C10/1998 MARCH 1998 QUARTERLY LETTERS MAILOUT

Purpose of instruction

This Departmental Instruction is to provide information about processing information for the March quarterly letters mailout.

Introduction

The Department's quarterly letters facility has been designed to enhance communication between the Department and the veteran community.  In general, quarterly letters are sent in January, March, June and September of each year.  Letters are sent to income support pensioners.  The size of the mailout is dependent on the issues (eg. Budget changes, pension indexation, etc) current at the time.

A/L Events

The March Quarterly mailout will incorporate the following events for pay-day 26 March 1998:

• increase in service pension rates;
• global refresh of managed investment and share data;
• payment of telephone allowance to those eligible.

CPI/MTAWE Increases

As the Consumer Price Index (CPI) figure for the most recent reference period was negative there will be no increase to pension or allowance rates, thresholds or limits on this basis.

Rates of income support pension may be increased in line with movements in Male Total Average Weekly Earnings (MTAWE).  The final MTAWE figure will not be available until 5 March 1998.  Early indications are that service and age pension rates will be increased and the attached mock-ups have been prepared on this basis.  If necessary these will be amended once the final figure is available.  Movements in MTAWE do not affect rates of allowances, disability or war widow pension.

Target Audience

A letter is to be produced for:

• all less than maximum rate SP/ISS clients;
• all persons with Saved Rent Assistance.

Obligations

Obligations are to be suppressed for all letters produced.  Reference will be made to previous obligations issued to clients.

Income and Asset listings

Full Income - Asset listings are to be produced only for clients who have either shares or managed investments listed in their assessment.

Production

The reassessment processing run and letter production will be conducted on the weekend of 6-8 March 1998.  No fortnightly run for deprived assets and Profit Fort will be done prior to the weekend quarterly run and will therefore not impact on the transactions generated for the quarterly letters run.  The major reassessment program ("BAL") will be run to reassess cases affected by any of the events above.  Detailed ADP processing requirements will be sent separately to State System Support Officers.

Letters

System support and letters contact officers in each State Office have been provided with copies of mock ups and variations paragraphs.

Payment

processing

The payment processing is scheduled to run from Friday evening 6 March until Sunday evening 8 March 1998.  A processing timetable appears later in this instruction.

Affected clients

A quarterly letter is to be produced for all less than maximum rate service pensioners and all less than maximum rate income support supplement clients (less than ceiling rate of $120.10).  The letter may include other relevant paragraphs, such as treatment and/or fringe benefits eligibility.

Client numbers

The estimated number of letters for this run is approximately 74,000.

Letter printing

All letters will be printed and enveloped at Security Mailing Services in Kingsgrove, Sydney.  Data cartridges will be supplied to Security Mailing Services on 9 March 1998.

Special register

Special Register and overseas letters will be supplied to the mailing houses on separate cartridges and forwarded to the relevant State Offices for enveloping and despatch.

Quarterly letters processing

As mentioned earlier, a letter will be produced for all less than maximum rate service pensioners and less than maximum rate income support supplement pensioners.  Letters will also be produced for those in receipt of Saved Rent Assistance.  The range of paragraphs, the circumstances under which these will be applied and the paragraph wording have been supplied to State Office contact officers.  Sample letters are contained in this DI.

ADP

Processing

Detailed information regarding ADP Processing will be issued to State Systems Support Officers in a separate memorandum.  The Systems Support Officers will be issuing a local processing timetable and should be consulted on any matter concerning ADP Processing.

Timetable

Key time frames and events for the March mailout are summarised below.  The first processing run will begin on the evening of Friday 6 March 1998.

Holding of daily letters

Cases processed in advance for day 1 of pay period 72 (26 March 1998) should have the daily letter dispatched prior to the quarterly letter being sent.

Daily payment letters produced after the processing run on 6-8 March 1998 for pay period 72 (26 March 1998), should be held by State Offices until confirmation is received from the quarterly letters project officer in National Office to release such letters.  This will ensure that pensioners who have pension variations processed for payday 26 March 1998 will receive their daily letter after the quarterly letter rather than in advance of it.

Manual

cases

To minimise the number of daily letters to be held whilst quarterly letters are processed, it is suggested that only manual cases (and essential processing) should be processed for pay day 26 March 1998.  General pensions processing should continue unabated but should be submitted for the subsequent pay day.

Letter lodgement

The quarterly letters will be held at the mailing houses for lodgement with Australia Post on 12 to 13 March.

Reprint of selected letters

Any requests for reprints of individual quarterly letters should be referred to State Office System Support Officers.

Insert

The Australian War Memorial Foundation is including a one page A4 insert with this mailout.  The insert is asking the veteran community to “Keep the Spirit Alive” by becoming a Friend of the Memorial and making a donation or leaving a bequest in their will.  The insert includes a coupon to be completed and returned to the Australian War Memorial Foundation by those wishing to contribute.

A sample of this insert will be sent to all State Offices as soon as it is available.

Contacts

Any queries regarding wording of letters, AL data cartridges, mailing house printing and letter lodgement should be referred to:

Matthew Willis

(02) 6289 6446  (or by e-mail)

Payment and rates matters should be directed to:

Murray Chynoweth

(02) 6289 6654 (or by e-mail)

Feedback from State Offices

Any concerns regarding letters produced as part of this run should be directed immediately to the NO contact officer, Matthew Willis.  At the end of this AL we will be collating all State feedback to avoid problems recurring.  Any problems noted should be reported to the contact officer with the nature of the query and the file number of the client.  Please ensure that problems are reported as early as possible.

Letter mockups

Attached are mock ups and examples of paragraphs for the quarterly letters:

Example 1:   Less than maximum rate, increase, with Telephone

                      Allowance and MI/SH in assessment

Example 2:  Saved rent assistance paragraphs

Example 3:  Generic indexation paragraph - no increase

Letter variables

Please note, in the following samples:

• letterhead, DC name and signature block will change according to State;
• the words “service pension”, “age pension” and “Income Support Supplement” each represent variables which will appear for those clients in receipt of the applicable pension;
• the words “income test” represent a variable; “assets test” will appear where applicable (these variables appear in the income and asset attachment which is not included with the samples).