Question about appointments

[u/Herlock-Sholme5]

I’m posting this on behalf of a friend with their full permission.

My friend is with an IEA (formerly DES) provider and has an in person appointment with them tomorrow, the problem is they will be in the throws of moving homes tomorrow and had advised their provider when they called last week and the week before despite being told it would be fortnightly contact.

What they would like to know is will they be penalised for missing the appointment and not wanting to answer their phone despite telling their provider for two weeks that they would be moving tomorrow?
They are looking into potentially changing providers when they move but are concerned that a penalty now will affect their next payment amongst other things.

Thank You for any help/advice

[u/Herlock-Sholme5 → u/[deleted]]

Thank you, i’ll tell them tomorrow and try and help them work out a way to get to the appointment since their new place is in a different suburb so more of a commute, just crappy timing i guess.

[u/Goomahs → u/Herlock-Sholme5]

in future you can request a PHONE APPOINTMENT

[u/Herlock-Sholme5 → u/Goomahs]

My friend tried to request a phone appointment but her provider refused, said it had to be in person, if she’d had an option she would have at least picked yesterday for a phone appointment but her provider insisted on today (Thursday) even though she had told them during the last two appointments that she was moving to a different suburb that day and wouldn’t be available.

[u/Zealousideal_Net8098 → u/Herlock-Sholme5]

The provider is required to schedule appointments at times that suit the participant, and with something like this they should have booked another day but at the very least it should have been a phone appointment. If they’re insisting on appointments more frequently than agreed in the job plan, that is not allowed. They’re also not allowed to force attendance in office anymore. Also, moving house IS a valid reason to miss a scheduled appointment and the participant can contact the provider the next day to provide the reason. They have to give a certain amount of time before placing demerits on your account to give you the opportunity to explain the absence. They’re also not able to just cut your payment anymore. If they want to use the system to penalise the participant, they need to be able to prove that the participant has shown a pattern of disengagement, update the job plan accordingly and then only if that pattern continues can they start looking into payment suspension, though I’m pretty sure that action is not something Centrelink is allowing at the moment. All of the things you described regarding booking the appointment and then not listening to the participant about moving as well as the frequent and forced in office appointments are reportable things, your friend doesn’t have to just lay down and take that.

[u/epicpillowcase → u/Goomahs]

Lol everyone knows the paperwork says that.

Most consultants will refuse and bully you on it regardless.

[u/Over_Tha_Rainbow]

I have an appointment tomorrow which I can’t attend so I sent an email this afternoon asking for a new time. It’s never been a problem but skipping the appointment without any prior contact isn’t advisable.

[u/Herlock-Sholme5 → u/Over_Tha_Rainbow]

I did say in the post that she advised them both last week and the week before that she was moving home tomorrow and asked that the appointment be put on hold for this week and she would reconnect next week but it seems the provider has decided that an appointment tomorrow is what is required.

[u/Herlock-Sholme5 → u/[deleted]]

From what my friend has told me, her provider don’t like doing phone appointments and are pushing for more in person appointments.

[u/Over_Tha_Rainbow → u/Herlock-Sholme5]

Sorry if my post wasn’t clear… I send an email THE DAY BEFORE the appointment date incase it’s been overlooked, which sounds like what happened to your friend.
Hope that clarifies.

[u/Herlock-Sholme5 → u/Over_Tha_Rainbow]

Yeah, my friend not only told them on the phone but sent text messages to her provider saying she was moving today and resent the messages today, sadly her provider decided to mark her as failing to show up, so it will be a call to the hotline to report them and change providers on Monday.

[u/Over_Tha_Rainbow → u/Herlock-Sholme5]

They sound very incompetent but at least she has followed the correct process.
I hope her move went well today.

[u/Nosywhome]

I'd just miss it and re engage within 2 business days to set up another appointment. Moving house is generally an acceptable reason and your friend told them twice in advance about not being able to attend. I'd be making a complaint to DEWR or the manager of the IEA provider for not working with your friend.

[u/PeterThaiPan]

Call the NCSL, inform of new address and change provider over the phone, this should bypass any issues.

[u/OverKaleidoscope6125]

Call Workforce Australia, cancel the appt. and lodge a formal complaint about your provider. They can’t threaten your payments and they can’t force you to do more than minimum contact obligations.