Loss or bereavement

This refers to the death of a close family member or person with whom you had a significant relationship. Due to their death, you’re now experiencing great loss or bereavement.

You need to provide a document such as a death notice or certificate. If this isn’t available, you can provide a practitioner certificate or a statutory declaration (or equivalent). In the case of extreme and ongoing grief, your doctor or counsellor can also provide a medical letter of support.

You need to provide a written statement showing the significance of the relationship between you and the deceased person (e.g. evidence of kinship or family connection), and how long you’ve been affected by their death. If we need more details, we may require you to provide a statutory declaration (or equivalent) in addition to one of the other documents.

Acceptable supporting evidence:

• Death notice or certificate
  • A death notice or certificate must state the full name of the deceased and their date of death.
• Practitioner certificate
  • A practitioner certificate may supplement your other supporting documents. In this certificate, a practitioner (e.g. medical practitioner, psychologist, counsellor, social worker or lawyer) registered with a relevant professional body must state that circumstances beyond your control have prevented you from completing your assessment on or before the set date. They don’t need to give details about your loss or bereavement, but they must say when you’ve been affected by it and for how long. They must also explain the significance of your relationship to the deceased person.
  • The certificate must be on the practitioner’s letterhead, signed and dated.
• Medical letter of support
  • A medical letter of support from a doctor (or other appropriate health professional) describes your emotional state and how it has affected your studies and your ability to complete your assessment on or before the set date. It must also say when you’ve been affected by it and for how long.
  • The letter must be on the medical surgery/health professional’s letterhead, signed and dated.
• Statutory declaration (or equivalent)
  • A statutory declaration is a written statement that you (the declarant) sign and declare to be true and correct in the presence of an authorised witness. In the statutory declaration, you should declare and explain your specific circumstances and how they have affected your studies and your ability to complete your assessment on or before its set date. You must state when you’ve been affected and for how long, and explain the significance of your relationship to the deceased person.
  • A statutory declaration (or equivalent) must be signed and declared to be true and correct in the presence of an authorised witness. By signing it, you agree that the information in it is true. You can be charged with a criminal offence if the information is false.
  • To find out more about statutory declaration, including step-by-step instructions for obtaining a statutory declaration and details about who is authorised to witness it, visit the Victoria State Government web page.