Direct registration with a provider for disability employment assistance services 001-02230030

Job seekers with an illness, injury or disability may directly approach a Disability Employment Services Provider such as Disability Employment Services (DES) to register for employment assistance.

This direct registration process applies for job seekers who are:

• receiving a payment and do not have mutual obligation requirements, or
• not receiving an income support payment and is:
• an Eligible School Leaver (ESL)
• a Special Class Client (SCC)
• participating in Work Assist
• volunteering to meet Program of Support (POS) requirements

See Eligibility criteria for participation with Disability Employment Services (DES) for details about ESL, SCC and Work Assist.

A person who is not receiving an income support payment is eligible to commence in DES to satisfy Program of Support (POS) requirements where:

• Services Australia has assessed and rejected a claim for Disability Support Pension (DSP) on the grounds that POS requirements have not been met
• the Provider has, and retains, a signed statement or email from the person that they have claimed and intend to re-claim DSP, subject to POS requirements
• the Provider records that the person is undertaking a POS in the Special Placement section of the job seeker Eligibility screen
• the person meets other DES eligibility requirements

Job seekers may be referred for an Employment Services Assessment (ESAt) by a provider when a customer does not have a current and valid assessment of their work capacity, to determine the most suitable assistance.

Job seekers receiving Disability Support Pension (DSP) can also directly register with a provider. If required, the provider can directly refer the job seeker for an ESAt to determine the most suitable employment assistance service for the job seeker. The outcomes of the ESAt will not affect the job seeker's eligibility for DSP.

The DES provider will assess whether the job seeker is eligible to receive assistance from their service. The provider may advise the job seeker they:

• are immediately eligible to be placed in their service without the need for further assessment
• need to be referred for a ESAt to determine which type of assistance is most suitable for them
• are not eligible for the service offered by that provider

If a DES provider determines that an ESAt is required to determine the most suitable employment assistance for a person then the provider arranges the ESAt referral. In these circumstances, Assessment Services will action the referral.

When the ESAt takes place, the Assessor is generally responsible for connecting the job seeker with any recommended services.

The role of Services Australia (the agency) in direct registration includes any of the following:

• advising the job seeker about local providers, if approached by the job seeker. The Resources page has a link to the Workforce Australia - Providers website
• assisting the provider with parts of the direct registration process. For example, confirming or creating a Customer Reference Number (CRN) if required
• Assessment Services conduct the ESAt and make the recommendation and referral where appropriate
• accepting the ESAt, after it is submitted by the Assessor
• referring the job seeker to a recommended service. For example, where the job seeker has a current and valid ESAt, has previously chosen not to accept a referral to that service, but subsequently approaches the agency requesting a referral
• providing advice to the provider about circumstances that may affect the job seeker's eligibility for a particular service

When a job seeker directly registers with DES, the provider needs to ensure that the person is registered as a job seeker and has a Job Seeker Identification (JSID) number. The provider should complete the job seeker registration if the person is not already registered.

As part of the job seeker registration and referral workflow the person's job seeker record will be matched with their Services Australia (the agency) record (if they have one) using the Customer Reference Number (CRN).

If the job seeker is an agency customer and cannot provide their CRN, the DES provider should assist the job seeker in contacting the agency to obtain his or her CRN to continue the Direct Registration process.

A job seeker must be receiving an income support payment unless they are an ESL, SCC, participating in Work Assist or volunteering to meet Program of Support (POS) requirements.

As a general rule, a referral cannot take place unless DES is recommended in the customer's most recent current and valid Job Capacity Assessment (JCA) or Employment Services Assessment (ESAt).

Some groups of customers are exempt from the requirement for a JCA or ESAt, including Work Assist participants, school students, SCCs and ESLs. The DES provider determines whether an exemption applies to the customer and where required.

Where required a job seeker may be referred for an ESAt to assess eligibility for DES, including job seekers who 'directly register' with a DES provider.

Job seekers located in a Department of Employment and Workplace Relations designated remote area are referred to a Community Development Program (CDP) provider. The CDP provider will provide a similar Disability Employment Service to job seekers.