Data collection & storage

The procedure that will enable DVA to take responsibility for income testing any self-funded retirees who receive disability pension and have qualifying service is as follows:

1.The data matching process identifies which aged care residents are income support pensioners and which are self-funded retirees;

2.Centrelink visit self-funded retirees and/or issue them with an income data collection form (form SA316).  Copies of this form are available on request from the contact officer.

3.The Centrelink income data collection form and associated information advises residents that disability pension can be exempted from assessment if they have qualifying service.  A tick box on the form allows residents to indicate whether they believe they have qualifying service.

4.The resident fills out the data collection form and returns it to Centrelink.  If the qualifying service box has been ticked, Centrelink forward the form to the relevant DVA State Office.

5.Where it is known or is rapidly confirmed that the resident has qualifying service DVA establish an assessment for the resident with disability pension exempt from assessment as income.

To establish an assessment for a self-funded retiree, it is necessary to use the “What If” screen and the information contained on the income data collection form to determine the person's income with disability pension exempted from assessment.

The residential care details screen is then used to enter the person's file number, excess income (half excess income for a married resident) and a date of effect into a database segment from where it will be transferred to the data to be transmitted to DH&FS on a daily basis.

6.If it can rapidly be determined that the person does not have qualifying service, the claimant and Centrelink should be advised accordingly and the claimant's income data collection form details (or screen dumps) should be faxed back to Centrelink.  A standard letter for advising the claimant is at Attachment E.

A fax for advising Centrelink is at Attachment D.  This fax should be sent as a cover sheet for the income data collection form details.  The correct State Office details etc will need to be overwritten on the header of this fax before it is used.

7.Where it is necessary for the resident to lodge a claim for qualifying service, and it will take some time to resolve that claim, DVA establish an assessment for the resident with disability pension exempt as income pending the outcome of their claim.  Should the claim be successful the assessment can be left as is.  Should the claim fail, the person should be transferred back to Centrelink as outlined in Step 6 and their DVA assessment deleted.  From that time onward, their disability pension will be assessed as income by Centrelink.

Claims for qualifying service made for aged care purposes will need to have a form attached to ensure that examiners notify Centrelink if qualifying service is not established.  A copy of the form to use is at Attachment B and these can be printed from this DI as required after deleting the reference to the attachment at the top of the page.

8.There is no need to contact Centrelink if a person does have qualifying service.  However the claimant will need to be advised of the outcome and a standard letter for doing so is at Attachment C.

9.Where a person has qualifying service, DVA will have continuing responsibility to maintain the person's income details for fee purposes.    More