In accordance with Article 15 of the Agreement on Social Security between the Government of the Republic Slovenia and the Government of Australia, signed on 19 December 2002, the Competent Authorities hereby make the Administrative Arrangement as set out in the following paragraphs in order to implement that Agreement.
Section 1
Definitions
1. In applying this Administrative Arrangement:
“Agreement” means the Agreement on Social Security between the Government of Australia and the Government of the Republic of Slovenia signed on 19 December 2002;
“Arrangement” means this Administrative Arrangement.
“liaison agency” means:
(i) in relation to Australia, Centrelink International Services in Hobart; and
(ii) in relation to Slovenia, Pension and Disability Insurance Institute of Slovenia (Zavod za pokojninsko in invalidsko zavarovanje Slovenije).
2. Terms defined in the Agreement will, when used in this Arrangement, have the same meaning as in the Agreement.
Section 2
Communication Between Competent Institutions
1. Communications concerning the operation of the Agreement and of this Arrangement will be sent to and from, as the case requires, the appropriate liaison agency.
2. The liaison agencies will be able to communicate directly with each other and with their customers.
3. All documents dealing with new claims or changes to benefits will be transmitted by airmail.Notices of grant of benefits or changes to benefits will be sent by facsimile transmission.
Section 3
Preparation of Forms and Documents
1. Forms and any other documents required for the implementation of the Agreement or this Arrangement will be prepared by each liaison agency following full consultation with the other.
2. The liaison agencies of the Parties will mutually determine the procedures necessary to implement the Agreement and this Arrangement.
Section 4
Claim Lodgement and Processing
1. A claim lodged with the Competent Institution of one Party for a benefit under the legislation of the other Party will be processed by the Competent Institution receiving the claim in the following manner:
(a) the claim will be stamped with the date of receipt;
(b)
(i) the claim will be checked for completeness and, if found incomplete, the missing information will be acquired;
(ii) the identity of the claimant will be checked, personal data on the claim form confirmed on the basis of documents submitted by the claimant, and, if necessary,certified copies of the originals will be made;
(c)
(i) the liaison form will be completed and periods of Australian working life residence or Slovenian insurance periods specified;
(ii) the claim form, originals or certified copies of documents required for deciding on a claim and the liaison form will be sent to the liaison agency of the other Party.
2. The Competent Institution that determines the benefit by virtue of the Agreement will notify the other Competent Institution of its decision on a liaison form.
3. Where a claim for a benefit of one of the Parties is made by a person under an agreement on social security between that Party and a third State and that claim is lodged with the Competent Institution of the other Party the Competent Institution will accept the claim on behalf of the other Competent Institution and will process the claim in accordance with the provision of paragraph 1.
4. In the case of a claim for a benefit that depends on a person’s disability, the Competent Institution of the Party in whose territory the person permanently resides will provide a medical report under Article 6 of the Agreement at the request of the other Competent Institution.
5. The Competent Institution of the Party sending the claim will specify on the liaison form whether or not it requests the payment of debt under Article 13 of the Agreement arising from the arrears of a benefit that may be paid by the Competent Institution of the other Party and whether or not it wants the Competent Institution of the other Party to hold those arrears for repayment of the debt.
6. When a request referred to in paragraph 5 has been made, the Competent Institution of the Party making the request will, upon receipt of grant details from the Competent Institution of the other Party calculate the amount of the debt and advise the Competent Institution of the other Party.The Party holding the arrears will deduct from the arrears due the debt amount calculated in its own currency at the time of the deduction and transfer the said amount as soon as possible to the Competent Institution of the Party that made the request and pay the remaining arrears to the beneficiary.
Section 5
Notices on Periods of Insurance and Working Life Residence
In the cases mentioned in Articles 8, 9, 10 and 11 of the Agreement:
(a) the Slovenian liaison agency will, at the request of the Australian liaison agency, certify the periods of insurance completed by a person under Slovenian legislation and provide such other information as may be required as soon as possible;
(b) the Australian liaison agency will, at the request of the Slovenian liaison agency, certify a person’s periods of Australian working life residence and will provide such other information as may be required as soon as possible.
Section 6
Medical Examinations
1. When the liaison agency of one Party must submit the existing medical report for the purposes of deciding on a claim or changing the benefit of the other Party, this report must be provided and submitted to the other Party as soon as possible.
2. If the Competent Institution of one Party requires the claimant or beneficiary permanently residing in the territory of the other Party to undergo a medical examination, the liaison agency of the latter Party will at the request of the liaison agency of the former Party, make the arrangements for a medical examination in accordance with the rules applied by the liaison agency making the arrangements at the expense of the liaison agency requesting the medical examination and will provide the medical report of the examination in a mutually determined form.
3. Upon receipt of a detailed statement of accrued costs the liaison agency of the former Party promptly reimburses the liaison agency of the latter Party for the sums to be paid owing to the application of the provisions of the second paragraph.
Section 7
Appeals
A Competent Institution that receives an appeal against the decision of the Competent Institution of the other Party will stamp the appeal with the date of receipt and forward it promptly to the liaison agency of the latter Party.
Section 8
Statistical Information
The Competent Institutions will exchange statistics on an annual basis regarding the payments which each has made under the Agreement; these statistics will include data on the number of beneficiaries and the cash value of benefits paid, by the type of benefits.
Section 9
Review of the Arrangement
This Arrangement may be amended at any time by further arrangement between the Competent Authorities.
Section 10
Commencement
This Arrangement will commence on the same day as the Agreement enters into force, and will operate for the duration of the Agreement.
SIGNED at Ljubljana this 4th day of July 2003 in the Slovenian and in the English languages, each text being equally authoritative.
FOR THE COMPETENT AUTHORITY OF THE REPUBLIC OF SLOVENIA Nataša Belopavlovič (s)
FOR THE COMPETENT AUTHORITY OF AUSTRALIA Roger Barson (s)