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Electronic Commonwealth Assistance Form (ECAF)

Topics include:

• Overview
• ECAF Screen Navigation
• FEE-HELP
• HECS-HELP
• VET FEE-HELP
• Tax File Numbers in ECAF
• Transaction Management

Overview

ECAF is a Student Connect application that enables students to complete the Commonwealth Assistance Form appropriate for their Course Attempt. This application includes the ability to record the student’s Citizenship, Tax File Number (TFN) and; for HECS-HELP, it allows the student to indicate how they intend to pay their contribution.

The Commonwealth Assistance Forms are available to eligible students as part of the online self enrolment process or via the ECAF option in the Student Connect menu.

In order to display during Self Enrolment, the STUDSTATUS step must be recorded for the WEB Enrolment Method Type for the student's Enrolment Category in ENRF0192 and ENRF0193.
If this application is invoked during self enrolment, the system determines the correct student status for the student, based on their responses to questions in the ECAF, and records this in Callista.

When the ECAF item is selected from the menu, a check is made whether the student has two or more courses with a status equal to ENROLLED, INACTIVE or INTERMIT. If so, it displays a course list for the student to select the requiredr course and then continue with the rest of the processing.

Access to the ECAF forms will be affected by the loan scheme associated with the Fee Category for a student's course. The current Loan Schemes available are:

• HECS-HELP
• FEE-HELP
• VET FEE-HELP

Note: SA-HELP (for student amenity fees) is available via the SA-HELP online application described in SA-HELP.

ECAF Screen Navigation

FEE-HELP

The FEE-HELP form opens with the cover page of the Government form 1292A.

Where a Student Status is 230, 231, 232 or 233 has been recorded for the Student Course Attempt with a Student Course HECS Option start date before 1/1/2013, then:

• Prior to displaying the FEE HELP application, a page with the following message 'As you have filled in a FEE-HELP form in the past, you will not be required to answer some questions'
• In item 7, the question "Will you undertake in Australia any units of study contributing to the course of study of which the unit forms a part?" will be selected and be un-editable.

Person and Course Details

	The student's personal and course details are pre-populated for items 1-6 and cannot be updated in this application.

Citizenship

	In item 7, questions to determine Citizenship are displayed. The student starts with the first question and follows in the sequence of questions until they are directed elsewhere. Radio buttons may be pre-selected if the student's citizenship is already recorded in the system but may be changed here. Changes made here may affect the availablity of the Submit button.

Tax File Number

	Item 8 allows the student to record their Tax File Number. Once submitted or recorded in the system, an existing TFN will be represented by #########.

Obligations

	Item 9 consists of a series of check boxes to indicate that the student understands their obligations when submitting this application. These check boxes must be selected before their application can be submitted.

After recording their answers, the student clicks on the button to submit their application.

	A History of Student Status changes for this eCAF application can be viewed in the Declaration History.

HECS-HELP

The HECS-HELP application opens with the cover page of the Government form 1290A.

Where a Student Status is 230, 231, 232 or 233 and has been recorded for the Student Course Attempt with a Student Course HECS Option start date before 1/1/2013, then:

• Prior to displaying the HECS-HELP application, a page with the following message 'As you have filled in a HECS-HELP form in the past, you will not be required to answer some questions'
• In item 7,the question "Will you undertake in Australia any units of study contributing to the course of study of which the unit forms a part?" will be selected and be un-editable.

Self Enrolment

	The student's personal and course details are pre-populated for items 1-6 and cannot be updated in this application.

Citizenship

	In item 7, questions to determine Citizenship are displayed. The student starts with the first question and follows in the sequence of questions until they are directed elsewhere. Radio buttons may be pre-selected if the student's citizenship is already recorded in the system but may be changed here. Changes made here may affect the availablity of the Submit button.

Tax File Number

	Item 8 allows the student to record their Tax File Number. Once in the system, an existing TFN will be represented by #########.

Obligations

	Item 8B includes a set of tstatements, which the student must agree to. Item 9 includes two check boxes to indicate that the student understands their obligations when submitting this application. These check boxes must be selected before the application can be submitted.

Declaration

	Item 10 displays text from the declaration from the Government form1290A. By submitting this application the student makes this declaration.

Payment Option

	Item 12 is completed by students who are Australian citizens or permanent humanitarian visa holders. Students select options that will be recorded for in their STUDENT_COURSE_HECS_OPTION table.

After recording their answers, the student clicks on the button to submit their application.

Declaration History

	A History of Student Status changes for this eCAF application can be viewed in the Declaration History.

VET FEE-HELP

The VET FEE-HELP form is available to students who are liable for a fee with a System Fee Type of VET-TUIT and a Funding Source with Sector = VET.

The VET FEE-HELP application opens with the cover page of the government form1296A.

Student Course Attempt

	The student's personal and course details are pre-populated and cannot be updated in this application.

Citizenship

	In item 7, questions to determine Citizenship are displayed. The student starts with the first question and follows in the sequence of questions until they are directed elsewhere. Radio buttons may be pre-selected if the student's citizenship is already recorded in the system but may be changed here. Changes made here may affect the availablity of the Submit button.

Student Status

	Item 8 is available for students who are Australian citizens or permanent humanitarian visa holders. Students select options that will be recorded in their STUDENT_COURSE_HECS_OPTION table.

Existing Debt

	Students who have had a VET FEE-HELP or FEE-HELP debt are directed to read the information in section 10 before proceeding.

Tax File Number

	Item 11 allows the student to record their Tax File Number. Once submitted or recorded in the system, an existing TFN will be represented by #########.

Declaration

	Item 12 displays text for the declaration in the Government form1290A. By submitting this application the student makes this declaration.

After recording their answers, the student clicks on the button to submit their application.

Declaration History

	A History of Student Status changes for this eCAF application can be viewed in the Declaration History.

Once the student has submitted aVET FEE-HELP ECAF, the system determines the appropriate Government Student Status Code from 401-409. These codes can indicate that the student has deferred a state government subsidised course, so the system must determine if the course is state government subsidised and, if so, which state government is funding that course. This will be achieved by checking the local institution address and postcode to determine the state.

The codes 401-409 are defined as follows:

• 401 - Deferred all/part of tuition fee through VET FEE-HELP - Non State Government subsidised
• 402 - Deferred all/part of tuition fee through VET FEE-HELP - Restricted Access Arrangement
• 403 - Deferred all/part of tuition fee through VET FEE-HELP - Victorian State Government subsidised
• 404 - Deferred all/part of tuition fee through VET FEE-HELP - New South Wales State Government subsidised
• 405 - Deferred all/part of tuition fee through VET FEE-HELP - Queensland State Government subsidised
• 406 - Deferred all/part of tuition fee through VET FEE-HELP - South Australian State Government subsidised
• 407 - Deferred all/part of tuition fee through VET FEE-HELP - Western Australian State Government subsidised
• 408 - Deferred all/part of tuition fee through VET FEE-HELP - Tasmanian State Government subsidised
• 409 - Deferred all/part of tuition fee through VET FEE-HELP - Northern Territory State Government subsidised.

Tax File Numbers in ECAF

If a TFN is not submitted with the initial form, another form, complete with all declarations must be re-submitted.
Tax file numbers submitted within an existing form will have the TFN recorded in the STUDENT_ECAF_COMPLETION table and also the STUDENT_COURSE_HECS_OPTION table.
The system allows a student to complete a eCAF, electing to defer the student contribution without recording their TFN. The student is able to submit their TFN at another time, but must do so prior to the applicable Census Date for the Enrolment Period, or Enrolment will be cancelled.
Once a valid TFN is entered and saved in the system, it cannot be accessed again using Connect functionality.

Transaction Management

Settings in SSFF1100 determine the system actions taken upon the submission of any of the ECAF forms. For the ECAF Self Serve Application:

• To log eCAF transactions, set the Log Transaction check box.
• To display a receipt within the eCAF application, set the Issue Receipt check box.
• To issue an email, set the Issue Email check box.

After the email and receipt are successfully issued, then the transaction log will be updated to include that an email and or receipt was issued and the email address that it was issued to.

The fields to log and the sequence that they are logged in (Prompt, Old and New values), are displayed in the SELF_SERVE_TRANSACTION_DETAIL table below:

* Denotes fields that need to be retrieved from the database prior to logging.

** Denotes that these values are logged with identical old and new values as there is no historic values to record.

*** Tax File Number. The TFN is not recorded. It does not have the students actual TFN. Only that it has been noted.

Some of the values logged are static and are not altered by the ECAF. These static values are:

• Person ID
• Given Names
• Surname
• Date of Birth
• Gender
• Course of Study Code
• Name of Course of Study
• Name of Institution
• HECS Form name

Note: There are other fields that cannot be altered by the user, but do change as part of the processing. This means they have distinct old and new values and are not included in the table above.

ECAF Transaction details are logged into the Self Serve Transaction Detail table for static values, the old value and new value columns will always contain the same value. This data is included in the log as contextual reference for Administrators reviewing the log.

Last Modified on 19 February, 2013 3:30 PM

History Information