Employment Services Assessment (ESAt) referrals made by Employment Services Providers 001-02230040

A job seeker may approach a provider directly to access their services. These can include:

• Workforce Australia
• Disability Employment Services (DES)
• Community Development Program (CDP)

In most cases, a job seeker does not have to be receiving, or eligible to receive, an income support payment to access Workforce Australia assistance. A job seeker must be receiving, or be eligible to receive, income support payments to access Disability Employment Services, except in some specific circumstances.

The provider:

• identifies if an ESAt is required to determine if the customer is eligible for their services, and
• may contact Services Australia to gather additional information. This may include whether the job seeker is currently in receipt of income support

These providers have access to the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations' Employment Services System (ESS) and can refer a customer directly for an ESAt:

• Workforce Australia
• Disability Employment Services (DES), and
• Community Development Program (CDP)

DES providers cannot refer directly for an ESAt where the customer:

• is ineligible for DES
• has started or registered with another DES or employment services provider, or
• is unable to undertake program requirements in a location where the provider delivers program services

When making an ESAt referral it is the responsibility of the Employment Services Provider to inform the job seeker that they need to upload medical evidence prior to referral for an ESAt. Providers must ensure medical evidence is uploaded prior to requesting an ESAt.

When a referral is made for an ESAt it is the responsibility of the referrer to inform the job seeker of the possible implications if medical evidence for an ESAt is not provided. This may mean the:

• request for an ESAt may be rejected if there are no personal factors or special needs indicated
• customer's medical conditions are not considered when determining hours of work capacity and participation requirements. In this situation the Assessor can only assess the customer's work capacity as being 30+ hours a week
• customer is unable to access the most appropriate service, such as Disability Employment Services (DES), or access to the most appropriate service may be delayed
• customer may not be able to access the most appropriate rate for their income support payment or some social security concessions