

• Yes, go to Step 2
• No, when a response is provided, see Step 1 in Table 3

If the customer is changing course and/or education provider and the course or education provider is not yet approved:

• update existing course details in Process Direct on the Customer Study Details (EDC) screen or in Customer First on the Education Course Details (EDC) screen, where applicable. For example, end-date the existing course in Process Direct on the Customer Study Details (EDCH) screen or in Customer First on the Education Course History (EDCH) screen that has been discontinued by the customer. See:
• Payment of ABSTUDY when a student is deferring or discontinuing study before the end of the course
• Payment of Youth Allowance (YA) and Austudy when a student is deferring or discontinuing study before the end of the course
• Deferring or discontinuing study before end of course for Pensioner Education Supplement (PES)
• Processing end of course and intention to study reviews for Austudy and Youth Allowance
• finalise the activity

Advise the customer:

• they cannot receive a student payment for their advised course until it has been assessed as approved for Centrelink purposes
• to test their eligibility by lodging an online claim (if applicable)
• to contact the education provider and ask they promptly provide details requested by the CALO

When a response is provided, go to Step 1 in Table 3.

Once a CALO Referral is complete, the CALO will annotate the CALO Referral note in Process Direct with the outcome.

When a standalone referral is completed a CALO Referral Complete Fast Note is created and allocated to a suitably skilled Service Officer.

If the referral was created as part of a Linked Transaction, the work item status:

• is automatically updated to In Process, and
• will allocate to a suitably skilled Service Officer via Workload Management

Has a response been provided by the CALO?

• Yes, and the CALO Referral relates to a:
• Linked Transaction, go to Step 2
• Standalone referral, go to Step 3
• No, go to Step 5

Once the referral is complete, the CALO will:

• complete the CALO Referral work item
• annotate the CALO Referral note in Process Direct, and
• update the National Course Approvals sub-site

The status of the Linked Transaction will automatically update to In Process, for allocation via Workload Management and can be finalised. See:

• Assessing and coding student and Australian Apprentice claims for Youth Allowance (YA)
• Assessing and coding student and Australian Apprentice claims for Austudy
• Processing ABSTUDY claims in Process Direct
• Assessing Claim for Pensioner Education Supplement (PES)
• Assessing a Claim for ABSTUDY Pensioner Education Supplement (SY020)
• Assessing and coding claims for Assistance for Isolated Children (AIC) Scheme
• Assessing and finalising claims for the Tertiary Access Payment (TAP)

Procedure ends here.

Once the referral is complete the CALO will:

• complete the CALO Referral work item
• annotate the CALO Referral note in Process Direct
• create a CALO Referral Complete Fast Note, and
• update the National Course Approvals sub-site

If the customer's record requires a study update. See:

• End of course reviews for students
• Changing study details for Youth Allowance (YA) students
• Changing or correcting course of study for Youth Allowance, Austudy and Pensioner Education Supplement students
• Changing or correcting course of study and/or educational institution for ABSTUDY students
• Changing study or training details for Austudy customers

Service Officers allocated a CALO Referral Complete Fast Note must:

• ensure the fast note is completed
• mark any scanned documents associated with this referral as closed
• contact the customer to advise the outcome if required. Document the discussion

Procedure ends here.

If a customer contacts to enquire about the progress of a CALO referral or wants to provide new information:

• access the existing CALO Referral:
• go to Process Direct and select the Customer Summary tile
• in the CRN field, enter the customer's Customer Reference Number (CRN) and select Go. Select the relevant customer from the listing
• select > Referrals if in a new claim or all other transactions
• pending referrals will be displayed with a status of In Process or On Hold
• selecting the Referral ID will display details of the referral
• selecting Next will navigate to the Referral Summary screen

To record further information:

• on the Referral Summary screen, add any additional notes. These are added to the Process Direct CALO Referral Note
• select Annotate
• select Finish
• Note: Service Officers must not select Complete. Selecting this will finalise the referral work item and will require another referral initiated
• advise the customer 'Your course has not yet been assessed as meeting eligibility requirements for a student payment. Your education provider has been asked to provide information to the Agency to determine if the course meets these requirements. We will be able to update your record once we have received this information.'

Service Officers must not:

• grant a student payment or update course details on customer records without confirming the course is approved
• reject claim for the reason Not an approved course (NAC) unless:
• the National Course Approvals sub-site confirms the course is not approved, or a CALO confirms the course does not meet the requirements of an approved course

Procedure ends here.

Generally the, CALO will request information from the education provider to determine if a course is approved. Where a response is not received promptly from the education provider, the CALO Referral and Linked Transaction (where applicable) will continue to be on HOLD until the CALO assessment is complete.

If a customer contacts regarding progress of claim while a CALO Referral is in progress, advise the customer:

• details are being confirmed with their education provider
• to test their eligibility by lodging an online claim (if applicable)
• to contact the education provider and ask they promptly provide details requested by the CALO
• Document the discussion

If an education provider contacts to seek assistance from Course Assessment Liaison Officers relating to course approvals and assessments, refer matter to the Course Assessment and Liaison Email. See Educational Institutions Seeking Assistance on the National Course Approvals sub site.

Include the:

• education provider name
• contact name
• contact phone number and email address
• details of the enquiry

CALOs will investigate the details of the enquiry, contact the provider and update the National Course Approvals sub-site as needed.

Advise the education provider a CALO will contact them within 2 business days.

Do not create a CALL/ACTDOC or send Fast Notes for course enquiries.