Education Maintenance Allowance - Eligibility
Eligibility criteria
To be eligible for the EMA:
- Your child must be under the age of sixteen; and
- Your child must be enrolled at a primary or secondary Government or registered school in Victoria on, 26 February 2010 for the first instalment and 6 August 2010 for the second instalment; and
- You must on 27 January 2010 for the first instalment and 12 July 2010, for the second instalment:
- be a parent or legal guardian of the student; and
- be an eligible beneficiary within the meaning of the State Concessions Act 2004, that is, a holder of Veterans Affairs Gold Card or be an eligible Health care card (HCC) or Pensioner Concession Card (PCC) holder or
- be a foster parent.
- Submit your application to the school by the due date:
26 February 2010 for the first instalment*
6 August 2010 for the second instalment.
* Please note: you only need to make a second application in August if your child changes schools between March and August.
The Pension Concession Card (PCC) or Health Care Card (HCC) is subject to electronic confirmation with Centrelink to verify that the cardholder is receiving a benefit.
Foster parent eligibility
Foster parents can apply for the foster child only. Temporary caregivers through the Department of Human Services are considered to be foster parents*.
* Please note: foster parents must provide their school a copy of the letter stating temporary care arrangements from the Department of Human Services or the courts for the school's records.
Concession card codes eligible for EMA
The following cards are eligible provided that you are receiving the eligible benefit on 27 January 2010 for the first instalment and 12 July 2010 for the second instalment.
Eligible Pension Concession Cards:
- Age pension (card code - AGE/AGE BLIND)
- Bereavement Allowance (card code - BVA)
- Carer payment (card code - CAR)
- Disability support pension (card code - DSP)
- Disability support pension – blind (card code - DSP BLIND)
- Mature age allowance (card code - MAA)
- Mature age partner allowance (card code - MPA)
- Newstart allowance – over 60 (card code - NSA)
- Newstart mature age allowance (card code - NMA)
- Parenting payment – partnered over 60 (card code - PP)
- Parenting payment – single (card code - PPS)
- Partner allowance – over 60 (card code - PA)
- Sickness allowance – over 60 (card code - SA)
- Special benefit – over 60 (card code - SL)
- Widow allowance – over 60 (card code - WA)
- Wife pension (card code - WFA, WFD, WFW)
- Widow B pension (card code - WID)
Eligible Health Care Cards:
- Exceptional circumstances relief payment (card code - DR)
- Family tax benefit – part A (card code - FA)
- Farm help income support (card code - FFR)
- Low income card (card code - LI)
- Newstart allowance (card code - NS)
- Newstart mature age allowance (card code - NMA)
- Parenting payment – partnered (card code - PP)
- Partner allowance (card code - PA)
- Sickness allowance (card code - SA)
- Special benefit (card code - SL)
- Widow allowance (card code - WA)
- Youth Allowance (card code - YA)
Parents not eligible for EMA
If you receive a Carer Allowance (formerly Child Disability Allowance), Mobility Allowance, Remote Area Allowance or any other benefit not income tested by Centrelink you are not eligible for the EMA unless you are also a holder of one of the eligible concession cards listed above.